You don't know me, and I know this will probably never make its way to you, but on the off chance it does, here's my many thanks.

On May 10, 2017 I put down my rescue of 5 years. A few months before that I had acquired a copy of your book A Dog's Purpose with the intent of reading it before seeing the movie in theaters. However, I was unable to get around to reading it before losing my sweet Bella. For months following I would look at the book and know I needed to read it but I was unable to bring myself to do so, knowing how much pain it would cause me. I finally decided to read it in early September and I am so glad that I did.

Thank you for writing so well. A Dog's Purpose made me cry, many, many, times, but it also helped me to grieve. See, Bella was "healthy" in the physical sense but she was an abused rescue whose fearful aggression had gotten worse with age. I had been avoiding thinking about her after her death because it always brought thoughts of "There had to have been more I could have done". Reading your book forced me to face those feelings of pain, denial, anger, and even let my tears wash some of the grief from my heart. I never thought one book could make me feel so much, just when I had stopped feeling anything at all.

Thank you for giving him/her so many lives. Toby and Fella showed me the way that Bella may have felt for the first two years of her life when she was with the man that hurt her. Bailey, sweet Bailey Bailey Bailey, he helped me to see the life that I gave to my Bella after rescuing her and showing her that not all humans are bad and that she is deserving of all the love this world could offer. Ellie actually didn't make me think of Bella, but instead gave me a new look on the training that my current pup was preparing for, as Everest the husky was starting his training as my hearing service dog. Poor Buddy reminded me of the last time I saw my precious pup. She clung to me at the vet's office and licked away my tears, letting me carry all 50 pounds of Australian Shepard around without so much as a growl at the strangers in the office. Buddy helped me come to terms with the final and ready look in her eyes as she laid in my lap and slowly went to sleep, peaceful and ready to wait for me at the Bridge.

Thank you for writing a second book. A Dog's Journey followed Buddy's lives after Ethan's death. Reading about him protecting CJ and being there for her in so many lives really made me think that maybe, just maybe, they do come back later in life. That one day I'll see Bella in another dog I own and she'll love me just as she always has. It also gave me a renewed drive to train my current pup for not only service work, but also to be a therapy dog and help so many others the way that Toby did.

Thank you for the ending of A Dog's Journey. I only have one word for that ending: magnificent. All I could see in my head was sweet that sweet labrador running to all the people he/she had ever loved, each one seeing him/her the way they knew him/her in life as Ethan calls, "Bailey Bailey Bailey". I saw the Rainbow Bridge and imagined what it will be like to cross it with my horse Jet and my dog Bella, and any other animals I love throughout my lifetime. It pointed out that even if dogs don't get reincarnated, I will see Bella again some day.

Thank you for helping me grieve. As I said before, reading both A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey helped me to come to terms with losing my aussie. I learned to accept that there was nothing more I could have done, that she lived and wonderful and full life, and that one day I'll see her again. Reading your books made me smile, they made me laugh, made my heart race, made me happy and sad, but most importantly, those two books made me cry. They let me have an outlet for the grief and the tears that I had kept bottled up for five months and helped me to begin healing.

Again I say, thank you. From a lifelong fan.