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

Review“Funny, heartbreaking…will make dog lovers of all ages smile.” ―Publishers WeeklyHeartwarming true stories of lost dogs finding the way back home, relying entirely on amazing canine intelligence and instinctsFour-Legged Miracles is a collection of wondrous lost-and-found canine sagas―actual Lassie, Come Home tales―that highlight dogs' remarkable abilities to return home despite almost unbelievable odds. Brad and Sherry Steiger have collected dramatic, carefully documented true-life anecdotes that showcase canines' amazing intelligence, courage, and sometimes seemingly supernatural powers. Often, there are no sensible explanations for how the dogs overcome obstacles like natural disasters and fierce wilderness areas, predators, grievous injuries, and more to find their human families.These fascinating reunion stories include:--Mason, the white terrier who crawled home on two broken legs to what remained of his family's tornado-ravaged house--Buca, who sat on a hill over Utah's Rte. I-15 for two months waiting for the car he knew would bring him home--Eddie, the beagle, who walked 450 miles over four months to reunite with disabled four-year-old Jimmy, inspiring the boy to work harder on his own recovery.Four-Legged Miracles will tug on readers' heartstrings, but it will also discuss common reasons dogs disappear, how to get a missing dog back faster, the dog-human bond, and the science behind some of the amazing journeys these dogs endure. Chock-full of happy endings, Four-Legged Miracles lends insight into dogs' hearts and minds, and is a treat for any animal lover.About the AuthorBRAD AND SHERRY STEIGER have written 44 books together dealing with the inspirational, the miraculous, and the mysterious. These include Christmas Miracles (winner of the 2002 Storytelling Award from Storytelling World magazine) and Dog Miracles. Fourteen of their titles explore the wonder of animals and the incredible bond that they share with humans. The Steigers have appeared on Hard Copy, Inside Edition, and Entertainment Tonight; in specials on HBO, Discovery, History, and A&E; and were featured in twenty-two episodes of the syndicated series, Could It Be a Miracle?Sherry Hansen Steiger is a renowned UFO investigator and the co-author of Hollywood and the Supernatural.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Four-Legged MiraclesHeartwarming Tales of Lost Dogs' Journeys HomeBy Brad Steiger St. Martin's GriffinCopyright © 2013 Brad SteigerAll right reserved.ISBN: 9781250005069Chapter 1Dogs That Found Their Way Back Home“Lassie Come Home” StoriesMany readers are familiar with the story of Lassie, the stalwart collie, who against seemingly impossible odds found her way back to her young owner. Based on a short story by Eric Knight published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1938, Lassie was more fully developed in Knight’s novel Lassie Come Home in 1940. The storyline of the very successful 1943 motion picture Lassie Come Home tells of a Depression-era English family who is forced to sell their exceptionally beautiful female collie to a wealthy nobleman who lives hundreds of miles away on his estate in Scotland. Through a series of harrowing adventures, Lassie uses her instinct and courage and manages to return to the young boy she loves.The film starred a teenage Roddy McDowall, an eleven-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, and a large male collie named Pal. Beginning with Pal I, the character of Lassie has always been portrayed by a male. (It was discovered early on in filming Lassie Come Home that female collies shed profusely when they are in heat.) Elizabeth Taylor got the part of Priscilla when Maria Flynn, the actress originally cast, could not conceal her fear of the big collie. Elizabeth had no problem working with Pal and did not find his size intimidating. Her father had given her a puppy when she was just a little girl, and she loved dogs-a love that continued throughout he