A Story of Love and Hope- and a GIVEAWAY!

We've always been a dog family.

The first dog I had growing up was my parents'.

It was a Spitz and a feisty white dog he was.

He took no crap from anyone!

As he got older, he would let me rock him and sing to him..

I think he was probably just too old and tired to even try to get away

from me anymore. And how I loved having him be my "baby!"

In later years, I've had a Brittany Spaniel, two Standard Poodles,

a West Highland Terrier and our current dog, a Bernese Mountain dog.

All these pets had qualities that met some deep need in us,

whether it was someone to offer us unconditional love and comfort,

protection, warmth in our laps on a cold day,

a non-judgmental ear or fur to cry in.

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Recently, I was sent a book to read and review.

I was thrilled to accept the book because it was about an autistic boy and his dog.

As a special educator who had a keen interest in the field of autism,

I try to read many memoirs related to that field

And let me tell you, this one was quite exceptional.

"Cowboy and Wills: A Love Story" by Monica Holloway is an easy to read book

about a young boy named Wills and his dog, a Golden they named Cowboy.

The writer opens her book by detailing the day after her three year old son

was diagnosed with autism. I was immediately drawn in by her style of writing-

easy, approachable, friendly and REAL.

Every little while, there would be a welcome picture of Wills or of Cowboy.

Her efforts to help her son, the finding of Cowboy and the deep, abiding love

that developed between Wills and Cowboy will draw you in and rest in your heart.

I was brought to laughter several times and moved to tears more often than I'd like to share.

As the book came to close, I read more slowly, just trying to make it last

and when it finally ended, I closed it with a sigh of contentment

and made room for it on my shelf of "Books to Keep."

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But don't be sad.. even though I won't give you MY copy,

I *do* have TWO copies of Cowboy and Wills to give away!

If you'd like to be in the running,

leave a comment on my blog and I'll toss your name into the hat.

You can leave a comment until Friday, November 12 at noon EST.

Good luck!

PS- Share this blog entry link on your Facebook page and come back and let me know in the comments to get another entry!