Four-Legged Miracles: Heartwarming Tales of Lost Dogs' Journeys Home

by Brad Steiger, Sherry Hansen Steiger

A collection of uplifting, true tales that showcase the abilities of lost dogs to beat incredible odds and obstacles like natural disasters, predators, injury and disease to return home to their surprised, but overjoyed families. (pets).

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Dogs

341 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2013

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this a 3.5. it is pretty good. the book is about dogs who have been lost or separated from their owners but have a happy ending with returning home. It is broken down into categories such as Dogs who found their way home, Dog overboard, dogs who found owners who went from old home to new home,dramatic rescues, dogs in wilderness, to name a few chapters. some of the stories are very heartwarming.some i liked more than others. A couple complaints i have about this book is it reads like the writers took a bunch of news articles and put them into this book in their own words. No Pictures. I would have liked to see what the dogs looked like. the end offers ways an owner can try and find their own dog if it ends up lost. if someone loves dogs they may like this book. I liked it for the most part and even had some favorite stories.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all animals, but dogs and cats are my favorites without a doubt. Here we find those stories we wish were our own when a beloved dog goes missing; in this book they all come back. The book itself is well written, and dividing it up into short stories similar to each other held my attention really effectively. Another great book for animal lovers!

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just didn't like the book so much. I will try to explain. If I came across of a story of a long lost dog making his way home miraculously online or in a magazine I would have read it with interest. But it just felt like having a whole lot of those stories felt repetitive.

It really is freakin' amazing that dogs can home in on a route home, or to their owners, hundreds or even thousands of miles away. But in the beginning of the book with all these stories they were all so similar. 'Dogs name' ran off or for some other reason disappeared far away, 'owners names' were distraught and looked everywhere and put up flyers, then after 'period of time' the dog shows up at their doorstop or nearby, with bloody sore pads, lots of ticks, and so happy to see their owners again. They really are amazing stories, but maybe because of their brevity lacked the full depth to really make as much impact on me.

Other parts of the book were on dogs that although may not have made it all the way home, or were found by others who could help them be reunited, proved sometimes to be more interesting. Dogs lost overboard and had to swim for miles, carried up by tornadoes or left behind from Hurricane Katrina, played to a little different theme. Stories of psychics giving information to be too coincidental to find a trapped dog were also pretty cool.

There were also chapters interspersed through the rescue stories on research aspects of dog development, psychology, the dog-human bond, and discussion on why dogs get lost and why they are able to find their way back. Some of this was interesting to me, but as I often have read the full book they reference, so the cliff notes of a book or research was not greatly appreciated by me, although it may be more valuable to others.

Lastly, although this book is on the dogs that get reunited, so no Kleenex is needed from a dog dying at the end of the book, the thought of a poor dog facing the perils of traffic, starvation, ticks (Lyme disease?) and the sadness of both the dog and the owner is a unpleasant to think of. But nice to think that miracles do happen and every dog has that in them.

PS: I already have an extra leash in the car, but I will put a can of dog food in there and water so if I see a stray dog, I can be prepared to help out with any miracle God may put my way concerning a lost dog.

[Handolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short tales of dogs that found their way back home. It was heart warming to know that all the dogs in this book had a happy ending. I particularly liked that the authors have included a brief history of the dogs and the development of human-dog relationships. It was a good mix of tales and informative pieces.

As a dog lover, this book was a great learning lesson. I've noticed that some of the things that I do out of habit can lead to losing my fur baby. And learning from the experiences of other dog owners, it has made me modify my behaviours to prevent from losing my dog. I think that overlooking and thinking, "nah my dog wouldn't run away. I'll never lose my dog" is a very dangerous mindset to have. As a dog owner, I think you should always be prepared for the worst so you know how to handle the situation when it does happen. And as much as we think that we understand our furry babies, I think it's a responsibility of a dog owner to continuously educate and be informed of our dogs behaviours and thought processes.

Take home points from this book :
- Be careful with who you ask to look after your dog.
- Don't underestimate your dogs innate canine abilities
- Always have a leash on when you are in a new area
- Understand your dogs personality & traits
- Microchip & neuter your dog
- Always have a collar that identifies your dog
- Prepare a poster that you can print off immediately when your dog goes missing

These might be simple things that you may think, I already know this! But as I said, we can easily look things over and not think twice about these easy things.

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book by the subtitle: Hearwarming Tales of Lost Dogs' Journeys Home. In that regard, this book was somewhat disappointing. Only a few of them were heart-warming, the rest sort of left a few gaps. I skipped much of the back half that went into the evolution of the canine brain, and the psychic powers that talked to missing dogs. Too weird for me.

The few more detailed stories which were heartwarming, redeemed the book from utter loss and a one-star rating.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book would be so great since I love animal stories, but it was VERY disappointing. I made it halfway through the book before I just couldn't keep reading it. Each chapter is just a bunch of random stories of dogs who found their way home from being lost, stolen, hurt, etc. It wasn't that the stories were bad it was more how the book was put together it was very choppy and I just couldn't get into it. I would not recommend this one at all.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

i didn't finish it. it was the same thing over and ver---dog runs away, dog finds it's way home. not even written sympathetically, more like a news report. of the reports i finished there was only one dog i felt a connection to...and i am a dog lover. don't waste your time.

