Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
    A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
    A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
    Audiobook9 hours

    A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life

    Written by Steven Kotler

    Narrated by Kevin Foley

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Steven Kotler was forty years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs-then ten, then twenty, and then they lost count-bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico. A Small Furry Prayer chronicles their adventures at Rancho de Chihuahua, the sanctuary they created for their special needs pack.

    While dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America, it is also one of the least understood. An insider look at the "cult and culture" of dog rescue, A Small Furry Prayer weaves personal experience, cultural investigation, and scientific inquiry into a fast-paced, fun-filled narrative that explores what it means to devote one's life to the furry and the four-legged. Along the way, Kotler combs through every aspect of canine-human relations, from humans' long history with dogs through brand-new research into the neuroscience of canine companionship, in the end discovering why living in a world made of dog may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 9, 2010
    ISBN9781400189878
    Author

    Steven Kotler

    Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of nine bestsellers (out of thirteen books total), including The Art of Impossible, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, TIME and the Harvard Business Review. Steven is also the cohost of Flow Research Collective Radio, a top ten iTunes science podcast. Along with his wife, author Joy Nicholson, he is the cofounder of the Rancho de Chihuahua, a hospice and special needs dog sanctuary.   

    More audiobooks from Steven Kotler

    Related to A Small Furry Prayer

    Related audiobooks

    Essays & Narratives For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Quantum Physics for Mothers

      Dec 15, 2020

      Quantum Physics for Mothers
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Final Truth

      Jan 21, 2020

      The Final Truth
      5 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2020

      The purpose of being alive is to carry a sequence of code.And so, being adopted, I’m part of a plot, a sleeper cellin enemy territory, quietly working against the systemfrom within. It’s fall, I’m on an ancestry website signing up for a DNA kit,becau

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Secret Life of Grief

      Dec 3, 2013

      The Secret Life of Grief
      12 min read

    • Article

      GhoST StoRies

      Apr 12, 2021

      GhoST StoRies
      8 min read

    • Article

      Chost Stories

      Apr 12, 2021

      Chost Stories
      8 min read

    • Article

      Then the Birds Began to Die

      Jul 22, 2021

      Then the Birds Began to Die
      8 min read

    • Article

      Where There Is No Hospital

      Mar 8, 2022

      Where There Is No Hospital
      15 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Jan 24, 2020

      MY LATE wife, Colleen, wrote this after our dog, Tina, died. I thought your readers might enjoy it. “I find myself reaching for you in my sleep to make sure I don’t hurt you when I roll over. I still smell your fresh doggy-smell after your “spa day”

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dawn Neesom Mind Of My Own

      Sep 27, 2022

      The midlife crisis has finally been scientifically proven. Evidently, we experience our toughest times in our late 40s and early 50s when, in theory, we should be at our most comfortable, certainly financially. The research also suggests that at 45

      3 min read

    • Article

      On Healing

      Sep 4, 2020

      In 2016 my partner and I bought a wooden cottage on 10 acres of land, on an ecotone where the woodlands meet the foothills of the mountains. The area had been logged relentlessly in the 1950s. One by one, the tall trees of the old growth cedar forest

      7 min read

    • Article

      Captain Thomas’s Last Hope

      Oct 24, 2018

      Captain Thomas’s Last Hope
      6 min read

    • Article

      How Not to Be an Italian Mother

      Jan 26, 2018

      When I was 15, my family moved from the center of Rome to the outskirts of Los Angeles, in Van Nuys, to work in show business. I lived in the United States for 16 years after that. At 33 I was back in Rome and the mother of a newborn baby. I had a co

      5 min read

    • Article

      Master of None: Or, How We Learned the Dogs Are Secretly in Charge

      Nov 20, 2017

      I’M NOT SURE ABOUT YOU, BUT EVEN AFTER A DIZZYING FEW weeks of national news, I’m still obsessed with Lulu, the would-be CIA explosive-sniffing dog who broke the Internet in October when the agency kicked her out. In its solemn statement, the CIA exp

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Mar 25, 2024

      Books
      5 min read

    • Article

      Otterly Wonderful

      May 25, 2022

      Otterly Wonderful
      5 min read

    • Article

      THE Coronials

      Jul 27, 2020

      THE Coronials
      2 min read

    • Article

      There’s No Place Like Home: An Artist Reconnects to the Whispers of Her Past

      Apr 7, 2023

      Estimated reading time: 13 minutes — I would be remiss in telling you how two suburbanites found home at our farm, ‘Oakhaven’, without first sharing our motives. There were a few. We had been watching the steady decline of the small towns we love fo

