Go Find, Susan Purvis
Go Find, Susan Purvis
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Go Find
My Journey to Find the Lost—and Myself

Author: Susan Purvis

Narrator: Susan Purvis

Unabridged: 13 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/02/2018

Synopsis

Somewhere between hunting for gold in Latin America as a geologist and getting married to a new husband, thirty-three-year-old Susan Purvis loses her way.Susan comes to believe that a puppy and working on ski patrol at the last great ski town in Colorado will improve her life. When she learns about avalanches that bury people without warning, she challenges herself: “What if I teach a dog to save lives?” This quest propels her to train the best possible search dog, vowing to never leave anyone behind.With no clue how to care for a houseplant, let alone a dog, she chooses a five-week-old Labrador retriever, Tasha. With the face of a baby bear and the temperament of an NFL linebacker, Tasha constantly tests Susan’s determination to transform her into a rescue dog. Susan and Tasha jockey for alpha position as they pursue certification in avalanche, water, and wilderness recovery. Susan eventually learns to truly communicate with Tasha by seeing the world through her dog’s nose.As the first female team in a male-dominated search-and-rescue community, they face resistance at every turn. They won’t get paid even a bag of kibble for their efforts, yet they launch dozens of missions to rescue the missing or recover the remains of victims of nature and crime.Training with Tasha in the field to find, recover, and rescue the lost became Susan’s passion. But it was also her circumstance—she was in many ways as lost as anyone she ever pulled out of an avalanche or found huddled in the woods. “Lostness” doesn’t only apply to losing the trail. People can get lost in a relationship, a business, or a life. Susan was convinced that only happened to other people, until Tasha and a life in the mountains taught her otherwise.

About Susan Purvis

Susan Purvis, owner of Crested Butte Outdoors International, has taught wilderness medicine to everyone from the Secret Service to Sherpa guides in Nepal. Purvis and her search-and-rescue dog, Tasha, whom she trained to save lives on the most avalanche-prone slopes in Colorado, launched dozens of rescue missions and received Congressional Recognition for their role in avalanche search and rescue. Purvis’ work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, the BBC, and on Discovery. She lives in Whitefish, Montana. Go Find is her first book.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on September 22, 2018

I really liked this book by Sue Purvis about her dream and journey for her and her new puppy to be able to help when people became lost. They started on their way to becoming certified in search and rescue in avalanches, wilderness, water or whatever was thrown their way. She began learning the requ......more

Goodreads review by Anna on January 09, 2019

This was good for what it was: a women’s story about relationships and resilience. Poorly written and poorly narrated. The personality of the author really bothered me, I found her pretty unlikeable which may be why my review isn’t as high as others. She would complain about other peoples actions an......more

Goodreads review by Marsha on May 28, 2018

Go, Find by Susan Purvis. I enjoyed this book. I’ve been a dog trainer for many years and even dabbled very briefly into the ‘search and rescue’ world. I applaud Susan for the time she spent learning as much as she could, certifying herself and her dog to do the task at hand and also to help bring t......more

Goodreads review by Debbie on April 27, 2018

Go Find is a roller coaster ride carrying the reader on Susan Purvis’s quest to train an avalanche dog to save lives. She candidly admits she had no idea how to teach Tasha, a strong-willed black Lab puppy, and her errors often result in hilarious consequences. Despite opposition, the dog-and-woman......more

Goodreads review by Laura on March 22, 2021

I love dog books and SAR books so this seemed like a natural fit. I did like parts of it and a lot of the detailed information was interesting, but it is more a memoir of a deeply dysfunctional marriage than anything else. I found both the author and her husband incredibly rage-inducing and would pe......more

Quotes

“Purvis’ new book is a story about family, a story about communication, a story about the unspoken connection. It’s a love story about the once-in-a-lifetime connection between Sue and Tasha.” Mountain Weekly News (Jackson, Wyoming)

"Go Find is her memoir about rescuing avalanche survivors and discovering what she was missing in her life.” Bend Magazine (Oregon)

“Susan Purvis has written a brave and profound book about the eternally compelling topic of human survival. No one can truly understand the wilderness without going deeply within themselves, and perhaps vice versa. Purvis has done both and come back with truths that we all can learn from.” Sebastian Junger, New York Times bestselling author

“A love story about a woman and her amazing rescue dog. A tale of exciting, life-changing adventures.” Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author

“A story of physical, psychological, and emotional courage in the face of obstacles that would turn many away, Go Find describes the challenging journey into K9 search-and-rescue and the human heart up in the thin air. More than a series of adventure tales way-making across rugged terrain, here Purvis offers an informed and deeply personal story of lives lost, lives found, and lives transformed—including her own.” Susannah Charleson, New York Times bestselling author of Scent of the Missing

“If it’s true that you have to get lost to be found, then this book is my new primer.” Laura Munson, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Not the Story You Think It Is and founder of Haven Writing Retreats

“Excellent…Not only is the book about the love between a woman and her dog, but it also offers insight into the dangerous world of mountain snow search-and-rescue…Reading Go Find is like sitting down with a good friend and listening to her story…Susan and her dog find a new life, test their limits, and go against the odds to succeed and in the end realize what—and who—are important to them.” Outside Bozeman (Montana)

“Tears pour down my face as I devour the final pages of Go Find, just like the avalanche dog, Tasha, devours her kibble. Susan Purvis’ first book is an unstoppable tour de force of excitement, emotion, and bravery. From the first page to the last, I was immersed in her wintry world. Beyond the fabulous storytelling and incredible adventures, lies a story at the heart of each one of us: What Is a Life Worth Living. This book should be at the top of every person’s must-read list.” Lauren Walker, bestselling author of Energy Medicine Yoga and The Energy Medicine Yoga Prescription

“Having spent a month in the hottest place on earth with Sue Purvis, I quickly realized that she was not only a tough explorer but an extraordinary soul. In Go Find, Sue regales her extraordinary life and personal spiritual odyssey, with observations as profound as the natural world that she explores. A great read for explorers and armchair explorers alike.” Richard Wiese, president of the Explorers Club and host of the Emmy Award–winning Born to Explore

“Dogs, dreams, and danger—Go Find is a thrilling story about a woman and her search dog. Their adventures range from laugh-out-loud antics to tragedies that bring a lump to the reader’s throat. A moving, inspiring tale of a beautiful partnership forged by two independent, rebellious souls—one with two legs, the other with four.” Debbie Burke, award-winning author of Instrument of the Devil

Awards

  • Outside Bozeman magazine pick
  • Bend Magazine Pick
  • iBooks bestseller
  • Nautilus Book Award
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