There's something truly magical about dogs — their natural joy, resilience, and protectiveness are so often combined with affection, intuition, courage, and just plain smarts. They keep us company, provide unconditional love, and act as our therapists. They make us better people!

You'll laugh, tear up, and nod your head in recognition as your read the stories in our new collection, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories from the book that show the ways that dogs have added magic to the lives of our writers:

Dogs show you that rules are made to be broken.
In Holly Green's story "Hershey's Visit" the medical practice where she worked was dog friendly, as long as the doctor’s chocolate Labrador stayed in the back of the office. Patients never saw Hershey—until the day that Mrs. Bea was there for a checkup. At the end of the appointment, Holly wrote up her prescriptions and asked how she was doing. Mrs. Bea burst into tears. She revealed that her dog had died the week before in a tragic household accident. As Mrs. Bea sobbed, and Holly tried to comfort her, Hershey walked into the room. Holly was horrified that the dog had invaded the patient area. But Hershey headed straight for the grieving woman and put his head in her lap. He wasn’t wagging his tail and looking for attention the way he normally would. He was quiet and respectful and there for one purpose: to comfort the crying stranger. When she had calmed down, Hershey quietly returned to his normal location in the doctor’s office in the back. Holly says, “To my knowledge—and I worked in that office for many years—Hershey never entered a patient room again. But he was there that day when he was needed, and he did just the right thing.”

You can learn to reject stereotypes.
In his story "How I Fell in Love with a Pit Bull" Scott Elliff and his wife were in mourning for their dog when they decided to try fostering for a local animal shelter. Their first foster was a success and the little dog they hosted was adopted by a family. When it came time to foster again, they were asked to take a large, friendly Pit Bull who didn’t get along with the other dogs at the shelter. Scott had always heard bad things about Pits and he was not in favor of having this dog in their home. But this outwardly scary dog turned out to be a sweetheart—gentle, affectionate, and eager to please. Using simple techniques like a longer leash calmed her anxieties, too, and she started behaving better around other dogs. Still, the prejudice against Pit Bulls kept her from being adopted, so Scott and his wife kept fostering her. When an adoption was finally arranged, Scott was heartbroken, and when it fell through, you know what happened. Scott and his wife officially adopted that formerly forlorn Pit Bull and Scott says, “Strangely, I no longer see the beast in her, only her magnificence and beauty. I can’t imagine life without her