The Road to Utopia: How Kinky, Tony, & I Saved More Animals Than Noah

Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. AQ4 - A first edition (stated) hardcover book SIGNED by Cousin Nancy, Tony Simmons, and Kinky Friedman on the title page in near fine condition in near fine dust jacket. Dust jacket and book have some bumped corners. Foreword by Kinky Friedman. 9"x6", 224 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Noah had it easy. On any given day at the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Medina, Texas, Nancy Parker-Simons, her husband Tony Simons, and a willing crew of employees and volunteers care for at least sixty rescued dogs, not to mention numerous cats, chickens, pigs, horses, wild mustangs, donkeys, and a rooster named Alfred Hitchcock. And then there's Kinky Friedman, the rescue ranch's "Gandhi-like figure" who brings stray and abused animals to Nancy and Tony, raises money for the rescue ranch, and makes sure no one leaves the ranch without a dog or two. In this entertaining book, Nancy Parker-Simons tells the heartwarming, often hilarious story of the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. She describes how a series of "it must have been fate" incidents brought her together with Tony Simons and Kinky Friedman, and how, in 1998, the three of them decided to create a no-kill haven for homeless and abused animals in the Texas Hill Country. Since their first rescue - the "magnificent seven" which were, in fact, forty-one dogs liberated from local animal shelters - "Cousin Nancy" and her crew have rescued over one thousand animals. Parker-Simons tells the fascinating stories of several dozen fortunate dogs, cats, and other animals that have come to the rescue ranch, either to be adopted by new owners or to live out their days in the ranch's "utopia." She also pays tribute to the many supporters who have helped keep the ark afloat, including First Lady Laura Bush, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dwight Yoakam, Robert Earl Keen, Molly Ivins, and Don Imus. Everyone who cares about animal welfare will find The Road to Utopia hard to resist.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.