Dr. Doolittle was one of the first fiction books that my 13-month-younger sister, Nancy, and I read in the early 1960s. The protagonist was an eccentric British doctor who could converse with animals. We read those novels, imagining what it would be like to have complete conversations with our family dog. In 1967, our parents’ favorite entertainer, Sammy Davis Jr., recorded the Academy Award-winning song “Talk to the Animals.”
The imaginary Dr. John Doolittle talked to animals. Nancy grew up to do something more realistic: she actually talks for the animals. For over four decades now, Dr. Nancy Silverman Kay, DVM, has given voice to pets who can’t speak for themselves, especially dogs. As an award-winning veterinarian and author, Nancy is a fierce animal advocate, healer, champion and translator-in-chief.
Throughout the 1970s, Nancy and I had a wire-haired friend named Tuffy, who was a Boston Terrier mix from the Denver Dumb Friends League. Tuffy loved Nancy and me, although he loved me just a little more for my full attention and the hours I spent teaching him to fetch, sing (howl) and perform tricks.
Nancy’s heart was understandably divided, sharing her affection and time with her horse, Buddy, at a corral above the Highline Canal. Tuffy and I weren’t welcome there. Tuffy, my best-ever dog, also had to endure Nancy’s early attempts at veterinary procedures. In other words, I was a lot more fun.
Nancy decided early on to become a top-notch veterinarian, and she never faltered. She scored straight As through Ellis and Fallis Elementary, Hill Junior High, and as 1975 valedictorian at George Washington High School, earning a prestigious Boettcher Scholarship. Nancy graduated from Colorado State University in just three years, then attended Cornell for veterinary school, ultimately becoming a board-certified internal medicine specialist, saving countless hurt pets.
Now, after helping and healing so many animals, Nancy brings her gifts to writing “A Dog Named 647.” The novel’s heroine, Mia, is a spunky, determined seventh-grader with a heart so big you can’t help but root for her. Mia’s quest to save an overbred golden retriever trapped in a puppy mill is suspenseful, uplifting and rooted in the awful reality faced by too many dogs today. With her best friend Cassie, Mia tackles greed, cruelty and the complexities of best-friendship.
Nancy’s newest book isn’t just a callout of greed and cruelty; it’s a clarion call for empathy, reflecting Nancy’s years of blogging on the human-animal bond and championing change through organizations like National Mill Dog Rescue. She manages to tell the truth, even uncomfortable truths, about how we get our designer doodles, while still lifting readers and inviting them to act, not just feel.
Nancy’s acclaimed first book, “Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life,” is her authoritative and warmly written guide empowering dog owners to advocate for their pets’ medical needs effectively. First published nearly 20 years ago, this non-fiction book helps dog owners navigate the often-overwhelming world of veterinary medicine and make informed decisions about their dog’s health and well-being. Nancy was an exceptional guest on “Fresh Air with Terry Gross.”
Sadly, there are too many real-life stories about unethical dog breeders and puppy mills.
A breeder in Delta, Colorado, was charged this summer with 258 counts of animal cruelty after authorities seized over 160 dogs and 95 cats from her property. Inspectors found dogs so badly neglected that they were unable to move or perform normal bodily functions, with some missing limbs, and other dogs dead and decomposing in enclosures without water in 92-degree heat.
The National Mill Dog Rescue, a well-known organization based in Peyton, Colorado, assisted with this dog rescue operation.
For-profit puppy mills are most prevalent in Missouri, ignominiously followed by Ohio, and other Midwest states. Set in Missouri, “A Dog Named 647” just won the Book of the Month Award from Ohio Animal Advocates, which wrote: “Some books break your heart. Others ignite it. Dr. Nancy Kay’s middle-grade novel ‘A Dog Named 647’ manages to do both.”
“A Dog Named 647” addresses the grim realities of puppy mills and the greed that drives them. At the end of the novel, Nancy Kay encourages advocacy and action. She provides the resources to shut these puppy mills down.
In another glowing review in a prestigious journal, esteemed canine advocate Ed Boks writes that “A Dog Named 647” “fuses the urgency of an exposé with the heart of a coming-of-age tale.” Boks praises the book’s authenticity and honesty, which he attributes to Nancy’s experience at the pinnacle of her veterinary profession.
If you love dogs, or know anyone who does, obtain “A Dog Named 647” online or in person this book launch weekend. All proceeds will go to the Berkeley Humane Society, the non-profit hosting Nancy’s Bay Area book-signing event on Sunday. If you have a pet, explore Nancy’s free and entertaining Substack blog.
My current dogs, Aiko, 17, and Schuyler, 6, give Aunt Nancy two big paws up. And if Tuffy were still with us, I know he’d insist on fetching a copy of “A Dog Named 647” for himself, and for every dog lover in Denver.
Craig Silverman is a former Denver chief deputy DA. Craig is columnist at large for The Colorado Sun and an active Colorado trial lawyer with Craig Silverman Law, LLC.
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Type of Story: Opinion
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.