"Rescuing Morgan," the new self-published book by Dan Perdios, is short and sweet. Clocking in at 155 pages, it tells the story of Perdios and his husband's relationship with Morgan, an abused golden retriever they rescued.
Perdios has lived with golden retrievers for more than forty years. They have brought him love and companionship, and on at least one occasion, a golden literally saved his life.
One day a fire broke out in Perdios' house, but being hearing-impaired, he couldn't hear the fire alarm. His previous dog Willy got his attention and got him out of harm's way. In Perdios' case, his dogs have been much more than canine companions. They are service animals, helping him to navigate his way through a world he can't always hear.
When Perdios and his husband James adopted Morgan, he had already loved and lost two service dogs. But Morgan wasn't another service animal, he was a rescue. Perdios felt that he had been rescued by his two service dogs, and he wanted to return the favor. So they set about to give Morgan a loving home.
They were going to have to be patient with Morgan. As a result of the abuse he had lived through, Morgan was an aggressive and destructive animal. But Perdios was confident that by showering Morgan with patience and kindness, they could mellow him out. In "Rescuing Morgan" Perdios recounts his and James' efforts to turn Morgan into a gentle and loving animal.
It wasn't always easy. There were incidents in which Morgan bit their neighbor, which could have led to serious legal repercussions. But the neighbor let it go. There were incidents in dog parks and in dog obedience schools in which Morgan showed aggression to other dogs. There were tense moments between Perdios and James.
But the two men didn't give up. They let Morgan know that he was loved. They combined that love with discipline. Slowly but surely, Morgan came around.
Perdios also delves into his battle with HIV in the book. A long-term survivor, he recalls a time when he stopped taking his HIV meds and began to get sick again. He goes back on his meds and his HIV goes into remission again. He recalls undergoing inner ear surgery, which improved his hearing, though he still needs to use hearing aids.
"Rescuing Morgan" ultimately stands as a heartwarming tale of love and survival. It makes for a lovely read, a good book to enjoy on a lazy afternoon. By the time it ends, you may feel that you've gotten to know not only Perdios, but Morgan as well.
Morgan has since passed on of old age, and Perdios now has a golden retriever named Franklin. But his love for Morgan, and his love for Willy and Nicholas, the two dogs he had before Morgan, still fill his heart. Perdios' book is very much a love story about a man and a dog that you'll never forget.
'Rescuing Morgan' $16 paperback, $8.99 ebook.
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