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The Compassion of Animals: True Stories of Animal Courage and Kindness
Do Animals Have Feelings?
According to Kristin von Kreisler, the answer is an undeniable yes. Here, she shares dozens of absorbing, true stories of animals who've risked their lives to keep the human they love out of danger. You'll read of incredibly heroic acts—from the dog who swallows a firecracker to protect a toddler, to the horse who runs through traffic to save an injured woman. You'll come away from this profoundly moving book with a deeper appreciation for the indispensable role animals play in our daily lives.
"Remember some of the feelings you had as a child for the animals to whom you were closest . . . That is what this book is all about."
—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, from the foreword
"An inspiring collection of animal loyalty, love, and bravery. No one can deny the emotional impact of this anecdotal book."
—Publishers Weekly
"An extraordinary combination of incredible research and deep feeling."
—Cleveland Amory, author of Ranch of Dreams and The Cat Who Came for Christmas
"Through dozens of inspiring true stories, Kristin von Kreisler makes a strong case for a 'controversial premise'—that animals demonstrate genuine acts of compassion toward others every day. This book will remove the 'controversial' from the premise!"
— Paul G. Irwin, president of The Humane Society of the United States
"Ms. von Kreisler is fearless, intriguing, and herself compassionate. Highly recommended."
— Roger A. Caras, president of the ASPCA
According to Kristin von Kreisler, the answer is an undeniable yes. Here, she shares dozens of absorbing, true stories of animals who've risked their lives to keep the human they love out of danger. You'll read of incredibly heroic acts—from the dog who swallows a firecracker to protect a toddler, to the horse who runs through traffic to save an injured woman. You'll come away from this profoundly moving book with a deeper appreciation for the indispensable role animals play in our daily lives.
"Remember some of the feelings you had as a child for the animals to whom you were closest . . . That is what this book is all about."
—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, from the foreword
"An inspiring collection of animal loyalty, love, and bravery. No one can deny the emotional impact of this anecdotal book."
—Publishers Weekly
"An extraordinary combination of incredible research and deep feeling."
—Cleveland Amory, author of Ranch of Dreams and The Cat Who Came for Christmas
"Through dozens of inspiring true stories, Kristin von Kreisler makes a strong case for a 'controversial premise'—that animals demonstrate genuine acts of compassion toward others every day. This book will remove the 'controversial' from the premise!"
— Paul G. Irwin, president of The Humane Society of the United States
"Ms. von Kreisler is fearless, intriguing, and herself compassionate. Highly recommended."
— Roger A. Caras, president of the ASPCA
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 1997
4 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Kristin von Kreisler
15 books158 followersKristin von Kreisler was born on October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, and all her life she has loved and rescued animals. She writes bestselling books about them and has spoken about their welfare on Coast to Coast to 560 U.S. cities and on the Voice of America to 123 million people.
Only after rescuing a desperate laboratory beagle did it occur to her that she could also help animals by writing about them. After two critically acclaimed nonfiction books about animal emotion, she wrote four novels that feature beloved dogs, who protect and encourage their people through contemporary problems. In the national bestseller, AN UNEXPECTED GRACE, an artist and a golden retriever help each other recover from violence and abuse. In Kristin's most recent story, A REASON FOR HOPE, a Labrador retriever courthouse dog comforts a bookmobile librarian as she fights for justice after a grievous assault.
Kristin's award-winning books have been translated into twelve languages, and her articles have appeared in anthologies, textbooks, and national newspapers and magazines, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Magazine, Woman's Day, and Reader's Digest. She has taught English at the University of Hawaii and journalism at California State University at San Jose.
Kristin lives on an island in Washington with her husband, John, and their beloved Lab, Bridget. Kristin says she'd rather work in her garden than breathe. Her kale grows to looming giants, and her lavender and catmint are sirens calling bees. From her desk she watches ospreys and seals, and every hour a ferry passes by. She and John have just renovated a historic Victorian farmhouse, where the island's first postmistress and sheriff once lived with their seven children.
Only after rescuing a desperate laboratory beagle did it occur to her that she could also help animals by writing about them. After two critically acclaimed nonfiction books about animal emotion, she wrote four novels that feature beloved dogs, who protect and encourage their people through contemporary problems. In the national bestseller, AN UNEXPECTED GRACE, an artist and a golden retriever help each other recover from violence and abuse. In Kristin's most recent story, A REASON FOR HOPE, a Labrador retriever courthouse dog comforts a bookmobile librarian as she fights for justice after a grievous assault.
Kristin's award-winning books have been translated into twelve languages, and her articles have appeared in anthologies, textbooks, and national newspapers and magazines, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Stanford Magazine, Woman's Day, and Reader's Digest. She has taught English at the University of Hawaii and journalism at California State University at San Jose.