      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Small Furry Prayer

    4/5

    40 ratings36 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      After receiving this book to review, I instantly thought maybe I should not be the one to do it. I have been in dog rescue for 14 years and am incredibly jaded about "dog" books (rescue, behavior, "Marley and Me," etc.) and just probably have read my share of bad ones. But wow, was I surprised at this one. I loved it. As the title suggests, it is not just about dog rescue, although that is the nucleus for the psychological and scientific studies and stories in various chapters. The thing I most enjoyed was Steven's kind, unique approach to helping some of the dogs with severe behavioral issues. Having had my share of those throughout the years, I was not very hopeful this would be anything good. I thought I had heard everything, but there were some great new things to be found here. I also thought the fresh historical approach to dogs and their relationships with humans (and amongst their packs) was amazing, e.g., altruism in dogs, creation of play and strategies, how dogs can read our facial expressions and movements and homosexuality in dogs! Although not always related to the rescue, the stories on rural Northern New Mexico are really interesting too. I whipped through this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in dog rescue or humane treatment of animals - if nothing else, to learn some new things about both. I did not give this five stars because at times it was a bit too "memoir-ish" or "All About Steve" and I really just wanted the dogs/dog science. But I suppose the meaning of life must be applied to the meaning for the human telling the story, to make it real.
    • 4/5
      Overall, I enjoyed A Small Furry Prayer immensely - it wasn't what I was expecting. It is a lot less memoir-y than I thought it would be. Kotler focuses a lot on his research about dogs - information that is fascinating, especially for dog owners. That said, there was not really a narrative arc or traditional storyline with a beginning, middle, and end. The book starts out quite narrative - we read about Steven and Joy's experiences starting a dog sanctuary, the dogs they help, and the challenges they face. Kotler flashes back to his early days with his original dog, Ahab, and how loving Ahab set him down his dog-saving life path. The narratives more or less stop after a particularly tough period of time in which Joy and Steven lose seven dogs in seven weeks, including their favorites. After that, the book turns much more philosophical and scientific and the anecdotes that Kotler shares serve to illustrate his deeper points.A Small Furry Prayer doesn't have a conclusive ending, it really could have gone on as long as Kotler still had insights and anecdotes to share, and I get the feeling that he nowhere near exhausted his reserve in this book. I would have liked a more definitive structure and order - it felt too scattershot.Kotler addresses sticky issues like the value of animal rescue as a cause (i.e. why save animals when so many people are suffering?), the "humanity" of animals, and the interconnectedness of all life. Still, the information is interesting and well-cited, the stories emotional, and the cause noble. A Small Furry Prayer is a must-read for dog lovers and animal rescuers, but be prepared for deep thinking and deep emotions.
    • 4/5
      With a title like A Small Furry Prayer and a cover picture of a little dog with huge sad eyes I knew this book was for me. Steven Kotler and his beloved Joy move to a tiny town in Northern New Mexico in order to open a special needs dog rescue refuge. As soon as I read that the name of the sanctuary is Rancho de Chihuahua I knew it had to be in Chimayo, a very special place with an ancient history of powerful spirituality, the location of a Catholic Church, Santuario de Chimayo and shrine that has what is known as a place of healing dirt but was also considered a spiritually important area to early indigenous Tewa Indians as well as the Mexicans and Spaniards who followed them. The perfect place to shelter dogs! The history and research on the dog and human bond brings so much to this topic. I found myself reading sections to my family members. Now, that's a good book! I enjoyed the book immensely and will recommend it to others. Well done!Oh, and if you're ever in Chimayo treat yourself to a fabulous Northern New Mexico lunch with Sangria at Rancho de Chimayo on the tiered patio in the summer or near a kiva fireplace inside in the winter. Don't miss the Chimayo red chili.
    • 4/5
      A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kotler is a surprising, facinating,and thought provoking book. The subtitle, Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life, comes closer to the mark when trying to describe what this book is all about. As the author approaches his 40th birthday, he finds himself in the throes of a mid life crises.This is partly the story of one man's quest to find meaning in his life. This is also the story of Rancho De Chihuahua, a dog sanctuary for special need dogs, established in a remote part of Northern New Mexico by the author and his girlfriend Joy, a woman devoted to dog rescue. The dogs that the reader meets here are unforgettable. Their adventures are funny, sad, inspirational, and sometimes a little crazy. Living with these dogs opens the author to an exploration of what it is to be human. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The story of the sanctuary and the dogs one meets there is only one reason to read this book. The author's journey within himmself is equally fascinating. In addition, the author delves into many aspects of canine-human relations and covers a surprising large area of thought provoking questions, i.e.cross-species altruism, flow experience, communication, and the latest research on neuroscience of the canine-human relationship.
