There is no getting around the fact that without Boo or any of the dogs who have been my companions—Atticus, Dante, Porthos, Callie and even the crazy Pinball—this book would not have been possible. There are so many things I am grateful for from these dogs but space and page count limit me to a simple statement of gratefulness to “The Boys.”
For all the humans who played a role in the shaggy dog story that was necessary to write the Boo book, I am grateful to:
Penny, who called the media for one story; Lisa Cool, who saw the big story; Joy Tutela, who never lost faith and whose gentle encouragement made this book as much as words did; Joel Derfner, whose patience and writing talent kept this book from becoming an epic tome to rival War and Peace; Sarah Pelz, whose Zen-like editorial level-headedness kept the project moving along; Brooke Jacobs, who made sure Boo looked perfect for his cover shot (and did well by me, too!); Lawrence, who walks beside me along this sometimes bumpy path; and all the dear friends and colleagues who offered support, strength and encouragement: Jill, Linda, Teddi, Bonnie, Kim, Julie, Laura-Ann, Michele and Adrianna, too.