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IN-PERSON EVENT: LYNNE COX, Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog

Monday, June 6, 2022 - 7:00pm

FREE, IN-PERSON EVENT: Bookshop is delighted to welcome International Swimming Hall of Famer Lynne Cox to an in-store discussion about her recent release, Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog— an inspiring story of an ungainly, unruly, irresistible Newfoundland puppy named Al, who grows up to become a daring rescue dog—part of Italy's elite, highly specialized corps of water rescue dogs who swoop out of helicopters and save lives. Cox will be in conversation with local endurance athlete, speaker, and author Terri Schneider.

Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica ("Thrilling, vivid, and lyrical" —Oliver Sacks) and Grayson ("Wondrous, unforgettable"—Carl Hiaasen) and internationally famous for swimming the world's most difficult waterways without a wet suit, and able to endure water temperatures so cold that they would kill anyone else, recognizes and celebrates all forms of athleticism in others, human or otherwise. And when she saw a video of a Newfoundland dog leaping from an airborne helicopter into Italian waters to save someone from drowning, Cox was transfixed by the rescue, and captivated by the magnificence, physicality, and daring of the dog.

Tales of Al is the moving, inspiring story of Cox's adventures on Italy's picturesque Lake Idroscalo, as witness to the rigorous training of one of these spectacular dogs at SICS, the famed school that has taught hundreds of dog owners how to train their dogs--Newfoundlands, German shepherds, and golden retrievers--for this rescue operation. Cox writes about coming to know the dog at the book's center, Al herself, from puppyhood, an adorable but untrainable chocolate Newfoundland--about the dreams, expectations, disappointments, and vision of her trainer and about realizing the dog's full potential; striving with all of her canine might to become an expertly trained, highly specialized water rescue dog.

LYNNE COX was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Los Alamitos, California. She set open-water swimming records all over the world, swimming without a wet suit. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Her articles have appeared in many publications, among them The New Yorker, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Cox lives in Long Beach, California.

As an endurance athlete Terri Schneider has been ‘moving forward’ for most of her life—literally—via running, hiking, triathlon, cycling, adventure racing, mountaineering and adventuring. As a former 10-year professional triathlete turned adventure racer, in the fall of 2011 she led a 4-person expedition traversing the country of Bhutan via a never-been-done route, trekking and mountain biking and while her team shot a documentary film, Crossing Bhutan. Terri has since spent almost two years total, living and volunteering in Bhutan. She earned a degree in Exercise Physiology and a masters in Sport Psychology and is the author of Dirty Inspirations: Lessons From the Trenches of Extreme Endurance Sports, as well as several other books. Two weeks after she and her husband finished building a new home, Terri spent the summer of her 60th year (2021) hiking the 2650 mile Pacific Crest Trail, and is currently working on a publication to highlight that epic adventure. While splitting her time between Santa Cruz, CA and northern Washington state, Terri’s current passions are to share her experiences in over ninety countries and counting, through her writing and photography. For more information visit, www.terrischneider.net

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Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog By Lynne Cox Cover Image
$27.00
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ISBN: 9780593319376
Published: Knopf - May 24th, 2022