    • 3/5
      The subtitle for this book sums it up perfectly; Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life. Half the book tells the story of how Kotler came to the vocation of dog rescue and his experiences, with the rest consisting of a free-flowing, philosophy "lite" of his thoughts and feelings. These begin with dogs, but move onto pretty much everything. I was very interested in Kotler's concrete experiences running a dog rescue in rural New Mexico and much less interested in his musings about the meaning of life. So, for me, half of this book was great.
    • 5/5
      I requested this book assuming it would be a short, heartwarming story about animals which I always enjoy and am not particular about the specific details, similiar to those who avidly read romance after romance for the temporary thrill, not the plot. What I got was similar to taking a college course that was lifechanging, perhaps philosophy, and feeling like I learned and understood more about lhumans and their companions than I ever realized I could. This is not an easy read and once assimulated, it is evident that every moment engaged in ithe reading of it was pure gold. Kudos to everyone involved in it's publication! Get yourself a copy today and evolve and then share and discuss with others.
    • 4/5
      Dog rescue is fascinating to me, and this book details the beginnings and day-to-day operation of a unique rescue facility started by the author and his wife in a remote area of New Mexico. With no cages or crates and a mission to accept only hospice and special needs cases, with an emphasis on chihuahuas, this home is unique among shelters. While some dogs become adoptable many are there for the long haul, and the size of the pack leads to many interesting discoveries for the author. Taken on as something of a midlife crisis, the shelter provides the author with a number of learning experiences and new questions to explore concerning the meaning of life. To that end, Kotler describes the changes that take place within him spiritually as he works with these outcasts and discovers their capabilities, one by one. Kotler is a journalist and researcher and offers many side trips into theories of dog psychology, ethics and even the nature of the dog soul. Sometimes I hoped for more about the dogs and less science, especially in the second half of the book, but overall it is a fascinating story of a very worthy effort by two dedicated and empathetic people, working hard to overcome insurmountable odds.
    • 4/5
      Small Furry Prayer is not the book that I thought it was going to be. I thought that I would be reading just another heartwarming tale of outrageous animals changing peoples' lives. In fact, that is only one of the elements that comprises this book. This is the story of a reluctant dog rescuer, a midlife crisis, a girlfriend and a ranch with a donkey. Each chapter does encompass one or more anecdotes about the rescued dog, but each also ranges far and wide into topics including neurobiology, ethology, religion, mysticism, heartbreak, inequality, trust and renewal. Deep, introspective and engaging, this book was far from the fluffy read I was expecting. Highly recommended for dog lovers and anyone else who may have once wondered if they're smarter than we give them credit for.
    • 2/5
      I requested this book from EarlyReviewers and wasn't that surprised when I 'won' it, since I've read and reviewed many animal books in the past. I was looking forward to reading it....and then it failed the 100 page test. (You know, where if you don't like a book after the first 100 pages, just give up on it because it's a waste of your time and there are another 200 books on the shelf, floor, etc. waiting to be read and there's a good chance some of them are better.)I did skim through the rest of the book and read parts here and there, but I'm wondering what the reviewers who found humor here were smoking (or drinking) because I was highly disappointed in the lack of humor. Usually tales of dogs involve a good deal of it, but I only found one instance where I snickered a little at the description of what the dogs were doing. I have no doubt that these animals are getting lots of affection and have a better 'rest of their life' than they otherwise would have, but I didn't feel a real connection between Kotler and the dogs. Even when he declares that he loves Chihuahuas, there is little bonding between him and the individual dogs. In fact, he keeps naming new dogs that he never introduces. I didn't get to know most of the dogs on any kind of level that would make me care about them - therefore, why do I want to read about them? Then again, the book isn't so much about the dogs as it is about Kotler anyway, which is OK, but not my thing. And the science stuff thrown in just makes it sound like a bunch of short National Geographic articles strung together in a book - usually not in any kind of way that made sense to me....not even an interesting stream of consciousness - just random and to me, incomprehensible.So, while it is not common for me, I didn't read the whole book. I'm sure some people will like this combination of scientific and philosophical and memoir, but there was too little dog love and cuteness and hilariousness in there for me. Others who do dog rescue might find it more enlightening, but I was just bored.
