SGVN

Dean Koontz/Trixie Koontz/"Bliss to You"

Sept. 8, 2008

Sometimes, to be brilliant, it helps to have a wet nose and be covered in fur. And sometimes, the most brilliant advice comes not from a self-improvement guru or talk-show host, but rather from the wise mind of a dog.

Just ask bestselling author Dean Koontz. He's known all along that his Golden Retriever Trixie, who passed away in 2007, was wise beyond her species.

In the book "Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life," humor, adorability and philosophical wisdom blend together to form a hybrid dog-lovers/self-help tome. It's all about trying to find happiness. What human doesn't search for that? And why is it not surprising a dog has the answers?

As with her other two books—"Life Is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living" and "Christmas is Good"—Trixie is the author, with help from Koontz's opposable thumbs and typing skills. But with "Bliss," Trixie scores a homerun hit, corresponding with Koontz from the "Other Side," the Rainbow Bridge—a mythical place where pets romp happily and await reunion with their owners so that both may pass together into Heaven.

"She's living on," said Koontz. "I'd like to see her have a long shadow."

In this hardcover book, due out Sept. 16, Koontz speaks for Trixie in her loveable, Yoda-esque way. But despite the lack of proper subject/verb construction, "Bliss" is packed full of life lessons on….well, life. Written with a Trixie-ism, instruction or observation per page, "Bliss" enlightens readers to the greater things and wider mysteries of life, all from a dog's perspective yet with applicable applications for us bipeds.

"It's like looking at the complexity of life, but expressing it simply," said Koontz. "The truth is usually very simple. When you get into a dog's head, you go straight to the heart of the matter."

Like when Trixie explains the seventh step in her ladder to happiness: loss: "Accepting loss. Losses that have happened, losses to come. Cannot find bliss until can accept loss."

Loss is something Koontz is familiar with. In the late 1990s, the Koontzes adopted Trixie from Canine Companions for Independence, an organization providing highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities. The stories of many of these individuals are represented in “Love Heels: Tales from Canine Companions for Independence,” for which Koontz wrote the foreword. Trixie was a hard-working service dog before surgery to fix a congenital elbow problem forced her into early retirement. Koontz adopted Trixie and found himself bowled over with love for this clown-faced Golden. Suddenly, Koontz wrote more and more about dogs, thanks to Trixie's influence. Koontz has said the following nine years were the best of his life, filled with love and laughter—and lots of Trixie.

But in 2007, Trixie died of cancer just a few months shy of her 12th birthday. After nearly a decade with their beloved "daughter," as they called her, Koontz and his wife Gerda were devastated by her passing.

"We always knew loosing Trixie would hit us hard," he said. But the grief proved paralyzing. Koontz, a workaholic never known to experience writer's block, couldn't put down a single word for a month. He and Gerda felt lost, their large Orange County house empty without Trixie. "I knew as hard as it's been for us, that's because it was so good while we had her."

In the past, Trixie's news contributed (a lot) to Koontz's newsletter content, and she served as a guest blogger on Koontz's website. After Trixie passed, more than 50,000 condolence emails flooded her blog. Now, the ever-prolific pup still contributes to the site, signing her posts "TOTOS: "Trixie On The Other Side."

"Loss teaches us many things if we're [willing] to learn the lessons," Koontz said. "It's so painful now because the joy was so great before."

More than 14 months have passed since that Saturday in June when Trixie died, but the pain is still there.

"In a way, it stays with you all of your life. But any loss does," Koontz said. "Loss makes you more humble. Loss is the biggest teacher."

But the pain of losing such a beloved companion is nothing compared to the pure joy received from loving unconditionally.

"The relationship with a wonderful dog is 24/7," Koontz said. "Human relationships are always problematic in one way or another. But with dogs, it's always a great relationship. When you think about it, that relationship is pretty close to perfect."

Through "Bliss to You," Trixie spreads her secrets, helping us all become better people. Koontz is a believer in the mysteries of this Earth and beyond—and that a dog can be more than a dog. It can be a connection across the board, a magical force, one of the few animals that will die trying to protect its loved ones. (As Trixie says in "Bliss:" "Never saw hamster chase off armed burglar. Only dog. Is one reason man and dog have bond. We are guardians of each other.")

Koontz donates royalties from Trixie's book to CCI, helping the organization that helps others. For the past two decades, Koontz has been deeply involved with CCI, donating his time, money and support to a cause he believes in completely.

With 11 New York Times bestsellers and countless writing credits to his name, Koontz will go down in history as one of our generation's most prolific writers. On Sept. 20, Koontz will experience his own recipe for bliss—dogs, CCI and writing—when he appears at CCI's Oceanside site, the Dean, Gerda & Trixie Koontz Campus, signing "Bliss."

Next for Koontz includes the third installment for the "Frankenstein" series, more entries in the "Frankenstein" comic book franchise, an "Odd Thomas" manga graphic novel, Trixie young reader's books, a Trixie calendar, Trixie video games, the suspense novel "Your Heart Belongs to Me" (out Nov. 25) and even more things—both traditional Koontz and via Trixie—Koontz can't yet talk about.

But fans need not fear: Koontz is not sacrificing life for work. In May, the Koontzes opened up their home and heart once more to a dog. Meet Anna, a two-year-old CCI service dog who passed 22 out of 24 months of training before being "retired" due to an inability to ignore other animals passing by.

What struck Koontz was how much Anna resembles Trixie in the face. It's no wonder: further research discovered that Trixie's brother is Anna's grandfather. Trixie lives on, not just in her books, but once again in the arms of Koontz.

SIDEBAR

Dean Koontz will sign "Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life" at CCI's Dean, Gerda & Trixie Koontz Campus, 124 Rancho del Oro Drive in Oceanside, on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 11:00 a.m. For more information, visit www.cci.org or www.deankoontz.com. Questions may be directed to (760) 901-4300.