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I get a LOT of books to review, and sometimes I just don’t look forward to plowing through them.  This time, with “Unlikely Friendships,” by Jennifer S. Holland, was different – I actually looked forward to sitting down and paging through the book.

The proud owner of two dogs (Shiba Inu, Tai, who is 12 and a rescued Korean Jindo, named Waits, who is 7), Jennifer’s book is about unusual animal pairings, some naturally occurring in the wild and others while in captivity.  The book shows friendships between almost every animal you can think of — from a pitbull with an owl to a gorilla and a kitten.  And I have to admit, every picture and story got an “Awwww” out of me.

Between all of the tough stories about our flailing economy, the war in Afghanistan, and all of the recent natural disasters, Jennifer was inspired to create a book that would make the reader feel good about the world we live in.  Also, compiling the stories gave her the opportunity to highlight the important work of animal rescue and touch on some important conservation issues. 

It was hard to pick a favorite animal pairing, but I think mine was probably the Orangutan and the Kitten.  But there are plenty of dog stories, too – such as the Pitbull, the Siamese Cat, and the Chicks; the Red Pandas and the Mothering Mutt; and the Golden Retriever and the Koi.  Each story focuses on one or two animals who found one another and developed a mutual friendship.

As Jennifer noted, the stories remind us that animals deserve our care and respect as they, too, have emotional needs.  Most of all, the book shows that all creatures need companionship and touch.  Just about all of the animals that had paired up touched each other regularly — wether it was through cuddling, sleeping together, licking or grooming.

But you can see for yourself — you can enter to WIN a copy of “Unlikely Friendships” by leaving a comment below by July 5th at noon, telling me how your dog has touched you — how has your friendship with your dog impacted your life? TWO WINNERS will be randomly selected using random.org.  You’ll get extra entries by sharing on Facebook and Twitter — just be sure to leave me your handle name.

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