    • 4/5
      This is a memoir about the author's decision to open a dog rescue with his girlfriend/future wife . It's beautiful , funny at times and heartbreaking in others . The story has three parts alternating through it . There's the author's falling in love with and marrying his wife that convinced him to help her open the dog rescue , the author finding himself becoming emotionally attached to each rescue dog and then there's the part spent exploring the history of the "Man and Dog relationship" . So glad I won this book from LT's Early Reviewers ! If you love animal-centered memoirs then you will love this book !
    • 3/5
      This book was not what I expected. I was expecting stories about the author's experience with dog rescue and the sad and funny things that can happen with rescued dogs. There is a little of that here - but there's so much more. Kotler uses each little snippet of a tale as a jumping off point to explain some of the science (and metaphysics) behind how and why dogs became domesticated in the first place, why we respond to each other as we do, why dog rescuers rescue, and other mysteries of the doggie world. Kotler manages to make this understandable to the layperson. So, while I didn't get the warm and fuzzy dog stories I was expecting, I did get an interesting read and many concepts to ponder.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book for many reasons, as it certainly made me think about humans and their relationship to dogs and other creatures. At first, I wondered why anyone would be crazy enough to devote their whole life to dog rescue, at huge personal expense, no remuneration, and lots of trouble and hours of sometimes very unpleasant work. The author attempts to answer that question, and along the way delves into a lot of the scientific research about our human understanding of animals and dogs in particular, as well as questions of altruism and spiritualism. The stories of small triumphs and heartbreak spread throughout the book are what kept me turning the pages. Dog rescue is not for the faint of heart, and brings you face to face with human evil and even just the small references to it really make me despair about the human race. Thankfully, there are also people like the author and his wife Joy who try to make a difference and combat the evil. Although I still think they have to be a bit crazy, I can now understand why they do it, for the miraculous and joyful difference they see in many of their dogs, and the spiritual connection they feel with another species.What I like about the book is that it contains a lot of humour, and the author tells it like it is, and does not romanticize his life, including a long period of depression and despair when a number of dogs died or had to be put down. The book is authentic and well worth reading. There is a good chance you will learn a lot as well.
    • 4/5
      Bring out tissues; I was crying before I was even through the preface. I will be processing A Small Furry Prayer for a long, long time. Steven Kolter's writing is easily consumed, almost like breathing. Immediately, I could identify with Kolter, his situation in life and his love for dogs. It is exactly as I feel, but I can't live it the way he can. Because he did this without a financial safety belt. Because he did this despite chronic illness. The real beauty of this novel lies in Kotler's quiet courage to willingly moved from Los Angeles to a remote, poverty strickened, drug riddled town in New Mexico to give these misfit, "lifer", unadoptable dogs grace and dignity. Sad, yes, because they die. But what a noble pursuit.
    • 4/5
      I asked for this book to review, predisposed to like it, because I consider myself a "dog person" – that is each of the dogs I have owned has been a street stray or from a shelter. I was disappointed with the preface and first few chapters and had to force myself to continue reading. In fact the first eight chapters comprise Part I. The book consists of nine parts, and I'm glad I continued reading past the first part. Part 1 was about the author – his "back story" and his reasons for making the move from Los Angeles to creating a dog sanctuary in New Mexico. The rest of the book combined some stories of individual animals with a very wide range of mostly animal's rights issues. There is a chapter on the debate between the view that humans are custodians of the earth and the view that the earth is one ecological entity and humans are just one part, no more important to the whole than beetles. There are discussions of whether or not dogs feel empathy, whether dogs laugh, whether dogs are aware of their mortality. The author recounts many scientific studies, some of which I found too technical, but I can understand the necessity of citing these studies to show there is a scientific treatment and interest in these issues. The wide range of topics, and the rational discussions of each made this a very interesting and rewarding book to read.
    • 4/5
