Jennifer Skiff knew the important role dogs had played in her life emotionally and spiritually, she just wasn’t sure how many people agreed with her.
The author, who lives part of the year in Somesville, found out this month when her new book, “The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man’s Best Friend,” was released on Oct. 23.
After three days, it was in its third printing. By Saturday, it was in the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com’s dog book list, No. 5 on the website’s personal growth and inspirational book list and No. 296 overall.
“I think people have known about the divinity of dogs, but they’ve been afraid to share it,” Skiff said Saturday in a telephone interview. “This book acknowledges them and affirms everything they believe.”
The new book grew out of Skiff’s experience while collecting stories for her first book, “God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine,” published in 2008. Maine residents submitted 10 of the 100 stories included in that book.
While editing it, she received many submissions that included stories about enlightening experiences people had with their dogs. Once Skiff, 50, thought about it, she realized her own dogs had taught her how to be a better person.
“I am one of the people who have received the gift of emotional healing from a dog,” Skiff wrote in her book proposal. “When I was 7 years old, a retriever named Sally was my best friend, confidante and constant companion. She enthusiastically watched as I danced and sang along to David Cassidy records and rejoiced in our walks along the rocky coastline of Maine. We lived a happy life.
“A few years later, my parents’ marriage ended and I moved into a house with a cruel and inhumane stepfather,” Skiff continued. “My world rocked as I became a victim and began a fearful existence. My only constant was Sally. I was no longer permitted to sleep with her but when I could, I’d sneak outdoors to the kennel and lay with her on the concrete where all was warm, loving and safe.”
Fourteen of the more than 70 stories in the new book were submitted by Mainers, Skiff said Saturday. For more than a year beginning in 2010, she collected information from and photos of people and their dogs on a website. Her instincts as a writer helped her figure out which submissions to follow up with interviews.
Skiff wrote each of the stories herself but they are told from the point of view of the dog owners. Several were not easy to write, she said. In fact, the dog story of Freda Powell, the deaf mother of autistic twin sons, took weeks to complete.
“Every time I sat down to write it, I would sob,” the author said Saturday. “I couldn’t wrap my head around the injustice of it and the beauty of it. It was truly one of the most deeply moving stories I received.”
Powell and her sons were grieving the sudden loss of her oldest son at the age of 24 when Mazie, a yellow Labrador retriever, came into their lives. The service dog had been trained through a rehabilitation program at a Colorado prison for women.
“Mazie showed me acceptance by staying by me even when I was grieving and angry,” reads Powell’s story. “More than anything, somehow this dog knew I was not myself. It was as if she could see into my soul and know that deep down, I was a loving, happy and kind person.”
The book has a musical companion created with Florida composer and pianist titled, “The Divinity of Dogs: Music to Calm Dogs and the People Who Love Them,” that can be downloaded from Amazon and iTunes. Skiff said that she has donated music to shelters.
The author also is donating 25 percent of after-tax profits from the book to charities that work to end animal abuse and promote sterilization.
Skiff will wind up her book tour next month in Maine with signings at book stores in Portland, Damariscotta, Camden, Bucksport and Bar Harbor. For times, dates and locations, visit http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Jennifer-Skiff/78191544.
Yeah, there is real divinity when ya are in the shopping center parking lot, and somebodies dog or dogs are barking continuouly. The only thing I ever found divine about a dog, was when there was none around. This part time Somesville lady, sure did hit on the right thing, these books will be sent as gifts to lay on shelves all over America.
I’m quite sure that the dogs would find your absence “divine” as well. I know that many of us humans would. How about it patty?
Why, Preston Nethercutt, you seem to be some intellectual giant, with a sharp wit, and I am sure your being is just got to be the center of the universe, I just bet God is just waiting for an appointment to seek some of your vast knowledge. But do all of us little people a favor, us a pooper scooper when ya are walkin’ ya dog. No more leavin’ it on the neighbors lawn, yeah we are watchin’.
From some of these comments I can tell some really love and appreciate dogs and others hate them. No in between. No wonder some dogs bark nonstop at you. You make them nervous and hence they bark up a storm. I have been around dogs to know this – I was with a friend that didn’t like dogs and the dog kept on barking when he finally left and I was left with the dog the dog stopped barking and wanted to play fetch! So, he would want all of you dog haters gone as well. He would say the same to you it sure would be divine if all you dog haters would be gone.
I do not hate dogs, or any animals, I am kind to all animals,I just do not like the smelly, slobby, barking, shedding, things, and this has been since I was a kid. But, I have never been mean to one, just avoid them, and, I am not the only person who feels this way, there are more than you think in my dugout.
And speaking of divine, Ihave seen some very nasty bites on humans from these divine things, I do not care to hear that a dog is divine, many are dangerous and have caused deaths to adults and babies and children, they are an animal, some humans for some reason, gotta have smellig up the house.
Romans 1: “They worship the creation, not the Creator.”
Dogs are divine?!
What is this, Egypt?
How the mighty have fallen!
