Rebecca Ascher-Walsh - Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life With Dogs

Author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh and her two rescue pit bulls, Desiree (left) and Buddy (right)

REBECCA ASCHER-WALSH

M y first wedding was a low-key affair. My grandmother made my dress out of white curtains. My mother was the sole witness as I vowed until death do us part. Sadly, my groom and I would have only ten years together, but such are the risks a six-year-old takes marrying her beloved golden retriever.

I eventually married a member of my own species. But throughout my life a dog or two has been beside me, offering love at every turn regardless of how sharp those turns might be. Among my past beloveds are a bullmastiff and a standard poodle. Now, I volunteer at a crowded city shelter where the majority of dogs are pit bulls and the euthanasia rate is high. I founded a not-for-profit that provides financial assistance for those pits lucky enough to be rescued, because my heart beats fastest for this misunderstood breed whose loyalty, intelligence, and kindness are unparalleled. My own two pit bulls are my childrens steadfast companions, ridden like horses by day before settling in to keep watch by their beds at night. Such is their devotion.

And such is the devotion of the dogs in this book. Whether they have proved themselves through single acts of heroism or lifetimes of loyalty, they are exceptional. But perhaps their greatest legacy is the ability to restore our faith in the existence of unconditional love. Through their unique stories, the dog owners in this book reminded me to express my gratitude to the ever present examples of devotion sitting by my side. I rescued them, but they have rescued me in return. Dogs make our hearts grow larger. Such is their magic. And such is the magic of these stories.

Cheyenne and her owner, David Sharpe, share a hug.

THE POWER OF A PUPPY AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER GEORGIA

D avid E. Sharpe, a senior airman in the United States Air Force, returned from his deployment to Saudi Arabia in 2002. It was a joyless homecoming: Suffering residual trauma from his deployment, he drank too much, picked fights, and punched holes in the refrigerator door. A friend suggested that he get a dog, so he adopted a brown-and-white pit bull puppy named Cheyenne.

Three months later, Things got really bad, Sharpe remembers. I had two military buddies who committed suicide, and I couldnt deal with what was in my head. I went to my room and took out a .45 my father had given me that he had in Ranger school. I was crying and calling myself a loser, and then I pulled the hammer back, put the barrel in my mouth and my thumb on the trigger. And as soon as I did that, one of the weirdest things happened. This little pup, who was maybe six months old at the time, came up and licked my ear, which distracted me so I took the gun out of my mouth to ask, What did you do that for? And then she came over and sat down in my lap and put her head on my right thigh. The pistol was on my left. I understood it was an ultimatum to choose her or to take my life. I chose her, and I never looked back.

In 2009, Sharpe founded Companions for Heroes (formerly Pets2Vets), which pairs veterans, active duty military personnel, emergency first responders, and their families with rescue dogs; the organization pays the adoption fee and offers free veterinary care for a year as well as unlimited access to a trainer. Sharpe, who now works in counterintelligence, says the pairing of a dog and a veteran is the beginning of returning that person to active society. They choose the dog themselves from the shelter, and if it works out welland we have a 98 percent success ratethey have made a good choice. Then they learn how to train their dog, and they are empowered by that. And then they start making other choicesto go back to school, to take advantage of the GI Bill, to get a job.

One veteran who has benefited is Lance Cpl. Jason Allen, a U.S. Marine Corps sniper who did tours in Africa, South America, and the Middle East. His last tour was in Afghanistan, where he ran over a roadside bomb. Allen survived, but back home in Texas he was immobilized by pain. He dropped from 150 pounds to 115. He lived his days in despair and suffered flashbacks at night. Desperate, he sat down with a loaded gun, planning to commit suicide.