By Lisa Saunders; 142 pages. Subtitle: The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus).
For any family, finding a pet that fits can be an adventure, and many's the parent who's been leery of adding a dog to the family chaos. But when one of your kids is nonverbal and immobile, unable to protest if a dog is being aggressive or push it away, the concerns skyrocket. Lisa Saunders shares the odyssey her family went through -- via hamster and rabbit and ant farm and cat and inappropriate puppy -- to find the kind of canine companion parents dream of.
- Upbeat even in the face of a child's significant disabilities
- Sheds light on a disorder that is preventable and not talked about enough
- Episodic structure makes it easy to dip in and read a chapter here and there
- Testifies to the value of lives that others might find tragic
- If you're an animal lover, you'll love the critter tales as much as the special-needs storyline
- If you're not an animal lover, many of this book's charms will be lost on you
- Treating this material with a light touch may seem inappropriate to those experiencing it as tragedy
- The writing is endearing but not polished and perfect
- Some readers may find the ending unbearably sad
- 1: "No, You Can't Have a Dog"
2: Rats!
3: Belle the Beast
4: Elizabeth: A Christmas Blessing
5: Clara the Cat - 6: Ant Farm -- Survival of the Fittest
7: Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator
8: Stinky Rabbit
9: Above the Mason-Dixon Line - 10: God Sent This Dog to Our Door?
11: With a Name Like Riley, He Has to Be Good
12: Riley in Quarantine - 13: Little Elizabeth, Riley, and the Grandpa Train
14: Music Soothes the Savage Beast - 15: Riley's Toenails and Elizabeth's Health
16: Can Riley Make the Move? - 17: Elizabeth's Life on the Edge
18: Elizabeth Celebrates Sweet 16 - 19: Riley's Hair Meets the Leaf Blower
20: Riley Crosses the Rainbow Bridge
Epilogue: Donald Dog? - Resources: Seizure Control and Canine Companions
- Congenital CMV
Contacts and Support
Ways to Raise CMV Awareness - Addendum I: Elizabeth and Riley's Story for Children
Addendum II: The Woodcutter
"As time went by, and I began to appreciate Elizabeth just the way she was, I no longer focused on what we didn't have, but on what we did have -- a happy little girl who enjoyed sitting on our laps. Within a year after her birth, I began to write stories recounting the lighter side of our lives."After having read plenty of memoirs focusing on that time going by, and that "didn't have," and the heavier side of lives, this fairly unprepossessing collection of stories really lifted my spirits. It's kind of a hybrid of special-needs memoir and humorous pet tales, quietly sharing the life of a severely disabled but much-loved girl amid the recounting of lively pet disasters.
There are plenty of dire details amidst the light-heartedness. Elizabeth was born with severe disabilities because her mother contracted cytomegalovirus during the pregnancy, something doctors never warned about. Congenital CMV left the little girl unable to walk or talk, limited to sitting in a wheelchair or her favorite couch and having all her needs met by others. Seizures become a part of the picture as she grows older, and the book's ending is heartbreaking for those who love kids and their pets both.
Yet where these facts could easily have added up to tragedy, here they're mostly played for sweet inspiration. When Elizabeth and her mom are stuck on a train and the only thing the girl can eat -- yogurt -- is all sold out, strangers happily hand over their cartons for her. When a big brute of a dog enters the household, he proves his mettle by jumping up on the couch while daintily avoiding his tiny mistress, and knowing instinctively that it will be his job to warm her feet. And throughout it all is Elizabeth's glowing smile, and the family details that prove how profoundly life goes on.
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