T here would be no book without the contributors, and I’m so deeply grateful for all their essays. Thank you, Cherished writers (and you are cherished): Cecilia Brainard, May-lee Chai, Michael Chitwood, Melissa Cistaro, Mark Doty, Samantha Dunn, Linzi Glass, Monica Holloway, Anne Lamott, Sonia Levitin, Thomas McGuane, Billy Mernit, Judith Lewis Mernit, Joe Morgenstern, Robin Romm, Jenny Rough, Carolyn See, Jane Smiley, Jacqueline Winspear, and Victoria Zackheim (who also introduced me to the world of editing anthologies). And thank you, Ted Kooser, for the perfect poem for this anthology.
Nor would there be a book without Dr. Robert Goldman — friend, student, and veterinarian to my animals — who gave me the idea for this anthology. Thank you, dear friend, for not only the idea but also for the loving care of Stuart and Charlotte.
Once again and always, thanks to my agent, Lisa Erbach Vance, for her amazing energy, loyalty, smarts, and priceless advice.
And to Sally Court for always knowing what’s needed and what is not.
Thanks to my stepdaughter, Leslie Adams; Gene Collins; and my Montana girlfriends, for teaching me what I know about riding horses.
And cheers to Rob Daly, who solves all my Mac problems.
A profound thank you to my editor, Jason Gardner, and the whole gang at New World Library, especially copyeditor Bonnie Hurd, Kristen Cashman, Tona Pearce Myers, Tracy Cunningham, Munro Magruder, Monique Muhlenkamp, and Kim Corbin. You all are a joy to work with.
And to my daughters, who are part of the stories, especially Gillan, who turns her love of animals into action; to my husband, who is allergic to cats but lived in the same house with Stuart and Charlotte for thirteen years; and to all my grandchildren — Emma, Axel, Grace, Cara, William, Vincent, and Josiah — who carry on the love of animals.