      I received Steven Kotler’s book A Small Furry Prayer in the mail on the day we picked up our first foster dog, a chocolate and tan dachshund with an attitude. Good thing, then I didn’t take all the growling personally. I found that Steven’s book was something I needed to sift through. There are short anecdotes of his life at the dog rescue, Rancho De Chihuahua that he and his wife run in New Mexico, inter-dispersed with science and esoteric meanderings. I loved reading about the dogs and how this started—the process he went through emotionally to embrace the life his wife choose. The scientific studies he quotes from are interesting and I’ve even seen some of the documentaries on PBS and read some of the articles in National Geographic, but the conclusions he jumps to don’t always add up. The quality of the writing is great and at times I laughed and cried, so it is touching. There is a take-away, the breakthroughs he made hiking with the dogs; that imagery will stay with me inspiring longer exploratory walks with our dogs. I received this book through Librarything.
    • 3/5
      As with the other ARCs I have reviewed please keep in mind that the page count and a few details I may mention may or may not be the same as the actual text. Now on to the review. I personally did not enjoy this book the way I had hoped. The author does have a talent for writing and his style is fluid, precise, and quick paced. However, I can't stand when people interrupt stories...especially if it's their own story. There were a lot of very interesting, cute, sad, and touching stories about the dogs that he and his wife fostered, but just as a story is starting and you're getting interested -pause- and the philosophy side story or research starts. After about a page or so of that you finally get back to the story but it's just not the same now that you are bogged down with a bunch of knowledge about a wide assortment of things. I suppose to be fair this book isn't purely about the dogs, it's about the lifestyle and how he grew into it. So the fact that he is thinking about how he and the dogs interact and get to know each other is a good thing, I just would have preferred if the information would have come before the actual story or after, or if being in the middle is the only perhaps if it was shorter in length. That was my major dislike. There were a few issues I had with the author and that was just a personality clash I suppose. There are a few editorial mistakes like for example the author's wife is named Joy, but there are a few times that he calls her Lila. It's not terrible but it's enough to make you backtrack to see who exactly he's talking about.Also I never want to go to Chimayo, New Mexico ever...it sounds terrible. The scenery sounds beautiful but the community sounds absolutely terrible. It may not be that way now but I'm definitely not going to put it on "to travel" list.I personally love the message that this gives though. Dog rescue is hard work and by no means pretty, but the rewards come in so many different ways. This book proves that there is a lot we can learn from animals, and there are somethings we may never understand. I can't say I recommend this because it was a bit of a tedious read but if you really enjoy books about animals and/or animal rescuing I'm sure you would enjoy this a lot.In compliance with FTC guidelines, I won this book through the First-reads program on Goodreads
    • 5/5
      This incredible book follows the writer as he becomes involved in founding a dog sanctuary. But this is no typical dog story. Instead this is a well-researched book that is filled with the writer's search for answers to his questions about dogs and life.The astonishing web he weaves stretches through multiple discliplines from deep time to animal activism; from biological altruism to philosophy; from morality to evolution; from bio-ethics to play behavior; from grief to puppy mills; from wolves to shamanism; from mirror neurons to the "God Gene." This book will carry you away will suggesting delightful, thoughtful answers to questions every dog lover has pondered.Masterful and absorbing, the author shares life among his pack on Rancho de Chihuahua. A terrific read!
    • 5/5
      As much philosophy, psychology, mysticism, and theory as dog rescue. Love it!
    • 3/5
      When I started A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kotler, I expected to read about the author's experiences running a dog rescue ... but it was really much more than that. The author does describe how he and his girlfriend (later his wife) moved to New Mexico and began a dog rescue ... complete with descriptions of the dogs' personalities, some daily routines, and the ever-heartbreaking losses. Each section, however, used the author's observations of the dogs as a jumping off point to explore another area ... religion, spirituality, human-animal bonding, dogs' ability to feel emotion, etc. Within each section, the chapters were really quite short and easy to skim if that particular subject didn't capture your attention. Overall, it was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it none the less.
    • 3/5
