Excerpts from the Introduction As an avid pet lover, I set out on a journey to meet other animal devotees to prove to my husband that I am not as uniquely crazy as he thinks I am. Of course, I found many: we are a very large club. The photographs and notes within this book tell the tales of some of the relationships between pets and their companions. Let me begin with ours . . . In February 2000, Andy, my first born, a five and a half pound Yorkshire Terrier, was attacked by a 100 pound Husky. At first, the doctors thought his neck and back were broken. They wanted to put him down but they soon realized that they would have to put me down at the same time . . . During this traumatic ordeal, my friend Amy posted a notice of Andy's accident on a Yorkie chatboard. Within minutes I received e-mails from Yorkie owners from as far as Israel and France--virtual strangers in a virtual community . . . giving me a warm sense of belonging to a group who understood our pain . . . Thus the inspiration for this book: the devotion between people and the animals that we live with, care for, and are cared by . . . In all, more than 50 families shared their stories of their relationships with their beloved pets. During the photo sessions, I watched each person's face relax and smile as he or she talked about the animals in their family . . .Marsha described the different moods and idiosyncrasies of Oscar, her "grand rabbit," with the same degree of parental knowledge as Connie had about Mr. Peeps, her cat . . . There are those brave and caring souls who rescue sick, injured, neglected, or abandoned pets who are destined for certain death . . . Kay and Yoshigo have built a haven for stray cats that covers their entire yard. What a sight to behold: a woman in her seventies, squatting as she dips under the protective netting in the yard to give each cat a treat or a hug . . . . . .I am forever changed from meeting Elizabeth and her German Shepherd, Hero. Elizabeth is homeless and, when I met her, lived in an abandoned trailer in a junkyard at the edge of San Francisco . . . On the cold, rainy day when Lacy Atkins and I arrived to take their photograph, Elizabeth led Hero to the spot we had chosen and took off his muzzle. Hero ferociously barked to warn us to stay away . . . The images Lacy captured do not show his fierceness and protectiveness. They do show the connection between these two souls who feel disconnected from most of the rest of the world. It is amazing to see the resiliency of these animals and their willingness to trust and feel devoted to another person again. The staff and volunteers of the shelters and animal welfare organizations are the angels who walk among us . . . The services they provide help pet guardians become better parents. They offer assistance to those people who do not have the economic capacity to cover all veterinary costs. I will be forever in awe... That is why all the proceeds from the sales of Tails of Devotion are going to five San Francisco organizations that create the miracles. In the middle of this book is further information on the work of these nonprofit organizations and how to contact them . . . … I hope the stories also resonate with you. May they make you smile, cry with joy, laugh, and, of course, cause your tail to wag. ­ Emily Scott Pottruck