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‘Nothing moved on the terrace in the afternoon sun, except the quick  flick of lizards in the rough dry stone walls.  Suddenly, there was a frantic scrabbling from behind the wall itself. A black nose and a ginger and white face appeared, followed by the rest of a small dog, who made a giant leap for me.’
So began Belinda Harley’s association with Goofy, a ragamuffin of a dog, who adopted her on the Greek island of Paxos.  Once Goofy had come into her life and laid his heart at her feet there was no escape.  Before she knew it, she was moving heaven and earth to save him from his fate and was introducing him to high life in London.  MAD ABOUT THE DOG is the story of how Goofy came into Belinda’s world and taught her a lesson in love.

‘As I stepped into the boat, Goofy suddenly saw that I was leaving.  He began to strain frantically against the leash.  With a desperate effort he broke free – and hurled himself off the jetty towards my boat.  It was too far; he fell into the water.  The last thing I saw as the boat pulled away was the dog, swimming desperately and hopelessly in the water towards me, until he was pulled out by a fisherman, sorry and bedraggled…..’

We’ve all done it…..
We have all seen a bedraggled, thin cat or dog looking pitifully at us, when we’re on holiday, and wondered for a moment if it would be possible to effect a rescue.  Is it a mad thing to do? Yes, but it can change your life, as Belinda Harley shows in this very poignant book.  For those who really cannot turn their back on an animal that seems to need help, this little tale provides some timely advice:  the difficulty of bringing animals into the UK; the impact on your otherwise settled life…

It’s the grief that cuts deeper than many people acknowledge…
The loss of a pet is one of the loneliest bereavements of all.  As Belinda Harley shows, it affects many thousands of people in this country very deeply:  “I think that just as the losses in an earthquake, or a war, are too big for us to comprehend, so this small finality of death is on a scale that we can feel truthfully… The death of a dog cuts open a vein: we bleed.  We have little idea of how to staunch it, without the props and comforts, the morning rituals and beliefs that may support us in human bereavement”. And, of course, your pet was very, very special indeed….Amidst the joy and the laughter of this little tale, there are some important insights into euthanasia, the most difficult decision you could ever make for an animal you love.

MAD ABOUT THE DOG is the intensely moving true story of  Goofy’s extraordinary journey to be permanently united with Belinda.  From the Greek friends who helped them to the authorities who didn’t, and the horrors of the flight home, she describes their ordeal…Once in England, Goofy quickly made the streets of Mayfair
his patch; when he attended an ambassadors’ reception at St James’s Palace to highlight the Passports for Pets scheme, the transformation from island scamp to top dog was complete.

Then, when Goofy’s early ill-treatment caught up with him and his injuries caused him pain, Belinda was faced with the toughest decision of all.  It’s a story that will tug at the heartstrings of anyone who knows dogs, and loves them.

About the author:  Belinda Harley works in publishing as a food writer and literary agent. She lives in London and Wiltshire.  She is available to be interviewed about her life with Goofy; pet travel; and pet bereavement.

Buy Mad About The Dog….

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 5:39 pm and is filed under Authors, Dogs, Pet Advice Centre. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.