This book is dedicated to Fred, and all the other devoted employees at the Kenya Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - http://kspca-kenya.org
without which, this book would've been very different.

I'd also like to share my appreciation for those working all over the world for the betterment of animals.

When I asked John if he'd like to read On a Mission from Dog before I put it out into the world, he replied, 'I value that section of my life, and have fond memories, but of course they are my own construct, and anyone else (i.e. you!) is welcome to make their own versions...'

He went on to quote a passage from a book on two long-distance runners, The Perfect Distance - Ovett and Coe: The Record-Breaking Rivalry, where author Pat Butcher states, 'Total recall only happens in fiction. The events described here stretch back over three decades and more, and memory is not always reliable. Forgetting and fabricating are not always intentional, as the debates over retrieved memory suggest.'

Also quoted is L.P. Hartley - 'The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.'

Thank you to my parents, for making me who I am.

Some of the names in On a Mission from Dog have been changed, as I've been unable to make contact.
Betsy, the intrepid nomad, residents of Kitengela,
Wendall, Emily, Roxanne and Martin,
and owners of the Farm, Mr. and Mrs. Kimunya.

Numerous people courageously poured through very early drafts of the manuscript, and I thank you for your perseverance and encouragement.

Three women proved invaluable and pivotal in the editing process, in different ways, and at different times. I'd like to deeply thank:

June Appel, for her astute psychological insight and wit,
while tackling some very challenging issues.

Sandra Conant Strachan for her attention to detail.

Samantha Courcelles for believing in the manuscript throughout.


Translation

Salome Nyambura and Theo Symes for translation.

David Adolph and BJ Linquist-LaRoche for clarifying
some of the Gabra traditions.


Animal Communication

I'd like to specially thank Ronnie Hall, who I'm forever in debt for using her special gifts to help find Bruiser not only when he was lost in Kenya, but in Costa Rica too.
http://www.ronniannhall.com

And also many thanks to Suzanne Grandon for also offering her special insights during both these stressful times.
http://bluelotusjourneys.com

The following are people who invited Dog, Bruiser and myself into their homes while I toured the U.S. for two years, giving me breathers from camping while I learnt how to travel while working. Thank you for your company, generosity and interest in my life, and for providing a safe place to write this book.

En route to the U.S, and after leaving,
others have also hosted Dog, Bruiser and myself.

While compiling this page, I realized how much, 'No man is an island,' as so many have assisted in moving my life forward. Help has come in from all over the world in numerous ways, including mechanical and veterinary advice by e-mail, small loans, gifts and website assistance.

I'd also like to thank more people than I'd like to admit, whose names I never learnt, who've assisted getting me unstuck from sand, mud and rocks whenever I hoped my van had miraculously transformed itself into a 4x4.

Thank you to the people at Fido Friendly, the first magazine interested in the adventures of Dog, Bruiser and myself. They've watched me grow as a writer, while I've regularly contributed excerpts of
On a Mission from Dog, and our current exploits.
http://FidoFriendly.com