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

We know you’ve been pondering it—it’s been on our minds, too. What is the meaning of life, after all?

According to Stephen Kotler, whose search was inspired by the requisite mid-life existential crisis, the answer is simple.

Dogs.

Well, okay—there’s a bit more to it than that. There’s altruism, philanthropy, play, empathy, some science, and a goodly portion of dog poop, too. There’s seeing the worst of human nature, along with the best, and learning what it takes to help another living creature thrive. And sometimes, maybe too often, it’s being strong enough to help ease them into the next world. But not before filling their last days with all the warmth, tenderness, and delicious food they can handle.

That’s dog rescue and hospice care—the work of saints.

And the life work of writers Steven Kotler and his wife Joy Nicholson at their sanctuary Rancho de Chihuahua. Folks call them the crazy dog people and the dog angels. Few people understand them, but that doesn’t matter. The remarkable thing is that they’ve come to understand themselves. And life.

No small feat, but then, neither is providing home, hearth, and health for (not to mention sharing a bed with) anywhere between 8 and 20 abused, sickly, and traumatized dogs. A Small Furry Prayer delivers the inside dirt on what this takes. Prepare to be inspired.

Kotler writes about his life-altering adventure—which simply became his life after a while— with a rare gift for shining his bright, wise light on both the terrible costs and unimaginable rewards of the process.

Walk a mile in his shoes (watch out for the poop!) to find out how meaning is made, life is lived, and love is renewed. 

Get your copy here.