Howard the Bearded Collie didn’t just save his owner’s life. He also changed her, becoming a source of inspiration for him.
Mark Taylor was on the verge of suicide when a dog broke into his life and turned everything upside down. A touching story published by My London.
The failures of this Surrey resident began in 2020. At the time, his 89-year-old mother, who was suffering from dementia, had a serious fall that forced her to remain bedridden. Mark Taylor had to constantly monitor her. At the same time, he took a new job that was subjecting him to very high levels of stress.
He could no longer cope with this double pressure and gradually fell into despair. Out of pride, he refused to even talk about it to his wife, Annette, whom he nevertheless describes as «wonderful».
Mark’s suffering was such that one evening he decided to commit suicide. He was in his car and stopped in a place where he thought no one would find him. Putting his head on the steering wheel, he heard someone knocking on the door. It was Gary, a friend of the postman, who was worried to see him in such a state. Mark assured him that everything was in order, without saying that he was on the verge of doing something irreparable.
His state of mind had changed since Howard’s arrival. Every time the last one passed in front of Mark, he did something funny. His owner started recording these funny scenes. When Annette realized this, she suggested that she write a children’s book inspired by all these little anecdotes.
This was the beginning of a new big step in Mark’s transformation. His book, Howard of Powsland: His Magical Journey to Whistledown, was published and was a great success. A few months later, the publisher ordered 6 more from him.
“When I was writing the books, I wanted to pay tribute to Howard’s love. Because he made me smile every day and he still does. And it was truly a masterstroke by Annette. She is a genius. Because she knew it would help me. She knew that he would help me heal. I literally smile every day. He is the most handsome of dogs. Attractive guy! » says Mark, touched.
His wife and four-legged friend are his saviors. Howard «wouldn’t hurt a fly,» he continued. He wants to play with everyone. He wants to hug everyone. You can’t help it. When you look at him, you want to write something about him»
