Saint Oreo: The Miracle Dog - Paperback

by Louis E. Tagliaferri (Author)

This is a delightful, uplifting story about a little brown and white dog with floppy ears that is sent from heaven to impact the lives of people in need. The story begins one rainy night at a city park where a group of homeless people live in homemade shelters. Brenda Talbot, one of the homeless, is awakened by a whining and scratching on her tent. When she cautiously looks out of the tent flap, she sees an adorable Shih Tzu puppy begging to get out of the rain. Brenda takes the dog into her tent and into the hearts of the homeless whose lives are changed forever by the dog they named Oreo. After Oreo's job among the homeless was completed, he disappeared until he mysteriously shows up at a children's hospital hundreds of miles away where he helps restore the will to live of a child thought to be terminally ill. The dog's exploits soon comes to the attention of the Catholic Church which is concerned about the news and social media attention being given the animal and a growing cult of those who think he has supernatural powers. Then, weeks later, Oreo finds his way to a U.S. Customs Border Protection station near the Rio Grande River where he plays an incredible role easing the tensions among detainees who have crossed into the United States illegally. He even defuses a life threatening situation including a young MS-13 wannabe who is holding a U.S. Congresswoman hostage.As time passes, the Church hierarchy becomes more alarmed. The poor, impoverished and disadvantaged begin to proclaim Oreo a Miracle Dog. In Guatemala and El Salvador, where some of the illegal immigrants began their journey to the U.S., roadside shrines are being erected in the dog's honor as more and more people consider him a folk hero sent by God to help alleviate their suffering. This causes a frenzy among church leaders.When the dog is reported to have been found at a rundown animal shelter in Italy, an attempt is made by both a special Church commission and a government agency to capture the animal. The attempt comically fails as over two hundred abused dogs are set free and led to freedom by the Miracle Dog. Then, a terrible earthquake strikes the Italian walled city of Trevi and Oreo shows up just in time to save the life of a child before the apartment in which the child and its mother live collapses. Tragically, the heroic dog's action seems to have caused the loss of his own life, which now results in people from all over the world demanding that he be made a saint for his selfless sacrifice. The dismayed clerical hierarchy conducts a formal inquiry into the matter that ultimately reaches the office of the Pope, himself, for a surprising and absolutely delightful ending.