      The book " A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life " gives little information on animal rescue, and many short essays on topics such as : cross species altruism, brain neurochemicals, Mayans, evolution, Darwin,toteism, philosophers and religion. By the time the author got onto an essay on Shamanism and shape-shifters, he had really lost my attention. I found that there was precious little information on actual animal rescue and far more on the above topics which loosely related back to animal rescue in some fashion. Steven Kotler and his wife Joy moved to New Mexico and began an animal rescue operation, but there is very little information about how they established the animal rescue, how they supported themselves financially or the emotions surrounding the entire operation . I felt at a distance from this author's story and never felt emotionally engaged to the rescue animals, the author nor his wife, whom he did not really write about at all.
    • 3/5
      I have been turning over and over again about how to write this review. To me, there were two books in one. One book is about the personal experiences of the couple with the dog rescue in northern Arizona and the other is related or not sometimes not of philosophy of religion and animal research.The part that I enjoyed was the telling of Joy, Steven Kotler’s almost saint like wife and his relationship to her and the dogs. Both of them had chronic illnesses. She has Lupus and he has Lyme disease. So both of them were limited physically in what they could do by their immunological diseases. Joy seemed to be driven in her desire to run a shelter operation. I didn’t know before reading that the many of the rescue dogs are often so feral that they could never be pets. They might seek the heat of a human’s body for warmth at night but if that human woke up and started to get out of bed, the dogs might bite them.The couple moved from Southern California to Chimayo, New Mexico soon after starting their rescue operation. Partly because the place they rented was going to be sold. I had some hunches about which dogs from shelter would be most adopted. I knew without saying that the puppies that are cute and cuddly and especially those that were already housebroken are the first to be adopted. I didn’t know that the color of the dog’s coat made a difference. When searching for a dog in the pound that would be considered a candidate, they looked for the shy, the handicapped, deaf, blind, drooling, chewy, dogs who were probably not housebroken.I learned that I probably would never be up to heartache and the disappointment of running a dog rescue operation. Joy loved the dogs so much, that it was love me and the dogs or we don’t get together. So since Steve loved her, he decided to accept the dogs and was surprised to find that he was profoundly grief stricken when they died, often of old age.Now, the part I didn’t like. This may be because of my educational background. I took philosophy and philosophy of religion course and a full year of animal behavior courses. I have also read a great deal about animal intelligence and behavior. That is why, when the author would discuss a study or an animal story, I felt irritated. When I decided to read this book, mainly because of the endearing cover of a dog looking so forlorn, I didn’t expect to review all or most of the material that I had already covered in college. I started skipping through the book whenever a study or a religion thought was discussed.If you are different from me and are interested in animal rescue operations, love dogs but haven’t read many animal studies than you will probably love this book and wonder at how many things we know about animals and dogs and familiar. But if you are already well schooled in this topic you might not learn very much from this book and will be disappointing.I received this book from the Library Thing program and that in no way influenced any part of my review.
    • 3/5
      The sub-title wasn’t fooling. Kotler and his wife are deeply involved in dog rescue. I was prepared to hear about the difficulties of moving to the country & a new lifestyle, of the struggles of finding homes for the dogs, of dogs being sick and of dogs dying, but I wasn’t looking for metaphysical speculation and “deep ecology”. It's a great glimpse at what people who live for dogs think about, but I wanted more dog stuff, even it was gritty, and less theory.
    • 4/5
      A SMALL FURRY PRAYER: DOG RESCUE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE by Steven Kotler is nonfiction. I prefer nonfiction to fiction when the nonfiction tells a story, as nonfiction often does not. In this case, A SMALL FURRY PRAYER does and doesn’t. It really is about what the subtitle says, dog rescue and the meaning of life.The book begins when Kotler is 40 and wants to do something different with the rest of his life. He falls in love with a dog rescuer, Joy. Love Joy, love the dogs. So dog rescue turns out to be both the subject of the book and the “something different” that Kotler does.Kotler moves from LA to New Mexico with Joy and her dogs. They live in a home with lots of property and lots of solitude.Joy’s pack of dogs becomes Kotler’s pack as well. And the pack keeps growing as the local humane society gets more unadoptable dogs, i.e., dogs who are sick, maybe dying, retarded, ugly, etc. But freelance writing assignments are much harder to come by in the out-of-the-way place they now live. So money is always an issue, and they make their choices based on that: $20 or $60 dog food? medical treatment for the dogs or euthanasia? rescue 13 or 10 dogs? and so on.Chapters of this book tell stories of their lives with their dogs, with Kotler’s thoughts on particular incidents. This leads to much philosophizing and a lot of research and examination. Some chapters are continuation of examination of issues from the previous