• A Small Furry Prayer

  • Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
  • By: Steven Kotler
  • Narrated by: Kevin Foley
  • Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (85 ratings)

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A Small Furry Prayer  By  cover art

A Small Furry Prayer

By: Steven Kotler
Narrated by: Kevin Foley
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Publisher's summary

Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico. A Small Furry Prayer chronicles their adventures at Rancho de Chihuahua, the sanctuary they created for their special needs pack.

While dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America, it is also one of the least understood. An insider look at the "cult and culture" of dog rescue, A Small Furry Prayer weaves personal experience, cultural investigation, and scientific inquiry into a fast-paced, fun-filled narrative that explores what it means to devote one's life to the furry and the four-legged. Along the way, Kotler combs through every aspect of canine-human relations, from humans' long history with dogs through brand-new research into the neuroscience of canine companionship, in the end discovering why living in a world made of dog may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human.

©2010 Steven Kotler (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Brimming with humor, gratitude, and grace, this is a remarkable story." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about A Small Furry Prayer

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Covers a lot of ground

I truly enjoyed this book it touched upon a lot of different things in the animal world not just sheltered dogs. It was funny at times and sad a good balance left me feeling good.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Cute story...

Overall, a cute story. It would have been much better to listen to with a better narrator. This narrator sounds way too robotic and unemotional to tell a story about dog rescue.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

The only way this book could have been more enjoyable is if the author had read it himself. I grew up in New Mexico so I could relate to many of his comments about NM. Before reading the book, we had rescued a Chihuahua mix so it also hit close to home. Next time I'm in NM I might have to go visit Rancho de Chihuahua.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • 04-16-23

Quite a bit of expletives

I liked the fact it was about animals but the course language & sexual references ruined the book for me.

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