Author(s): Glenn Plaskin

Literature

One day, with a brand new puppy in his arms, Glenn Plaskin impulsively knocked on his neighbour's door, anxious for advice about how to train her. Soon after, Glenn's magnetic pet attracts 'Granny', an elderly woman living at the end of their hall. Fashion modeling, using the TV remote, and even sitting at the dinner table, Katie's antics not only bring smiles to the faces of her family, but charm the likes of Peter Jennings, Ivana Trump and Bette Midler. Katie races the neighbourhood kids up and down the halls of the apartment, befriends a group of eccentric elderly women who live nearby, and when any one of her dear friends is sick or grieving, Katie is the first one on the scene with her paws protectively on their chest. Set in New York City over a decade, we're pulled through the sharp ups and downs of life; from the beautiful surprise of four neighbours being brought together and the creation of a truly profound bond, to using that strength while living through the sheer horror of 9/11 at ground-zero. With the help of Katie the cocker spaniel, the notion of what makes a family is challenged and we're all taught something in the process.