Short Synopsis
A Small Furry Prayer chronicles the adventures of Steven Kotler and his wife at Rancho de Chihuahua, the sanctuary they created for their special needs pack of rescued dogs.

Full Synopsis
Steven Kotler was forty years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs—then ten, then twenty, and then they lost count—bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico. A Small Furry Prayer chronicles their adventures at Rancho de Chihuahua, the sanctuary they created for their special needs pack.

While dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America, it is also one of the least understood. An insider look at the "cult and culture" of dog rescue, A Small Furry Prayer weaves personal experience, cultural investigation, and scientific inquiry into a fast-paced, fun-filled narrative that explores what it means to devote one's life to the furry and the four-legged. Along the way, Kotler combs through every aspect of canine-human relations, from humans' long history with dogs through brand-new research into the neuroscience of canine companionship, in the end discovering why living in a world made of dog may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human.

"Brimming with humor, gratitude, and grace, this is a remarkable story." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Kotler defiantly proclaims his love of Chihuahuas (he's hilarious), then shatters our hearts and ends by laying down a real ethical challenge. Highly recommended not only for dog lovers but for readers of memoir, biology, and anthropology and seekers generally." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"A heartfelt example of humanitarianism at work." ---Kirkus

"Part memoir and part philosophical study of the dog-human relationship.... Reflecting on the writings of mystics, philosophers, and animal scientists as varied as St. Francis, René Descartes, Claude Levi-Strauss, and Elizabeth Hess, Kotler elevates this tale about saving dogs to a story about human stewardship of life." ---Booklist

"I read this compelling book for hours and found myself completely hooked as I am sure any reader who loves dogs will be." ---Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Dogs Never Lie About Love

"Thousands of books have been written about dogs, thus it's amazing and also very encouraging to find a book like this one, filled with original thought and plenty of new information." ---Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs

"A Small Furry Prayer is a wonderful read that'll take you all over the place." ---Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

"Part Hunter Thompson, part Carlos Castaneda, but mostly so original that it's difficult to peg.... This is a delightful, rich read sure to take you to unexpected places and beyond." ---Bark magazine

Publishers Weekly Review

Library Journal Review