Where the Lost Dogs Go - by Susannah Charleson (Paperback)

About the Book

From a New York Times best-selling author, an important and heartfelt exploration into the world of lost dogs and the power of reunion

Book Synopsis

From a New York Times best-selling author, an important and heartfelt exploration into the world of lost dogs and the power of reunion

One in six dogs goes missing at some point, leaving bereft owners to search high and low, hang Missing posters, check shelters, and hope for good news. But amid these grim statistics, countless happy endings are forged. Tails wag again. Best friends are reunited.

In Where the Lost Dogs Go, Susannah Charleson, author of Scent of the Missing, dives headlong into the world of missing dogs. The mission to reunite lost pets with their families starts with Susannah's own shelter rescue, Ace, a plucky Maltese mix who narrowly survived months wandering lost. While Susannah studies animal behavior, lost-pet search tactics, social media strategies, and the psychology of loss, Ace also steps up for training. He reveals a nose for the scent of lost pets, and together they help neighbors and strangers in their searching. And when unexpected heartbreak shatters Susannah's own sense of direction, it is Ace--the shelter dog that started it all--who leads Susannah home. Inquisitive, instructive, heartrending, and hopeful, Where the Lost Dogs Go pays tribute to the missing dogs--and to the found--and to the restless space in between.

Review Quotes

"I have known lost people who could not have found themselves without the love of a dog. Our love for them and their love for us animates Where the Lost Dogs Go, a beautifully written and deeply felt memoir that I read with delight." --Dean Koontz, best-selling author of A Big Little Life "A riveting book from Susannah Charleson, whose exquisite writing is an inspiration to us all, and whose courage and stamina knows no bounds. Dog lovers won't be able to put it down, and readers of great writing will be grateful that they picked it up." - Patricia B. McConnell, best-selling author of The Education of Will and For the Love of a Dog "With touching and thought-provoking honesty, Where the Lost Dogs Go describes a corner of the canine world--missing dogs--that many of us will never visit. But if our dogs do unfortunately wander off, we can only hope that individuals like search-and-detection expert Susannah Charleson, and her dogs Puzzle and Ace, are there to help bring home our beloved, lost, four-legged friends." --Ted Kerasote, author of Merle's Door and Pukka's Promise "Susannah Charleson brings home another outstanding book of love and loss, searching and finding. With considerable canine insight, she tracks down dogs-on-the-loose in pursuit of happy reunions. Full of love and compassion, Where the Lost Dogs Go helps you find that nice warm place in your heart." --Peggy Frezon, author of The Dog in the Dentist Chair "Where the Lost Dogs Go is a compelling mystery, an amazing how-to manual--and a moving memoir. Best-selling author Susannah Charleson has crafted a wonderful book that defies easy categories. It's about lost dogs and their often equally lost humans. It's about a challenging kind of search-and-rescue work that kept me riveted and taught me new things about animal behavior. But at its heart, Where the Lost Dogs Go is about a wounded, complex, loving family that finds meaning and solace in the missing cats and canines who find warm, safe harbor with them." - Cat Warren, best-selling author of What the Dog Knows.​ --

About the Author

SUSANNAH CHARLESON, New York Times best-selling author of Scent of the Missing and The Possibility Dogs, trains search-and-detection K9s, comfort dogs, and service dogs for the disabled. She shares her home with a fur and feather menagerie, including a paralyzed pup on wheels named Ruff Draft.