I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED Factoids
Some Facts About
I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED
Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet
Here’s some info to chew on about our latest release
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BASIC KIBBLE
TITLE: I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet
ISBN: 9780997065374
AUTHOR: Bonnie Kreitler
PUBLISHER: Rambling Dog Publications LLC
COVER PRICE: $15.95
ILLUSTRATOR: Carole Ohl
EDITOR: Robin Quinn
BOOK DESIGNER: Tricia Breidenthal
FORMAT & SIZE: 5.5” x 8.5”, 96-Pages, paperback with French flaps
DISTRIBUTOR: Thomson-Shore, Dexter, MI; available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Indiebound, Books-A-Million, Amazon and other retailers
BOOK CATEGORIES: genre fiction/metaphysical and visionary, adult/young adult fiction, death, dogs/pets/animals, dying, grief, bereavement
SUMMARY
What do you say to a child whose dog, their best friend, is fatally injured by a car as the youngster watches? Confronted with this dilemma, a caring neighbor reaches into distant memories to recall a story of life and death imagined as a Big Play. Together the pair explores questions about why bad things happen, feelings of blame and guilt, ghost dogs and animal souls. As anger shifts to acceptance, the youngster learns how to let go of hurt, honor the old dog, and imagine a future with a new pet. But neither neighbor imagines the surprising end of this journey through grief.
With magical Zentangle®-style dog illustrations by Carole Ohl, the story unfolds through dialogue alone. Author Bonnie Kreitler leaves the genders and descriptive details of the child and the adult to her readers’ imaginations, inviting them to participate in creating the storyline in ways that reflect their own experiences of living, loving, and dying.
BULLET POINTS
The imaginings in I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED are comfort food to soothe the souls of:
- Anyone feeling the fresh pain of a recent pet loss.
- A friend struggling with “did I make the right decision?”
- Young adults struggling with a pet’s death.
- Parents struggling to explain a pet’s passing to small children.
- Those still grieving a long past pet’s loss.
- For anyone ages 9 to 99 who has ever loved and lost a dog
TASTY BITS
When author Bonnie Kreitler started out to write a non-fiction book about pet grief, she found many good books on the subject. What she also found was a gap. She realized that when someone is deeply grieving, they don’t have the heart to slog through a 200-odd page analysis of the process. They just want a bit of relief from their heavy feelings. And so this, short, illustrated fictional story evolved as she winnowed out all but the universal questions that seem to run like an endless tape in the minds of those experiencing grief. Written for adults, the book’s reading level and story line are equally suitable for middle grade and high school readers.
In keeping with the book’s theme of “imaginings” the story unfolds through dialogue alone. The author invites readers to co-create the story by imagining the full details of the characters and their surroundings themselves. Each reader’s experiences of losses and the compassionate people who have helped them through it customizes the story for them.
Loss is a universal human experience. Author Bonnie Kreitler allows readers to personalize the story by imagining details about the child, the neighbor, and the dog in light of the people and animals they know. Each reader can imagine the characters in ways that customize the book to mirror their own experiences of loss.
The idea for the dialogues in I Heard Your Dog Died: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet grew over time as Bonnie experienced her own life losses and helped others through theirs. There are piles of books about loss, grief and bereavement offering solace. But while in the grip of grief, people find it hard to absorb their messages. She wanted to give those grieving a short read that would leave them feeling, she hopes, just a bit better by the time they finish the last page.
Zentangle®-style dog illustrations by Ohio artist Carole Ohl add a magical feel to the text. Here’s Sadie, who makes a cameo appearance on the cover and stars at the beginning of Chapter 4:
I HEARD YOUR DOG DIED: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet is award-winning author and journalist Bonnie Kreitler’s first work of fiction. Her non-fiction work spans over three decades of agricultural and animal-related writing.
ONE-LINERS
When a youngster’s dog dies tragically, a caring neighbor leads the child through healing perspectives on death and grieving that lead to a surprising ending.
Feel just a little bit better after losing a pet.
Read it and weep…for joy!
After a youngster’s dog is hit by a car, a caring neighbor helps the child shift from despair to hope by offering fresh perspectives on living, dying, animal souls and ways to work through grief.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“An inspiring and charming story filled with healing and spiritual wisdom. I highly recommend this helpful book for anyone who is recovering from a loss.”
Trudy Griswold
Author of Angelspeake
“Grief for a beloved pet is just as significant as the loss of any dear friend….Here indeed is a great treasure to help you through the difficult days after the death of a close animal friend.”
Dr. C. Norman Shealy
Holistic Pain and Depression Specialist
“There are bereavement storybooks for young children and…detailed books for grieving adults, but not many books for people between. The imaginings in this book…fill the gap and soothe heartache in a way not previously written about.”
Dr. Karen Shaw Becker, DVM
“This book presents a unique approach to the death of a pet (or anyone else) from a strong cognitive perspective which balances emotions at the same time. Using this process to look at death from a very active and specific frame of reference promotes the transformation of strong and heavy emotions into sweet, warm, uplifting and loving memories in a moment’s time….this is a very valuable resource for all those who grieve deeply… which may very well be all of us.”
Dory Dzinski
Licensed Professional Counselor, Trauma Debriefer
“I Hear Your Dog Died is a beautifully crafted, multi-dimensional exploration of the concept of death to help children understand and process loss – and life! Kreitler delivers her healing messages in a unique and creative way, always reminding us that at the heart of everything is love.”
Lisa Jacoby
Professional Development Coach/Consultant
“Bonnie’s story guides the reader gently, lovingly and imaginatively along a path that starts to heal the feelings of sorrow and loss that occur when a beloved pet dies. She also addresses more complicated emotions like confusion, guilt, and anger which, once resolved, allow those grieving to truly move on. I love the artwork and one’s ability to add color to the work as an additional piece of the healing. A great book for children as well as adults! ”
Kate Kennedy
EqTPM, CST Equine Muscle Therapist
