Extraordinary Dogs: Stories from Search and Rescue Dogs, Comfort Dogs, and Other Canine Heroes

by Liz Stavrinides, John Schlimm

A beautiful photo book showcasing more than 50 heroic dogs "in uniform" and their stories, from photographer Liz Stavrinides and author John Schlimm.

Extraordinary Dogs portrays more than fifty working dogs, along with the police officers, firefighters, veterans, and other trained volunteer handlers who serve side-by-side with them. Their moving stories and beautiful photographs are an unprecedented glimpse at Comfort Dogs and Search and Rescue Dogs, along with bomb-detecting TSA dogs and canine ambassadors from across the United States.

* The stories of the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs take readers behind the scenes of their headlining deployments—such as the Boston Marathon bombing, Superstorm Sandy, and the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
* Search and Rescue K-9 teams reveal what it’s really like to travel into the eye of natural disasters, accidents, crime scenes, and the worst terrorist strike in recorded history.
* At Washington Dulles International Airport, readers meet several of the Department of Homeland Security’s TSA dogs whose sole job it is to keep the flying public safe from explosives and other dangers.

Extraordinary Dogs is both a portrait of what love, hope, courage, and heroism look like in their purest forms and a tribute to the eternal and impactful bonds we forge with our furry friends.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2019

Reviews

[liliana •_• · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!

I was with my mom when we went to the library by my house, Hampton Branch and we were looking at a section of new books that had arrived. I saw this one and I knew I had to read it. I opened it up and I saw all the stories and I said to myself, "I'm already in love with this."

This book is so good. All the stories are unique and diverse. There are so many dogs all over the United States who have such a huge impact on human lives. Each story has an image of the dog and my heart just melted after looking at each image.

If you love dogs and reading non-fiction stories, then this is the book for you. There are a total of 50 stories for 50 dogs. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! It's so dang good. I wonder if there is another book like this but about cats so that people who love cats can read one like this.

Happy Reading Everyone!!

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a marvelous book about dogs and their dedicated handlers. These trained animals are deployed to major disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, building collapses, fires, mudslides and airplane crashes. They went to Sandy Hook, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse Nightclub shooting, the Las Vegas shooting and countless other disasters.
There are dogs that only are training by veterans. They work at rehabilitation centers and hospitals. “Twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day.” The trainers returning from deployments find a purpose, and those in need can relate to fellow vets.
Many of these incredible dogs are rescues, including dogs rescued from annual dog meat festivals in China, where dogs are brutally murdered and sold to people for near.
The dogs are amazing and their stories are heartwarming.

[diann bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary Dogs is a book filled with many Amazing stories of Comfort,Rescue,and Search dogs and All the Incredible work they do.

The stories will warm your heart and bring tears to your eyes.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes inspirational stories.

[Suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love dogs and especially dogs with jobs. This book is very heavy, with expensive, glossy paper, and not easy to read. I hate to be negative, but the photos aren't that great and don't tell the story and the narrative is more pablum p r than engaging. The Lutheran Church Charity may be doing a great job with the dogs, but this is an expensive, heavy book with little charm or reason.

[Deon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog lovers will enjoy this homage to the dog heroes who work as police dogs, therapy dogs, and dogs who use their remarkable scenting ability to help mankind. Even if you are not a dog enthusiast, this book may explain why many of us are and give abundant reason for being grateful to mankind’s four-legged friend.

There is Josie, a Labrador deployed to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria to search through dangerous falling down structures for survivors. Jessie, a bloodhound named for a young girl kidnapped and murdered in Colorado, works with her human handler, deputy sheriff Kelly Fosler, in searching for missing people and perpetrators of crime. Jessie is there to help find those in danger fast. Taffy a Golden Retriever was deployed to Afghanistan and now uses her bomb sniffing talents for TSA, keeping the skies friendly. Rocket, a Belgian Malinois-Border Collie mix, was one day from getting the needle when the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation stepped in and put his considerable talents to use for the Windsor Fire Department in Windsor California.

The stories of these and many others are collected in this account of remarkable dogs.

[Donna Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

As its title claims, this volume highlights extraordinary dogs serving in various capacities as comfort dogs, search and rescue dogs, human remains detection dogs, and explosive detection. Others serve as public awareness canines informing audiences of the mass slaughter of dogs taking place at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China where eight hundred dogs are cooked and served up to the public each year. In each of the forty chapters, one or more dogs and handlers are interviewed and photographed, offering compelling text and equally impressive photography. Many of the teams have served following the same incidents: the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida. The stories are guaranteed to bring new awareness, appreciation, and respect for these talented dogs and their dedicated trainers.

[Laurla2]

you'd think i would love a book like this, and i certainly thought so!!

sadly, the stories were terribly boring. they were full of information i wasn't at all interested in, and lacking the kind of doggy details that i love. i made it 40 pages in, hoping the stories would get better, but they didn't. it

also gave the dates when some of the dogs died, and i don't need that!!! i don't want ANY mention of a dog's death in a dog book! we all know that dogs die far too early, don't throw that kind of unnecessary downer at me and expect me not to cry.

the photos were quality, but were nothing more than each dog posed pretty. wouldn't you think that for "Ricochet the surfing dog" they might want to have a picture of the dog surfing with children?!?!

i've never actually given up on a dog book before. i was just so disappointed.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

When current events make you shake your head and wonder what the world is coming to, this is the book to pick up to restore your faith in humanity. Of course "Extraordinary Dogs" is a wonderful read for dog lovers because we see dogs at their very best in these pages. These are dogs who shine in search and rescue, explosive detection and comforting people in extremely traumatic situations. It is the work of the handlers, however, who show that even when situations are dire, skilled and caring people are willing to go into places and situations that would make most of us flee. The great thing about the dogs profiled is that their unique skills have allowed for human-canine partnerships that allow people to serve other people in amazing ways. "Extraordinary Dogs" is so much more than a feel good book about our fuzzy friends; it reveals humanity at its best even in the worst situations.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many ways to hurt emotionally and physically and to be in danger, but God has provided many ways for comfort and protection. Dogs are extraordinarily gifted in many ways and this book gives personal examples of the many different ways dogs provide companionship, comfort, and protection. Stories and search and rescue dogs as well as explosive material detection dogs, but I most enjoyed the Comfort Dog stories. Our church has been approved for our own Comfort Dog and while it has been a tremendously frustrating and unpleasant experience, this book helps look forward to the wonderful blessing our dog will be to our community, region, and state. Beautiful book!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary book with stories of dogs and their handlers in a wide variety of circumstances. What kind and compassionate handlers are behind these dogs that are the unsung heroes that make these teams work. I had NO idea the Luthern Churches had this compassion dog ministry. What a wonderful extension of the love and compassion shown from our Savior.

[Jsmh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I loved reading about these amazing dogs and their handlers. I bought this book as part of a fund raiser for my church's own comfort dog and am SO glad I did. It was worth every penny.

[Christine D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little repetitive, but these dogs are amazing nonetheless.