Chris Gray has always loved animals and the first to enter her life was the family dog - a Smithfield Kelpie named Bobby. The friendship that developed left her with a yearning to be surrounded by animals who would become friends, just as Bobby had been. Over the years Chris has found life often gives just what you need when you most need it. The first animal to enter her adult life was a dog that she literally dragged out of rising floodwaters. And that was just the beginning of thirty five years (to date) of rescuing and adopting a long line of strays and waifs. These have included nine dogs, nine cats and seven horses. Of course not all her animal companions came from such dire backgrounds. The concept for this book originated with her desire to honour the memory of the numerous animal friends whose company she's enjoyed over the years. Never having experienced the joys and trials of motherhood, her animal companions became her 'children'. Over the years she's chosen to stop, to watch and to think about the actions and reactions she's witnessed and has concluded animals are very intelligent. In her own words: "I've had fun learning their 'language' and translating it into human-speak.