Dog-Ma: the Zen of Slobber: Volume 1 - Softcover

"Barbara's vivid and dramatic stories, told with a wicked sense of humor, will make you laugh out loud. She definitely gets what living with rescued dogs (nine of them!) is all about. This book will inspire you with the couple's unstinting love, devotion, and respect for dogs as family members. You'll be glad to include it in your treasured collection of great dog books." --Allen and Linda Anderson, authors of Dogs and the Women Who Love Them (named in O Magazine as one of the top books of 2010) When Barbara meets her future husband, Ray, it is love-and dog-at first sight. Over the course of thirty-two years, seventeen relocations and nine dogs, their mutual love of dogs guides them on their unconventional path. The love that Barbara and Ray get in return is literally lifesaving, with one dog attacking a lethal intruder and another discovering Barbara's cancer. Her own survival story underscores the story of how her dogs become survivors themselves. Each new dog adds its own dynamic to the family, sometimes upending it. From Turbo (whose Spock-like ears may have provided super powers), Barbara learns about the will to live; Lexington demonstrates incredible patience and an inexplicable love of golf; Madison teaches that laughter is truly the best medicine and that the whole "nine lives thing" is not reserved just for cats; Morgan should be sainted for tolerating Izzy, who is as cute as she is bad. Barbara is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven there is a poster that says "If you are sick, injured or in need of really expensive medical care, FIND THESE HUMANS!"

Barbara grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. Meeting her husband in Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband currently live in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur. She is currently indulging her serious addiction to flip flops.