chapter. But you could still say that A SMALL FURRY PRAYER does tell a story because the chapters are presented in chronological order.Yet, each chapter of the book could stand on its own. This is a device many writers of nonfiction use, and it is often successful. John Grogan used it in MARLEY & ME. He put together the newspaper columns he wrote about his family’s life with their dog, and look how well that book did.Although that type construction doesn’t entirely work with me, in both cases (both MARLEY & ME and A SMALL FURRY PRAYER) I liked almost every chapter. (In A SMALL FURRY PRAYER, I could have done without a whole chapter on dogs and sex.) But these books came across as what they are: many common but separate stories or (as in the case of A SMALL FURRY PRAYER) stories that lead to thoughtful examinations. The common thread running throughout A SMALL FURRY PRAYER: has Kotler chosen the right path for the rest of his life? So he examines the path he chose: dog rescue. The separate stories of dogs that Kotler and Joy rescue are touching, Igor’s story especially so. You’ll see.The book is not a single, detailed story, my preference. Just the same, I loved the individual stories, and Kotler’s examinations are excellent. His viewpoints are validated by much research that is so much like those of Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, I hoped that they knew each other. So I emailed Kotler to ask him. Unfortunately not, but I’m betting it will happen.As for my comparison of A SMALL FURRY PRAYER and MARLEY AND ME, it ends with their construction. In my opinion, honestly, A SMALL FURRY PRAYER far outweighs MARLEY AND ME. While I enjoyed MARLEY AND ME because it was often laugh-out-loud funny, I prefer stories that are thoughtful as well as humorous, as those in A SMALL FURRY PRAYER are.I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.
    • 5/5
      This is a terrific book on dog-human connections contemplated in deep thoughtfulness, questioning, and research by the author. Building his case, Kolter includes evolutionary theories and scientific facts, as well as experimental and spiritual insights. Living, and having intimate relationships, with rescue dogs Steven Kolter exposes his emotions and discoveries of the many primary similarities between canines and humans and why they co-exist so well.This nonfiction narrative relates how Kolter became involved with dog rescue and how it impacted his life and beliefs. The rescue aspect of his story is primarily the context in which he garners emotional strength, spiritual insight, and connection to the natural world. This is not a comprehensive how-to or insider information on dog rescue. The title itself is somewhat misleading. This becomes a hard look at our sensitivities to animals/nature and trying to understand how it all fits together.We don't know all the answers yet, but Kolter makes an honest effort to understand his world. The philosophy, psychology, and biological evidence he has incorporated is interesting and informative to me. No topic was taboo in this book. The reader explores a myriad of issues from animals' use of hallucinogenic substances - to dog homosexuality - to mimicing human facial expressions and emotions. Kolter is a man who examines every aspect of being and belonging.A combination of humor, surprise, and deep examination of life this book may not appeal to everyone. I found it fascinating.
    • 4/5
      The book started out much as I expected, a 40-something guy becomes involved in rescuing unfortunate dogs and ends up forming canine connections he never imagined. But this book is not simply about one couple's (mis)adventures saving the sick, abandoned and traumatized canines others have given up on, it is an eclectic exploration of scientific research, ancient philosophy, theological discussion and badlands mysticism all rolled up into one entertaining package. I found it to be funny, heartbreaking, informative, touching and inspiring. The assortment of quotes culled from eclectic sources was a nice touch too. It's a great read for anybody who has ever had loved a pet and a necessary read for anyone who hasn't. Neuroscientists might also find probably find this more compelling than they would have anticipated too. As a person who has volunteered at a wildlife rehabilitation center, I also appreciated the author explaining the differentiation between rehabilitators and rescuers since the general public often gets the two confused when seeking service opportunities. Add'l note to the publisher since this is an earlier reviewer copy: The last line of pg 200 and Line 3 of the last para on pg 266 have editing errors.
    • 3/5
