Shaggy Dog Stories

Twelve years ago on Hallowe’en, Julie Chalpan took a break from building a fence around her yard near Atlanta and decided to drop by the local PetSmart. She just had a feeling that Hallowe’en would be the day when she would meet, fall in love with, and adopt the dog of her dreams.

There he was: a skinny, 17-pound Jack Russell Terrier/Beagle mix who had been saved from euthanasia at a pound in another county, neutered, and offered up for adoption. Julie did indeed fall in love with him then, but little did she realize where her journey with this skinny dog (whom she christened Titan) would take her.

Julie Chalpan and Titan

Titan’s journey with Julie and husband Keith has not been without its bumps (many having to do with Titan’s fondness for gorging on things that have been bad for him), but it has revealed valuable lessons and wonderful experiences, too. Titan has taught them about the power of empathy, the precious nature of unconditional love, and how to dog-proof the kitchen.

These experiences inspired Julie to write Titan’s Tales, a slim, softcover labor of love that contains not only tales of Titan, but also of 38 other rescued dogs. Each tale is told in the owner’s own words, and accompanied by photos.

It particularly tickled me to recognize Georgia, a Golden Retriever belonging to a high-school classmate of mine. Georgia has come a long way from the shelter in Dallas where she was discovered. She works as a therapy dog and helps mom Christy with her many volunteer activities. Daffy of Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen also appears in Titan’s Tales, her story told by owner Tom Wargo.

Of course the tales of these dogs and their loving families are heartwarming — how could they not be? — but another theme is prominent throughout Titan’s Tales: how each of these dog owners was inspired to give back to the universe that brought them together with their dogs. Some have fostered and adopted other dogs. Some have volunteered at shelters or for rescues. Some have founded organizations to help keep pets in their homes and out of the shelters. Some have gone on to do pet-assisted therapy. The book is not without its misconceptions, such as the call for stricter spay/neuter laws in the preface despite the multiply-documented failure of such an approach in keeping animals out of shelters — but the amount of good in the book, and in the hearts of the dog owners, is the main theme of Titan’s Tales.

Julie’s way of giving back is to donate part of the profits from sales of the book to benefit local organizations in GA and SC. The book is available online at titanstales.com, from a number of other locations, and directly from Julie at her book signings.

Would You Like a Copy?

Julie very kindly sent me an inscribed copy of Titan’s Tales for this review, and she would like to offer one to a lucky reader! If you’d like to have Julie sign a copy of Titan’s Tales especially for you, then please leave a comment on the blog and let Julie and me know why you’d like a copy of her book. Comments on Facebook, while very much enjoyed, don’t count.

Entries close on Thursday, July 14.

As usual, the winner will be drawn at random by comment number, using the oh-so-scientific method of having Greg guess a number.

3 Responses to “Review and a Giveaway: Titan’s Tales”