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to tell some of these stories when you can't know the details because dog's don't talk. But the details are what make stories more interesting. Despite that, there were some interesting stories and amazing feats that are hard to fathom. I was impressed at how some of these dogs worked so hard to find their humans.

[rae . *. ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would give the anecdotes a solid 3. the real star of this book is the research, articles, and books referenced. compelling evidence and conclusions drawn around dogs’ intelligence/consciousness. this type of research is right up my alley. definitely made me want to learn more, so i saved a few of the books mentioned.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

2013 - Non-Fiction - Trade

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of many dogs who run or stolen and lose their owners, ,,, sad , but lots of happy reuions.. I really enjoyed it, comparing my dog spot ,, who would run off with the famr neighbours dogs and we would see them in the fields, the dalmation, sheperd and my little black and white spot dog, (mut) running with each other , always a few days later he would return and be SO TIRED, like the dogs in these stories ,,, HOW DO THEY KNOW how to travel so far and which direction to go in? My Bouvier and my spaniel?terrier mix, would sneak out the gate a couple times when kids forgot to shut it tigthly ,, and they were spotted sitting in a yard about 3 miles away just resting there, that man also had a Bouvier and went up to my dog thinking it was his, I got a phone call,, come get your pet, Now my Weimaraner Never leaves my side thank goodness, but I am always careful not to leave him in the car alone more than 3 minutes, as someone could dog nap him, as in this book they say it is fairly common,, EVERY dog owner should read this great little book thanks for it! theresa

[McGuffy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of true canine stories. The dogs in this very poignant book have all been lost, but unbelievably found their way home. Finding the homes and families that they knew they belonged with drove them onward.

The canine instincts and intuition of these amazing dogs helped them against seemingly insurmountable odds. These stories also highlight the intelligence and courage of the “family dog”.

Fighting natural disasters, predators, injuries, unknown conditions of both weather and terrain, these dogs not only survived but persevered until attaining their goal of reunion with their family.

Following a tornado, Mason the terrier crawled home on two broken legs. Buca sat for over two months on a Utah hill, overlooking an Interstate, waiting for his family car to return for him. A Beagle named Eddie walked over 450 miles to reunite and help his disable little boy. These are just some of the examples of canine love and loyalty.

The book is filled with heartwarming stories. I highly recommend this book to animal lovers, especially those who have ever loved and been loved by a dog.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love it, but the stories were very short, numerous and lacking descriptive detail, reading more like newspaper or magazine articles, which made them repetitive (dog runs away/is stolen or lost in a natural disaster. Dog is missing for many days, humans search valiantly. Dog shows up X amount of time later, skinny and maybe injured, but safe and everyone is happy). You wouldn't think a person could get tired of happy endings, and that is a point in its favor, but between the repetition and how the stories were broken up by exceedingly dull chapters in which the authors share collected research from various experts on animal behavior, I could not give this more than 2.49 stars.

[Rina | booksofthemuggleborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating: 3/5 stars!

This book contains great short stories of different pets that have endured distances, injuries and time to find their way back home to their loved ones.

These are all true stories of dogs and their owners and their will to find one another at whatever cost. This book is a great light read if you find yourself with a bit of spare time.

I did find some of the stories told to be sad which made me a little teary - you almost wish it never happened the way it did but the overall book is heartfelt and uplifting.

I recommend it to dog/ animal lovers who love stories of the strong bond made between a human and their pet.

[Melissa Sodano · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun romp through the world of dogs, written in the style of short news articles. Filled with stories of dozens of dogs, with helpful information and tips in between, this book recounts many "tails" of dogs who have gone missing from their beloved people. Luckily the stories have happy endings, whether those endings occurred a week or a decade later. Nonetheless, you will be amazed at how some of these pets survived in order to be reunited with their loved ones.

[Jeslyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get through this one. Though the cover states this is a book of "heartwarming tales of lost dogs' journeys home", it would be more accurately described as "how lots of owners searched for their dogs". A couple of the entries were fascinating, but not enough.

[Glenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an ok book if you read it like i did,a couple of stories at a time as its all the same and would get very boring otherwise. I.e dog goes missing, dog comes home. The stories are so short and you dont really get enough information about each one.

[Susan Iverson · Rating 2 out of 5]

the authors compile moving and "heartwarming" stories, but the book has a laundry list style of telling each tale that led me to feel less inspired and awe-struck as the book progressed

[Rexanna Ipock-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming and has some good suggestions on keeping your dog safe in the last chapter.

[Kathrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting factual account of lost dogs returning home. I think I cried till the end. A good quick read.

[Harolyn Legg]

Stories about dogs who did amazing things to find their owners after being lost for various reasons.