Dear Kilroy: A Dog to Guide Us (Capital Ideas)

Kilroy, a yellow Labrador retriever, started life as a potential guide for the blind. His life took a detour when he was dropped from the program. Nora’s sister, Alice, adopted him as a pet. The love he brought to her life eased her through a very difficult time - the dissolution of her 18-year marriage. Watching and participating in this special relationship reminded Nora that success takes many forms. Kilroy "failed" as a guide dog, but he succeeded in changing Alice’s life for the better. He became her guide as she made her journey from grief to new happiness. Some of the best teachers in this world have four legs and bark. Dogs help us make friends, transcend tragedies, grieve the loss of loved ones and just plain enjoy life. According to researchers, pets improve our human immune-system functions - a fancy way to say they make us feel good. "Dear Kilroy," a collection of inspirational stories, photographs, and imaginary canine correspondence, celebrates this magical relationship between people and dogs. The book’s true-life stories follow a few special dogs and the human lives they change. As the dogs in these stories strive to fulfill their potential - whether to become a guide for the visually impaired or to become the best, most-trusted pet of someone in need - they teach us all how to become better human beings.

Nora Vitz Harrison is a volunteer puppy-raising leader for Guide Dogs for the Blind and active in animal-welfare organizations. She has been a writer for corporate America since 1979. Her human-interest essays have appeared in The Oregonian newspaper and other publications. She lives in Oregon with her husband and her dog, Riley. When she is not writing, she loves to hike which is Riley’s favorite hobby, too.