Eight years ago, my book – Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die – was published by Random House. I never knew where the cover photo came from or who the dog was that was on it.
This morning, I got this message from Annette in Germany. I was touched by it and wanted to share with you, as I know some of you read my book. I’m grateful to know it was helpful to many and I wish Annette and Marain and Lupa all great luck.
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Dear Jon,
8 years ago your book “Going Home” was published with one of my photos on the cover.
The photo shows our dog, Ella, with my husband Martin on the Elbe beach in Hamburg.
At that time I could not read one page of the book without bursting into tears.
In January of this year, we had to put Ella to sleep at the age of 14 1/2 years.
It was very bad for us and I thought that I would not survive a repetition of such a situation.
In September, during a vacation in Denmark, I gathered all my courage and read your book.
I used a lot of tissues …
Your book helped me a lot.
I was now able to create a gallery of Ella’s life on my website.
Click here for the gallery
Pictures from 14 1/2 years together with our dog Ella.
If you like my work, you are welcome to register for my quarterly newsletter here.
And now the very best news:
Next Saturday LUPA will join us, a young female from a killing station from Romania.
We are very happy and excited !!!
Thank you for sharing that lovely message. Your book was a blessing for me and my daughter when she had to put down her best friend Missy her horse. The two of them grew up together and after 22 years and an infection Missy couldn’t recover from Stacy had to make that decision we all dread. Shortly after we had to put down our sweet amazing Lab, Coke. She was a rescue and none of us knew she had a disease that eventually made her spine collapse. She was fine and playing ball one evening and the next morning she couldn’t move. We took her to the vet and the X-rays showed her spine collapsed. She never showed any signs of being ill. She was only 8 years old. Thank you for that book, I have since given copies to friends and family that have lost a pet.
I love how she was able to honor her dog’s long life and still be able to love another dog. We did that numerous times when our dogs die. I think it is honoring the dog that died when you give a home to another one who needs the love and care you can give.
Wow! How awesome to get the note about your cover dog after 8 long years. I have your book and loved it. Will be reading it again real soon as I’m losing my Mollie slowly to renal failure. Thank you for writing it.
Wow, what a great and I’m sure surprising message! It is great that your book helped Annette and that you found out after all these years where the photo originated from.
I have read all of your dog books, with Kleenex of course. I think Rose will always be my favorite. The Story of Rose: A Man and His Dog and Rose in a Storm are my favorite books.
I love this. Thank you so much for sharing this on your blog. Coming Home was my introduction to the world of Jon Katz and Bedlam Farm. I remain ever thankful.
How wonderful for Annette to message you. I often wonder where cover photos come from. A nice tribute to your book.
I also read this book after my beloved French Mastiff Madison passed. It was hard to get through without tears. I have gone on to love and let more dogs in my life. Of course, they are never replacements, just moving into the hole left by the last dog.
That is really cool Jon!
This book was so helpful to me when we lost our 14 1/2 year old corgi a couple years ago. Thanks so much for writing it.