Kristin lives on an island in Washington with her husband, John, and their beloved Lab, Bridget. Kristin says she'd rather work in her garden than breathe. Her kale grows to looming giants, and her lavender and catmint are sirens calling bees. From her desk she watches ospreys and seals, and every hour a ferry passes by. She and John have just renovated a historic Victorian farmhouse, where the island's first postmistress and sheriff once lived with their seven children.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 27, 2022
Review originally published July 2003
Are you an animal lover like I am? Are you unable to resist going to the pet stores around town just to look at all the cute little creatures? If you share my addiction, I have the perfect book for you to read! It is called The Compassion of Animals: True Stories of Animal Courage and Kindness by Kristin Von Kreisler. This book is filled with stories that will really move your heart. It has stories that will make you laugh and stories that will make you cry.
One of the stories tells how a dog saved a little boy's life. A little boy and his dog were going outdoors to play. Soon the mother heard the dog barking frantically. As the mother ran toward her child, she saw a rattlesnake getting ready to strike at the boy. The dog jumped in front of the little boy and took the bite in the place of the child. The dog was taken to the vet, but did not make it. The vet said that the weight of the dog and child were so similar that the child would not have survived the snake-bite either because of the amount of venom the large snake had left. That dog is a true hero!
Another story is about how a pig caught a burglar. The burglar was in a high-speed chase with several police officers. He stopped the car and decided to try to out-run them on foot. He jumped a fence and thought he would find a good place to hide till the cops had cleared. Little did he know, he had jumped into the home of a 300 lb pig. The pig bit his leg, and then charged the burglar and knocked him to the ground and refused to let him move until the owner came out and called her off.
One of my favorite stories in this book is about a horse. (Of course anyone who knows me knows I love horses.) This story tells about how a first-time-rider was riding on a path when some kids thought it would be funny to throw stones at her horse. The horse got scared and took off running. Another rider raced after her trying to get his horse next to the runaway so he could pull the girl onto his horse. After pulling the girl onto his lap, he started to slow down and realized the other horse was doing the same. When they came to a complete stop, the riders noticed that the calm horse had taken the reins of the scared horse and held them in his teeth to slow him down.
These are just a few of the many, many touching stories in this book. You will truly be amazed at what animals will do!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Are you an animal lover like I am? Are you unable to resist going to the pet stores around town just to look at all the cute little creatures? If you share my addiction, I have the perfect book for you to read! It is called The Compassion of Animals: True Stories of Animal Courage and Kindness by Kristin Von Kreisler. This book is filled with stories that will really move your heart. It has stories that will make you laugh and stories that will make you cry.
One of the stories tells how a dog saved a little boy's life. A little boy and his dog were going outdoors to play. Soon the mother heard the dog barking frantically. As the mother ran toward her child, she saw a rattlesnake getting ready to strike at the boy. The dog jumped in front of the little boy and took the bite in the place of the child. The dog was taken to the vet, but did not make it. The vet said that the weight of the dog and child were so similar that the child would not have survived the snake-bite either because of the amount of venom the large snake had left. That dog is a true hero!
Another story is about how a pig caught a burglar. The burglar was in a high-speed chase with several police officers. He stopped the car and decided to try to out-run them on foot. He jumped a fence and thought he would find a good place to hide till the cops had cleared. Little did he know, he had jumped into the home of a 300 lb pig. The pig bit his leg, and then charged the burglar and knocked him to the ground and refused to let him move until the owner came out and called her off.
One of my favorite stories in this book is about a horse. (Of course anyone who knows me knows I love horses.) This story tells about how a first-time-rider was riding on a path when some kids thought it would be funny to throw stones at her horse. The horse got scared and took off running. Another rider raced after her trying to get his horse next to the runaway so he could pull the girl onto his horse. After pulling the girl onto his lap, he started to slow down and realized the other horse was doing the same. When they came to a complete stop, the riders noticed that the calm horse had taken the reins of the scared horse and held them in his teeth to slow him down.
These are just a few of the many, many touching stories in this book. You will truly be amazed at what animals will do!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
December 16, 2008
This is like a "Chicken soup for _______ soul" book, as it is a collection of sentimental, tear-jerking true stories of animal altruism. Perfect reading for a hospital stay, while you're home sick, to read to children, or just to warm your heart.
May 31, 2017
Lots of examples of the good deeds animals do for humans. However, many of the examples were not interesting, very basic, or a wide stretch of the imagination. Didn't finish the book.
December 6, 2020
Love the book . Animals are amazing , to please us they will give theirs life . i believe this. they do not have fur for nothing , that calm humans in many way and d not judge us .
August 5, 2025
awesome book,a must read if you love animals
October 11, 2018
I think that some of the stories were really interesting, but some of them were boring.
February 29, 2008
This is really excellent book .. Should recommend to read it.
February 25, 2011
This one proves that animals not only tug at our heartstrings but are truly there for us whether we need them to be or not.
July 28, 2011
True and unbelievable stories that will warm your heart. Many short stories make this a quick read or a pick up when you need an uplifting story while reading other books.
August 2, 2011
Follows the same lines as all of these types of books. I still love them all though.
March 6, 2012
I just loved these animal stories. Inspiring.
February 3, 2016
Lots of wonderful stories about animals and the ways they show concern and kindness.
May 7, 2009
The short stories in this are a must-read for animal lovers.
August 6, 2009
Love this book. Its full of great stories. If your an animal lover you will enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews