Friends for Life

Full of anecdotal case-histories and told in her own unique voice, we see how Jan Fennell’s unique gifts have won her the admiration of dog lovers worldwide.

Jan Fennell's unique gift has won her an international following. Her books, The Dog Listener and The Practical Dog Listener were instant best-sellers, and she became a house-hold name through her international success. In Friends For Life, Jan tells the story of the personal journey that led her to success – and the crucial part her canine companions played in her development.

Jan reveals her bond with dogs was forged amid the personal sadness of her childhood in London, an often traumatic period when it seemed Jan's beloved pets were her only source of unconditional love. She goes on to describe her experiences as a young mother, struggling to establish herself in an unfamiliar – and sometimes hostile – rural Lincolnshire community. Jan’s story eventually turns into a charming country tale – a self-sufficient idyll, inhabited by colourful characters – both human and canine. But when life deals her a series of blows it is her dogs, once more, who provide Jan with her strength and inspiration, and an unexpected new lease of life.

Friends For Life is filled with the charm, gentle humour and unquenchable humanity that so delights Jan’s fans. Its pages are alive with the scores of larger-than-life personalities – from clairvoyant Romany relatives to curmudgeonly farmers, happy-go-lucky circus bosses to saintly animal sanctuary owners – who have shaped Jan's eventful life.

Above all, however, it is the story of one woman's struggle against the odds, and the life-long love affair that has been the key to her survival and ultimate triumph.

About the author

After the success of Channel 5’s programme The Dog Listener (‘It was amazing.’ – The Daily Mail), Jan Fennell had her own series in Autumn 2000. Jan has previously appeared on Yorkshire tv, in the series Problem Pooches. She lives in Lincolnshire but her work takes her all around the country.