The Endless Path: A Memoir by Laurie Duperier

by Laurie Duperier

The Endless Path tells the story of the extraordinary journey of two soulmates who overcame almost insurmountable odds to find each other and to stay together as long as they possibly could. It is the story of Gunny and Laurie. Gunny was a chocolate Labrador retriever and Laurie is a person, but those are just the forms that our souls took this time around. You’ve never read a memoir quite like this one because Gunny was not only a dog, but also the co-author. He was able to write his part with the help of his gifted animal communicator, Alexandra, who could hear him quite clearly. The book traces their life together from when Gunny and Laurie met, until his death at almost fifteen years old, and beyond. The Endless Path follows Gunny’s struggle to survive rare and near fatal illnesses with fierce determination, as well as their amazing adventures living all around the world. It is knowing the edge of death that deepened Gunny’s commitment to life —and his reflections on life, love, relationships, and what it all means are astonishing. Gunny tells us the story of his life, and incredibly, about the soul pact that he and Laurie made long ago. While there is adventure, laughter, and tears along The Endless Path , in the end, it is about love and all the amazing things that it can accomplish.

Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you believe in love, a love between two soulmates tethered by a single thread, a love that transcends time, you'll LOVE this book. And if you love dogs, the unconditional love, trust, bonds of friendship and triumphs over the struggles that life may present, you'll love this book even more!

"The Endless Path" is a beautifully written, heartwarming memoir about the soulful journey shared by Laurie and Ganimedes (Gunny for short), a chocolate Labrador that would eventually become the love and light of Laurie's life, and vice versa. Theirs is a spiritual story about the bonds, the connection shared between two life-loving spirits; an inspiring tale of companionship, struggle, triumph and a celebration of life. When Laurie and Gunny met the first time, it was love at first sight and soon their "endless path" would take them from from Los Angeles, to Hong Kong, to Switzerland and finally Washington, D.C., not to mention the occasional holiday in Spain, Juan Carlos' home.life.

Gunny's new family provided and ensured an enriching life filled with love, attention and stimulation; and sadly, the empathy and understanding accompanied by the heartbreak that comes with having to care for a helpless victim of one medical affliction after the next. No dog owner should ever have to endure what Laurie and Gunny were forced to endure in their lifetime!

But love triumphs after all, and despite the life-threatening challenges and distressing obstacles thrust into their "endless path," their relationship survived for nearly 15 years, and beyond ...

Personally, I can relate to Laurie's bond with Gunny, because I too had my soulmate, Buddy, an adopted Yellow Lab who lit up my life, my constant companion always by my side, ready to smother me with love and who believed in me at times when I didn't. He knew how to make my heart soar, and Gunny knew how to make Laurie's soar. If you're a dog owner, you know exactly what I mean.

If you believe in such a love, then let me recommend a must-read memoir that is "The Endless Path"!

[Marti Martinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author and I are first cousins. Although we lived only about 19 miles apart growing up and always got along, we were not excessively close because of living in different counties and attending different schools. When I joined the Navy and she went off to college, the physical and emotional distances became even greater. I ended up with Top Secret clearance job in Metro DC after the Navy, and she was just graduating from Georgetown Law. I attended her graduation party and I attended her wedding. (I said all this in case she reads reviews of her book.) We are now in-touch very often
due to the health status of my uncle (her father) and her aunt (my mother).

I was immdiately reminded of the author Irving Cooper (if you know, you know). Written with the same clarity and specifity, I have no doubts as to her sincerity on a mystical connection with her dog Gunny; none, zip, zero, nada, the null set. I know she is not given to hyperbole either. She is like Horton:

She meant what she wrote and she wrote what she meant;
Laurie is faithful, one hundred per cent.

Her analysis of this mystical connection is as probative as any legal analysis would be.

I met Gunny and Bacchus. I met Juan Carlos. I have been in the house. Having said all of the above, I feel, perhaps, quite the poorer for never having had any sense of a "soul mate" like she did. Not in another person, not in an occupation, not in a place. I did, however, feel more "dutiful" to certain
persons, occupations, or places than others.

A co-worker of mine had a friend who read auras and could gauge the "age" of a soul when he met them. I shook the man's hand and he immediately said, "You're not a new soul, but you're definitely not an old one either."

A description of riveting for her book would be dramatic on my part, but it was engaging and the text carried me along; I never felt forced to continue reading it.

(She's gonna kill me, but I think there's a typo on 175. And I hope we're still cousins.)

[Emerald Emerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put simply, this is a remarkable story. For anyone who appreciates dogs, non-human animals in general, or who has loved, it is well worth the read. Yes, there will be some perspectives that have a hard time recognizing beyond skepticism, but this book holds a lot even for the holders of them, as it will likely touch them on a level they’re not (yet) consciously aware of. The rest of us will simply appreciate, marvel at, and revere this beautiful story that offers ever more into the unfolding and awakening of consciousness—the consciousness, as Ganimedes says, that we are all connected to, and which, as I see it, we all ultimately are.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came away from this book with an altered view of our relationship with animals. Couldn't put it down.