My Old Dog Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts

National Bestseller

“No Dog Should Die Alone" was the attention-grabbing — and heart-stirring — headline of journalist Laura T. Coffey’s TODAY show website story about photographer Lori Fusaro’s work with senior shelter pets. While generally calm, easy, and already house-trained, these animals often represent the highest-risk population at shelters. With gorgeous, joyful photographs and sweet, funny, true tales of “old dogs learning new tricks,” Coffey and Fusaro show that adopting a senior can be even more rewarding than choosing a younger dog. You’ll meet endearing elders like Marnie, the irresistible shih tzu who has posed for selfies with Tina Fey, James Franco, and Betty White; Remy, a soulful nine-year-old dog adopted by elderly nuns; George Clooney’s cocker spaniel, Einstein; Susie, the funny little senior dog who got adopted by "Humans of New York" creator Brandon Stanton and "Susie's Senior Dogs" founder Erin Stanton; and Bretagne, the last known surviving search dog from Ground Zero. They may be slower moving and a tad less exuberant than puppies, but these pooches prove that adopting a senior brings immeasurable joy, earnest devotion, and unconditional love.

Laura T. Coffey is a self-avowed dog nut and a writer, editor, and producer for TODAY.com, the website of NBC’s TODAY Show. Before she joined TODAY.com, Coffey worked in various reporter, columnist, and editor positions for msnbc.com (now NBCNews.com), The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Prague Post and The St. Petersburg Times. After writing thousands of stories on scores of subjects, Coffey can’t help but notice that many of her “greatest hits” have been stories about dogs.

Photographer Lori Fusaro donates her time each weekend photographing dogs and cats to increase their chances of getting adopted. The rest of the week, Fusaro works as the staff photographer at Best Friends Animal Society - Los Angeles and runs her own business, Fusaro Photography, whose clients include DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Pictures, and many animal-rescue organizations. Fusaro lives in Culver City near downtown Los Angeles with her husband, Darrell, and their dogs and cats.