I far prefer dogs to delusional bible thumpers ranting about some imaginary, stone age deity. Your god (I’ll keep it simple for you) does not exist! Dogs are wonderfully real,unlike the debased fantasy that you call “religion”.
You said it. You just confirmed the truth of the Bible you don’t believe in.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”You just wrote that you prefer dogs to God.
Ain’t you shaaarp Sonny! Yes, I do prefer dogs to a non-existent entity. The bible is a fabrication to ensnare the fearful and weak minded and to separate the “faithful flock” from some coin. Have you never noticed that “believers” are frequently referred to, in your book, as SHEEP?? You obviously can read the bible, pity that you understand so little about it.
No, you are angry at God, whom you know to exist deep down in your heart.
How can you be so angry at someone you say doesn’t exist?
Oh Sonny, I have absolutely no anger about something I know does not exist. I will admit, however, that the deluded folks who would impose their reactionary, theocratic fantasies upon society will, on occasion, “get my dander up”. Your responses are very familiar fundamentalist boilerplate. They have taught you well.
Oh no my friend, you have been blinded by the popular lies.
Heaven and Hell are not the invention of Christianity. They exist in all religions, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, and Islam as well.
We know they exist from people who have been there and returned.
Jesus said,
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, an no man comes to the Father but by me.”
SonofBangor, you are obviously sincere in your beliefs. I will leave you to them.
Well, I am not willing to leave you in the darkness.
Life is cruel.
Jesus is your friend, and you can turn to Him at anytime for help.
You certainly are not a good advertisement for the product you espouse, if you insist on “not leaving him in the darkness.” Maybe you need to step away from the bible for a while, cut the blathering, and try living in the real world for a change.
Life is NOT cruel. People of your ilk are cruel…and all in the name of Jesus. He must be mighty proud of you.
Your dog wouldn’t exist if my God willed it !
Au contraire. Dogs have risen…to the very deserved level we humans took so long to recognize.
You all have your own opinions and have every right to them.
Jennifer Skiff has every right to write about anything she wants. This just so happens to be an uplifting book of inspiring stories about the interactions between dogs and people. I would certainly rather read this than ’50 Shades of Gray’ or “Anger Management for Dummies’.
I can only attest to how much comfort, devotion, and unadulterated love my dogs have brought into my life.
As my Service Dog, my Golden meets hundreds of people when we are shopping. Usually she is a happy outgoing dog but I’m always struck that as we are walking she will react to some by glaring at them and keeping between myself and those certain people. I guess some of you posting here today are some of the people we have passed on our outings. There is definitely something to the saying,
” The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.”
Great read, Jennifer.
Your dog sounds awesome especially how he sizes up people and if he don’t like them he doesn’t allow them to come to close to you. Love it. My cat has the ability to size people up and I am grateful for that. So, if someone he doesn’t like comes to the apartment I simply talk to them through the screen door. But, the whole time the cat will glare at them. I love dogs too but we are not allowed to have dogs at the apartment place I live in. Someday, in the meantime I will try to find this book and give it a read.
One of the stories in Jennifer’s book is of my dog meeting an autistic child in Bucksport. Of the hundreds of stories she must have had to choose from I’m glad she chose ours as one to include.
Dogs are so inbred from wild canines they have become totally dependent on humans, I feel sorry for them sometimes. Man has made them slaves to his emotions.
Then go buy a gerbil and quit your whining.
Sorry, I never learned how to whine, and my shepherd would get jealous and eat it.
So why do you have a dog if you feel the way you said you do? Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. Slaves to man’s emotions? Sounds like shrink talk to me.
My parents always had border collies or aussie shepherds, when out on my own, very young I continued the tradtion. I thought the world of them and could write volumes on the adventures we had together. Every girl friend said I loved them more then her. The last one I had would sneak off at night and run point for the local coyote pack. She would crawl home exhausted at sun up and collapse on the kitchen floor. I wanted to punish her for it, but looking in her eye’s, I just couldn’t, It was almost as if she said, “I can not become a slave to man or his emotions.” That lasted for four years then she got in a big nasty fight with the whole pack, kicked their butts and became the most well behaved dogs I’ve ever known. Thats where my post came from, I didn’t mean to upset anyone, I don’t always think before I post I guess.
I’m cool with that. Just didn’t know where you were coming from. Peace.
“To err is human, to forgive is canine.” Sounds like a good read.
My neighbors dog, came home twice two years ago, with mouth full of porcupine quills, the dog over on the back road, beagle, killed 7 of the best laying hens the lady had, and just left them, got into the pen, I could not count the number of sofa’s, shoes, furniture I have seen chewed up, and my screen door, dogs cut it to shreds trying to get in, the dog, the neighbor dog, when I lived down on the coast, used to bark all night, when I was a kid, dogs used to chase cars, the leash law stopped that. The only dog, I, think I have ever thought so much of, is the dog that lead the dog sled full of serum over an Alaska Lake, close to spring once, that saved hundreds of lives, I forget the name of the sled dog, but, that dog, was amazing.