      It's not until the penultimate page of the text of this book that author Steven Kotler paraphrases the Buddhist truism, "All things, as they say, are connected ..." But you don't have to read very far in A Small Furry Prayer to know that he obviously subscribes to this theory. The book's cover shows a shadowed photo of a cowed-looking Chihuahua, an image that will certainly grab dog-lovers. It did me, and I'm not even that fond of that particular breed of dogs; just a bit too yappy for my taste. The thing is, this is not really 'just' a dog book. Maybe the subtitle should have tipped me off: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life. It's that 'meaning of life' stuff that really gets more attention than anything else here. Which is okay, I suppose; but I was hoping for a little more about the dogs, ya know? Kotler does tell his readers early on, I'll admit, that he is "inquisitive by nature and a journalist by trade." And his chops as a skilled investigative journalist are evident throughout the book. Early on too he makes the sad point that millions of dogs are killed in the U.S. every year. Since his girlfriend-later-wife, Joy Nicholson, is deeply committed to the altruistic avocation - life calling? - of animal rescue, mostly dogs, Kotler quite naturally wants to join the club, wants to understand. So he does, he says, what he's always done - "ludicrous amounts of research." And that's where the "everything is connected" stuff begins to display itself. Because it seems he is research crazy, and everything he reads up on he somehow manages to drag into his narrative about their run-down and cash-strapped animal rescue ranch in rural New Mexico. I mean this is so NOT just a book about dogs. This is more about trying to make sense out of being a human being and how we relate to the other creatures around us. I would have exepected to see references in this kind of a book to, say, Patricia McConnell, Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason, and okay, Cesar Millan and even Aldo Leopold - and there they are, along with countless other animal experts. But we also get (and this is only a very small part of a much longer list): St Francis, Carlos Castaneda, Aldo Leopold, Arthur C Clarke, William James, DesCartes, Emile Durkheim, Eric Fromm, Aldous Huxley, Dr DOLITTLE, for cripesakes! And on and on and on, with many, many endnotes to back it all up. This is simply research run amok, interspersed with cute pop psychology and endless cleverness, utilized in the interest of drawing all this widely disparate information together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But to this reader it often became just too damn much, too over the top. So I will admit to plenty of skimming through literally dozens of pages that often seemed either a bit too esoteric or just plain irrelevant. But maybe that was just me. After all, I only got a C+ in Intro to Philosophy in college, so maybe a lot of this is just over my head. Or maybe it was NOT all so connected. All that said, I did find parts here and there that truly moved me, most notably Chapter 26, about bereavement and grief over the loss of a beloved pet. Been there. It's devastating. And Chapter 28, with its sad tales of dogs dying in spite of the attempts of Kotler and Nicholson to save them. I do not doubt for a moment that Kotler and his partner are dedicated dog lovers, and for that I salute him. But if you're looking for a simple 'dog book' to give you a 'warm fuzzy feeling,' this ain't the book for you. Try Marley and Me. It's less pretentious and a lot more entertaining.
    • 5/5
      The best ARC I've had the opportunity to review/read. Mr. Kotler is a journalist and it shows in his well-researched writing. This is not just a dry recitation of facts about life on the farm where he and his wife Joy take in rescue dogs. Far from it. This is a love story; a story of how a man becomes one with the animals he rescues, how he helps to heal their broken psyches and heals himself in the process. He studies and writes about dog-human relations from every angle and throughout time. He even looks at it from religion/spirituality and from the depths of neuroscience. But the best information comes from his stories and examples of the dogs themselves. Sometimes heartbreaking and frequently amazing, the work that Steve and Joy are doing is beautiful and something that most people could not do. I know I couldn't! His descriptions of morning wanders through his dark house and what comes to be known as "shit foot" would end my attempts to be a rescuer quickly. (One small example... but the "vomit mouth" experience was the real clincher!)Inspiring, full of humor, and sad too, I can recommend this book to any lover of dogs or other animals. You will learn something new about them and gain respect for their intellect!
    • 4/5
      A little flaky at the beginning, and not always gracefully written, but turns out to be a thought-provoking meditation on how dogs help us reach more understanding of the meaning and value of living each day. Have bought this for others.
    • 4/5
      A quick and interesting read, A Small Furry Prayer ends up being more about the search for the Meaning of Life via dog rescue than it is dog rescue. Kotler uses the experiences from the rescue to delve into numerous topics ranging from shamanism to dopamine, and while the asides can be very interesting, they at times get a little old. Being very interested in animal rescue myself, I would have loved to hear more about the dog rescue side and a little less about the midlife crisis/meaning of life side. Overall, though, A Small Furry Prayer is well worth the read.
    • 4/5
      I almost didn't request this book, as I'm not a fan of the Marley/Merle type books (the ones I have were all gifts). I'm glad I did. Kotler doesn't try to turn this into a warm and fuzzy, "look how amazing we are!" type of narrative, yet still manages to have his deep love of the dogs shine through on every page. As others have said, it's much more than a dog book. I'd suggest flipping through it, reading excerpts, etc. before purchasing it. I enjoyed the journalist style of writing, it's much easier to believe, rather than the constant feeling of things being grossly exaggerated in other dog narratives.