"THE DOGS WHO GREW ME" WINS MERIAL HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND AWARD AT DOG WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA'S ANNUAL BANQUET

Memoir of life lived with dogs highlights the special bond between people and their pets

"THE DOGS WHO GREW ME: A Tribute to the Six Dogs Who Taught Me What Really Matters in Life," by Ann Pregosin, is the winner of the 2002 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award. Given by the Dog Writers Association of America at their annual banquet on February 9th, 2003, the award recognizes the work that best highlights the special bond between people and their treasured pets.

"We are pleased to announce the winner of this important award. The competition for the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award is very stiff and typically draws more entries than any other DWAA special award," said DWAA contest chairperson Liz Palika. "THE DOGS WHO GREW ME is a lovely tribute to several dogs who taught the author valuable life lessons while giving her unconditional love. It provides a unique look at how, over time, the companionship of some special canines helped a sensitive young girl become a writer, wife and mother."

THE DOGS WHO GREW ME, released by Capital Books in May 2002, is Ann Pregosin's memoir of a life lived with dogs and the invaluable lessons she learned from living with five distinct breeds of dogs. From love, devotion, and grace, to the value of living life to the fullest, the lessons are seemingly simple but ultimately profound. They are also lessons about perseverance, the foibles of excessive rigidity and self-defeating aggression, developing patience, welcoming joy, birth and motherhood, the gift of good health, the adjustments to be made as youth gives way to age, how death must be accepted as part of life, and how essential it is to really live the life that came before.

Merial, the sponsor of the award, is the world's leading animal health company, with products such as HEARTGARD and FRONTLINE . "When it comes to the bond between people and animals, few are so straightforward, so natural, so unconditional. It's books like this that bring to life the importance of the human animal bond. At Merial, we believe that when we improve the health of animals, we improve the lives of people too," said Nalini Saligram, Ph.D., Director of Corporate Communications for Merial.

For more information or an interview with Ann Pregosin, please contact Jennifer Hughes,
703-661-1533 or jennifer@booksintl.com