I got news today (Feb 19, 2024) that my fellow Colorado author and border collie lover Leland Dirks died recently. It’s such sad news, but I know that his beloved (late) border collie Angelo shepherded his crossing. As I often do upon the death of people I love and admire, I wrote a bit of a Leland Dirks tribute that I like to pretend he’d appreciate.
Over the holiday break, we received the devastating news that our amazing border collie friend Angelo earned his wings on an ordinary night in his sleep. If you don’t already know Angelo’s story and other tales and images from his epic love story with Leland Dirks — Angelo’s human companion, our friend and one of my favorite independent authors — now is the perfect time to show some support by buying and reading one (or all) of his books.
Jimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog by Angelo Dirks and Leland Dirks is the latest novel from the duo who happen also to live here in Colorado. Full disclosure, we’ve become friends since Lilly and I reviewed their first book: Angelo’s Journey, which tells the fantastical backstory of a time when Angelo (a border collie) went missing. I loved that high-concept novella, and I adore this new book as well.
Angelo is a border collie, living in a remote area of Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Angelo’s Journey tells the story of when he went missing for more than five weeks in 2010. Here is our review.
