Companion Animal Foundation holds sale
Local author pens second book about crossing the country with his dog
After over 18 years, Companion Animal Foundation will be closing its thrift store doors.
A Eureka writer’s recently released book was inspired by the work of a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
“Ever since I read ‘Travels with Charley’ by John Steinbeck in the ’70s, I knew I wanted to do that. Where he took along his poodle for company, I take along my beloved ‘Ambassador of Smiles’ Luigi, the pit bull,” said Charlie Brannick, a painting contractor whose new book is titled “Pet Friendly Roads.”
The book is a nonfiction story about Brannick’s 47-day, 13,000-mile road trip around the country with Luigi, a pit mix rescue from the Humboldt County Animal Shelter in McKinleyville.
“It was great, because wherever you are, that’s here he wants to be,” Brannick said, calling dogs “the best people.”
Along the way, Brannick says what was going to be strictly a travel book became “something more than a highlight reel of what we see and do.”
“It’s more than the incredible sights, places we stayed, fine food we ate, old friends and family we visited. It’s about the heights and depths and adventure of the ‘long haul’ that won’t fit into a conversation,” Brannick said. “In the book, it’s compressed and keeps up a good pace as I try to keep you entertained while I learn the lessons life has for me. In the end, it’s the trip of a lifetime and I get the life I wanted and am blessed.”
This is Brannick’s second selfpublished book. His first, filled with poetry and prose, is titled “North River Songs” and is an autobiographical account of Brannick’s life, including his early days in New Jersey and his life later as a Vietnam veteran facing a changing world. “North River Songs,” like “Pet Friendly Roads,” features Luigi on the front cover.
“Pet Friendly Roads” is a 189-page paperback and features 62 pictures, including shots of Mount Mazama in Oregon,
Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Lake Charlevoix in Michigan, Lake Tranquility in New Jersey, Folly Beach in South Carolina, Fort De Soto Park in Florida, Landry’s Seafood in Louisiana and more.
“Pet Friendly Roads” is a nonfiction story about Charlie Brannick’s 47day, 13,000-mile road trip around the country with Luigi, a pit mix rescue from the Humboldt County Animal Shelter in McKinleyville.
Throughout, there are shots of Luigi — with or without Brannick — enjoying the sights during the journey.
“Mostly it’s a big loop around the country, but with some zig-zagging,” Brannick said.
He added: “I want to take the reader along for a fun, vicarious experience. I want him or her to see all the great places in snapshot size descriptions through my eyes. I want him or her to see what it feels like to be me — not in a bragging way, but in a complete way. I’m riding along, free and easy, having a good time and reflecting on my life.”
Both “North River Songs” and “Pet Friendly Roads” are available via Amazon. “North River Songs” is also available at the Humboldt County Library and the Humboldt State University Library.