Comet’s Tale: How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life

For Wolf, a former lawyer forced into early retirement by his declining health, a rescued greyhound literally becomes his savior. Chronic pain from a back injury at 43 leads to his ouster from the Omaha firm he helped build. Needing a change of climate, he moves to Sedona, Ariz., where he and his wife own a second home. However, this means living apart from his three daughters and his wife (a doctor and now the sole breadwinner). As he lives solo for nine-month stretches, simple tasks become increasingly difficult. When he adopts a rescued greyhound, the docile Comet both helps him with daily life and helps alleviate Wolf’s loneliness. As his health declines further, Wolf trains Comet to be a service dog, able to open doors by their handles, help with stairs, pull shopping carts, fetch phones, as well as provide emotional support. In one episode, Comet pulls her owner across the street to introduce him to two new neighbors—one of whom happens to know a doctor who performs experimental back surgery. Though Wolf’s narrative becomes treacly and he anthropomorphizes Comet’s actions too often, he also recognizes that, and tries to reconcile his love for his dog with his knowledge of dog behavior. Agent: Betsy Amster. (Oct.)