The Two Dogs Who Stayed

Bronze Medal Winner
Reader Views Literary Awards

Rusty isn’t anyone’s hero. At least, he doesn’t think so.

He runs a used bookstore in a quiet Alaskan town, walks his dog, and keeps mostly to himself. But when his memory begins to fade, the life he’s built starts to shift beneath his feet. He forgets appointments. Then names. Then things he was sure he’d never lose.

Except his dog.

Goober stays. Through the confusion. Through the silences. Through the end.

And maybe, somehow… beyond it.

The Two Dogs Who Stayed is a quiet, powerful novel about the souls we overlook, the memories we carry, and the rare companions who refuse to let go. Told in two parts, it traces a life lived simply, but not without meaning, and the quiet possibility that some connections stretch farther than we know.

Some stories don’t end. Some friends never leave.