A man who’s dog ‘helped him heal’ after he tried to take his own life wrote a book about the pooch
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A man whose dog “helped him heal” when he was suicidal has written a children’s book about his life-saving pet.
Mark Taylor, 58, from Surrey, found himself in a dark environment last year brought on by the pressures of getting a new job and arranging care for his 89-year-old mother, who lives with dementia.
In a time of desperation, the director of the cleaning company considered committing suicide, but luckily he didn’t go through with it after a friend found him just in time.
He said: ‘A friend who is a mailman found me with my head on the wheel of the car minutes before I was going to try for life, after he found me he persuaded me to go home and take my to talk to partner Annette.’
Mark Taylor, from Surrey, said his dog ‘helped him heal’ after contemplating suicide last year, even writing a children’s book about the doggy to ‘do justice to his love’
Mark finally opened up to his wife, Annette (right) about how he was feeling and she convinced him to talk to his doctor
Mark finally told his wife, Annette, how he was feeling and she convinced him to talk to his doctor.
He said, ‘I knew I was in a dark place, but instead of opening up and talking, I did what many men do, I buried my head in the sand.
Mark decided to write a children’s book about the dog called Howard of Pawsland and he was offered a deal for six books with the publishers
And so the first part of my healing began, talking to Annette was the best thing I ever did and should have done, but I didn’t, and now I know how wrong that was. We cried together, she sent me straight to my GP who helped me.’
Mark’s wife decided he needed a dog in his life because she knew how much he loved them and that the puppy could provide unconditional love.
Mark admitted that Howard, the Bearded Collie puppy, changed his life and helped him heal.
He said: ‘We had dogs before and knew how much I loved them, and once Annette has an idea in her head, there’s no love for her, and I’ll be eternally grateful to you.
“Howard, our bearded collie puppy changed my life, he helped me heal and smiled every day. A love for dogs is unconditional, Annette knew that.”
Overwhelmed by how much the dog helped him on his road to recovery, Mark decided to write a children’s book about Howard.
Annette (right) decided he needed a dog in his life because she knew how much he loved them and that the puppy could offer unconditional love
Mark admitted that Howard, the Bearded Collie puppy, changed his life, helped him heal and made him laugh every day
He said, “I decided to write a children’s book about Howard to do justice to his love, to spread a message of love and permanence to children from three to seven years old.”
Mark had planned to self-publish the adorable book, but in a bizarre twist of faith, he accidentally ended up with a local publishing house and they offered to publish his book.
He said: ‘Annette sent me up the road from where we live to a new office that had recently opened because she thought you could design your own wrapping paper there and it would be great to get some done to give our granddaughter a first time. to pack. edition of Howard’s book.
“Then it turned out that was all wrong and they were publishing train books in this office, and when I was about to walk out of the office and thank the lady in charge for her time, before the lady asked, ‘Can you put a train in your children’s book? ?’
The couple has been inseparable ever since and Howard has been the inspiration for six of Mark’s books
Mark has since quit his job and is now training to be a school speaker, talking to kids about his books and his journey to mental health, becoming an author and sustainability with adults.
The woman gave Mark 24 hours to add a train to his story, and once she read it, she invited him to meet with the publishers.
Mark continued: “I was invited to meet with the publishers at the office where I was offered a deal of six books.
“Very unbelievable, who knows what life has planned for us, but for anyone who’s in the place where I was, talk, to a friend, to your family, call 111, pick up that phone, talk, there’s a way out the darkness.
“So here I am still, now a published author in my fifties, I have to pinch myself to be honest.”
Mark has since quit his job and is now training to be a school speaker, talking to children about his books and his journey to mental health, becoming an author and sustainability with adults.
Howard of Pawsland’s children’s books are available from Middletonpress.co.uk Amazon UK and Waterstones online.