An Advocate for Animals, Storyteller at Heart

Meet the author: Sara Pisani

I was drawn to animals from an early age. It’s possible I came out of the womb wondering where my dog was. Unfortunately, my asthmatic mother was allergic to dogs and cats. In the absence of a traditional pet, my first animal companion was a dead sparrow that had sadly flown into the window of our porch on an ill-fated Friday afternoon. I lovingly prepared a shoe box nest for him and stayed by his side all weekend. By Sunday afternoon, my mother had had enough, but was tactful in her approach to separate me from my new friend. She staged a birdy funeral, transforming the nesting shoe box into a casket complete with a red velvet liner. He rested in peace forever under our lilac tree.

When I was seven, my parents succumbed and got me the next best pet to a dog. Returning home from Florida on a wintry March day, my mother handed me a cardboard box. Inside was a baby alligator. I named him Sam. I fed and kept Sam as the directions on the side of the box detailed. When spring arrived, Sam and I spent many afternoons in the backyard. He didn’t exactly come when called, but he did follow me around. In recognition that Sam had outgrown the bathtub and his teeth had gotten way more serious than a little seven year old girl could safely navigate with him tucked under her covers, Sam was donated to a zoo in Boston.

Throughout my dogless and horseless childhood, I survived watching TV episodes of Flipper, Lassie and Mister Ed. I discovered the joy of reading early on – it brought me closer to the animals I loved. Misty of Chincoteague, Lassie Come-Home, The Black Stallion, National Velvet, The Incredible Journey, Sounder to name the classics. By the time I was a junior in high school, I had read every horse and dog book in the school library and the librarian would alert me to any new titles that would interest me.

Through good fortune, my mother’s asthmatic health greatly improved. One day, and with great fanfare, she drove me and my older sister to the local shelter where we adopted a pointer mixed breed. We named her Brandy. She was ours for $4.00 and the love and joy she gave to our entire family for the next fifteen years was priceless. Two horses followed Brandy into our family, Cooper and Bugsy. I was blessed and fortunate to have them all in my life. Two more dogs, Ace and Stubby chaperoned me through my twenties.

I was thirty-six when I brought Jazz home as puppy. An Unlikely Champion, a Story of a Heart Dog chronicles our journey together. The idea of writing a book about Jazz popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, when she was twelve years old and soon to be retired from her tracking career. Long before that time, I had acknowledged our deep connection – my purpose being that she have a great day, everyday of her life. I had barely written a word on a page before I started. But after that first paragraph appeared, the next sentence and the one after that began to tell her story. Now, I think back to all those dog and horse books as inspiration for not give up in finishing the book. In The Great Work of Your Life, Stephen Cope writes of finding and following the purpose of your life or “what lights you up.” There were many interruptions of life and career that disrupted the book’s progress. But the book continued to be a beacon for me. I refused to give it up by offering an unfinished version a soft landing in a drawer that would remain closed forever.

There is a part of me touched with sadness at the idea of finishing Jazz’s book – almost like she is leaving me for a second time. But, I will have a hard copy in my bag to take with me everywhere and I will be out in the world promoting it, and talking it up to anyone who will listen. Perhaps, one of the greatest gifts she has given me is not only a love of reading, but a new, and deep love of writing. I am excited to start my next dog story soon.

Jazz’s story is my love letter to the animals who’ve touched my life. I hope her tale inspires you to cherish the bonds you share with your own companions.

Sara

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

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Here, Sara is with her young Border Collie, Buckle Up! Her love of adventures and escapades with her dog by her side remains strong. Like Jazz Marie, Buckle is ready for any hike, swim or sport game that Sara offers him.

Sara is excited to continue sharing her love for animals through her writing. With Jazz’s story complete, she’s already envisioning the next chapter—one filled with new tales of courage, connection, and the unbreakable bonds between humans and their four-legged friends.

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