Memoir Charts Minnesota Author’s Midlife Changes that Saved His Life in “The Most Unusual Dog Book – Ever”

Minneapolis, MN – A middle-agedMinnesotan and his wife walked around Lake Harriet in 1996 with their yellowLabrador retriever and were inspired to start the Angel Animals Network for sharing miraculous benefits of human-animal relationships. Twelve years and a half-million-books-sold later, the author’s gripping memoir about spiritually bonding with a rescued cocker spaniel, offers hope to anyone who has faced the prospect of losing everything.

A Dog Named Leaf: the Hero from Heaven Who Saved My Life is Allen Anderson’s story about the shocking news that although only in his mid-fifties, he had two potentially fatal health issues – a brain aneurysm, which could rupture at any time, and a blood clot aimed at his heart. A former police officer; his memoir includes pulse-pounding brushes with danger, the realities of bringing home an abandoned shelter dog, startling cross-species communication, prophetic dreams about his condition, and unique perspectives on fulfilling one’s purpose later in life. Anderson’s dramatic healing journey synchronizes with the adoption of Leaf, an emotionally scarred dog who turned his home inside out due to a traumatic past. The dual journey of this man and this dog, coming together at exactly the right time, offers valuable insights for those who contemplate re-inventing themselves in order to do whatever they are meant to do.

“Before I moved to Minneapolis, while doing police work in a dangerous area of Atlanta, I was moved by the love and devotion of a dog cuddled next to a little boy after a domestic disturbance,” Anderson says. “That image made me want to someday write about how having a spiritual connection with an animal could change a person’s life. Hopefully the story of our troubled rescue dog Leaf and the miracles that resulted from his heroism will make people aware of the physical and intangible ways animals heal human hearts.”

Allen and Linda Anderson realized they had struck a deep chord when they first asked people to share stories about animals as spiritual partners in life. They gathered into a series of fourteen books the thousands of stories they received from around the world. Their books have been featured on Oprah.com, the Today Show, ABC’s Nightly News, BBC Radio, Washington Post, LA Times, Amazon.com’s Hot 100, and B&N’s Top 10. Their 2006 book about animal rescue won the prestigious American Society of Journalists & Authors Outstanding Book Award. They each received a commendation by the Governor for their contributions as authors to the state of Minnesota and the couple donates a portion of their proceeds to animal welfare.

A Dog Named Leaf ($16.95, ISBN-10: 0762781654, ISBN-13: 978-0762781652), a 224-page paperback published by Lyons Press, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, is available November 6,2012 at major online book retailers, in bookstores, and at lyonspress.com. For more information and to read an excerpt from the book go to www.adognamedleaf.com. Visit the book’s Facebook page and view photos of Leaf at www.facebook.com/ADOGNAMEDLEAF.

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CONTACT: Allen or Linda Anderson, angelanimals@aol.com

The American Society of Journalist and Authors (ASJA) has selected A DOG NAMED LEAF
by Minnesota authors Allen Anderson with Linda Anderson (Lyons Press/Rowman & Littlefield Publishing)
as one of the winners of the prestigious 2013 ASJA Awards in the Lifestyle/Memoir category.

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