Saving Sadie

"I thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt, emotional true story about Sadie, a very special dog. Sadie is a dog who survived horrific abuse; lonesome in the cold metal of an animal shelter, for who knows how long. The writer, Joal, went to donate blankets to a no-kill animal shelter, but as she is there, Joal sees a black-and-brown dog with deep, soulful, desperate eyes. The dog is filled with sadness and heartache and seems to cry out to Joal; she wants to be loved more than anything else. Joal sees the desperate dog, wanting badly to help her somehow, but Joal promises to herself that she "won't keep her forever" because she's already endured the heartache of losing pets before... but she cannot stop thinking about this dog; this innocent dog who suffered so much. Her pain haunted her. Determined to try to help in some way, she learned more about the dog and the trauma that she endured. The dog's heartache and physical wounds alike were stark; she endured two gunshot wounds, one to the head, and the next to her back, near her back leg, where she suffered immensely due to the injuries and was likely left for dead before she was homed in the shelter. Her tragic story was heartwrenching... but that's not where the story ends. In this book, you will read about all of the ways this precious dog beat the odds and found much healing in Joal's care and in the healing that love provided. Eventually, Joal formally adopted her and named her Sadie. Despite being cruelly abused, Sadie's gentleness, kindness, and patience are heartwarming. Although the events of this book are dated now (I, sadly, had not heard about Sadie before buying this book), I deeply enjoyed the whole memoir, and it made my heart swell thinking about all of the people who worked to assist in healing Sadie, and all the people who Sadie helped heal, too! She brings so many smiles to all ages and groups she meets; from children to teens, to adults; students, to soldiers, parents to nurses, so man"