Interview with Joanne Wannan
NEW LIVES will move your spirit. If you’re a dog-lover you’re primed for this. If you’ve ever rescued an animal, and know the joy it could bring or if you’ve lost a pet and found it again you will understand.
Joanne takes her readers on an amazing journey that only hints at what she must have experienced while writing this book. Stories of perseverance, courage, trust and triumph will bring a smile to your lips and yes, maybe even a tear to your eyes. It’s all good.
Joanne, thank you for making all this possible and for sharing this interview.
What was your inspiration for writing this book?
My first dog as an adult, was Haida, a wonderful Schipperke who was truly the love of my life. When Haida got cancer, at the age of 12, I was devastated. The series of vet visits, treatments, and alternate spurts of hope and despair were a nightmare that I seemed to sleepwalk through. However, there was one incident that I remember very clearly, and which had a profound effect on me.
On one of my last visits to the veterinary clinic with Haida, just before she passed away, I was in the waiting room. A woman, who I did not even know, saw the distraught look on my face, came over, and gave me a hug. We talked awhile, and she told me that her dog, a Rottweiler, was from a shelter. It was her second “Rottie.” Her previous dog had cancer, and after it passed away, she decided to adopt a shelter dog in his honour.
I thought this was a fitting and beautiful gesture, and wondered if I could do the same. Schipperke’s are relatively rare; how was I ever going to find one who had been abandoned and needed a good home?
(I thought back to when I first got Haida. I had visited shelters on several occasions, but only big dogs were available. I was living in a small condominium, and didn’t feel keeping a big dog in a small space would be fair.)
However, times have changed. More dogs are in need of a good home, and with the Internet, finding the “perfect dog” for you is easier than ever. I was, quite frankly, shocked when I logged onto petfinder.com, an Internet website that links shelters and rescues all across Canada and the United States. You can search for animals of every kind (dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) according to age, size, and breed. Hundreds of Schipperkes came up in my search.
Petfinder.com was a starting point for me. I then learned about rescue organizations that exist for every specific breed – from Mexican Hairless, to Labrador retrievers, and everything in between. Homelessness in animals is truly indiscriminate, it seems.
I ended up adopting Emma, a little jewel of a dog who was found on a busy highway, in the pouring rain. Emma had pneumonia, was skinny, and had very little fur. She was also shy and a bit skittish at first. However, she has continued to blossom and grow.
I had joined an animal therapy group with Haida, and we visited patients in the hospital, spreading a little cheer. I decided to test Emma as a “therapy” dog, as well. Even though she was shy at first, she loved visiting seniors at a local Seniors Centre, and became a welcome Friday afternoon visitor.
My experiences made me wonder: how many other people did not know about the number of animals in shelters waiting for good homes? How many other people did not know about websites like petfinder.com? How many people did not realize that homeless dogs come in every size, shape and breed – and that there are wonderful animals just waiting for a good home?
What was the most challenging aspect to writing this book?
One of the most challenging parts was to narrow the stories down. I had intended to write a series of 40 shorter stories. However, as I researched and talked to people, I decided to go into greater depth with each story, to include more information, and to have each story represent a different aspect of the human-animal bond. It was very difficult to decide which stories to use. People were so generous with their thoughts and experiences, and I felt badly when I could not include someone’s story for one reason or another – for example, if it overlapped with another one.
You met and interviewed many people. How did your connection with them influence your writing?
I learned a lot as I went along. I had no idea of the many ways dogs are contributing to our health and well-being. One woman I met is a social worker who works with foster children. She brings her rescued dog into her sessions. The children are often able to open up and relate, in a way they otherwise wouldn’t have done, because they – and the dog – share a similar background.
I was also unaware of the problems facing those with disabilities, when it comes to getting a service dog. There is a shortage of dogs bred for service by traditional organizations, and as a result costs can be high (this isn’t always the case; there are several wonderful organizations that use fundraisers to help make dogs available), wait lists can be long, and there is often restrictive eligibility criteria. As a result, only a small percentage of those with disabilities are able to get a service dog.
I was delighted to learn of organizations that rescue and train dogs for service. The dogs fill an important service “gap”, creating NEW LIVES for themselves and their owners. (This is where the title of the book comes from.)
What effect do you anticipate New Lives will have on its readers?
The goal of the book is twofold: to let people know about the wonderful ways that dogs are helping, healing and giving hope; and to advocate for shelter animals. I hope people will laugh, cry, and want to hug their dog. But mostly, I hope people will be motivated to help, and consider looking at a shelter or rescue when they want to adopt a dog.
As a writer, how do you motivate yourself when you experience writer’s block?
The hardest part is just sitting down to write. Unlike a lot of writers, I don’t set regular hours. Instead, I aim for a certain number of hours per day or per week. Then, if a favourite TV show is on, I don’t have to wrestle with obligation. Instead, I decide to write earlier or later in the day.
I remember reading Julia Cameron’s book, The Right to Write. She says that books are made up of chapters, which are made up of paragraphs, which are made up of sentences (although she said it more eloquently). I always try to remember that some days it will seem like you’re going around in circles, but even if you get one sentence done – or even one idea solidified, or even one word – it’s a step in the right direction. In that way, I try not to be too hard on myself.
It is important to write about what you love. I was so inspired by these stories, that even when writing seemed like drudgery, I felt a sense of dedication to the people who had shared their experiences with me, to bring them to light.
What message do you have for your readers?
There are millions of animals in shelters and rescues across Canada and the United States. For most of them, their “crime” is simple: they were not wanted. They are not violent biters; they are not badly behaved. Sadly, most of them will not make it out alive. Yet these animals make wonderful healers, pets and friends. They have so much love to give, if only we will only open up our hearts and lives to them, and allow them the chance.
I also hope that people will learn about service dogs. Several of the people who I wrote about in the book, who now have a rescued service dog, had given up hope. Many were turned away from traditional organizations, and it was only by sheer luck that they happened upon organizations that use shelter dogs, or (in some cases) helped them to train their own pets. These dogs make such a tremendous difference in people’s lives, turning isolation and despair into hope and healing. It would be incredibly rewarding if even one person’s life is changed because of this book.
Thanks again Joanne. This was a fantastic interview. For more information or to purchase New Lives, please visit 3 Black Dogs.*
*No sales commissions will be received for this referral.
I made loaf number two in the new machine less than three days later. After washing and putting away the machine, I realized that the paddle was missing. I looked everywhere, and I mean everywhere.
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