Hogan's Hope

A Deaf Hero's Inspirational Quest for Love and Acceptance

Non-Fiction - Animals
152 Pages
Reviewed on 08/31/2017
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Author Biography

Connie Bombaci, a retired educator, is resolute in her love for animal, belief in the goodness of all God's creation, and desire to provide encouragement not matter what the challenge. She appeared with her deaf dog, Hogan, on Oprah, Dateline, Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures, Amazing Tail, and many other television programs. The author lives with her family in a rural community of Connecticut.
Connie's mission is to inspire her readers to believe that everyone is worthy of acceptance and love and the the fulfillment of hope is truly possible. Her reason for writing Hogan's Hope was to increase the awareness that deaf dogs are often mistreated, misunderstood, and even destroyed just because these wonderful dogs can't hear. Hogan brought new insight into the world of deaf dogs, and she holds the eternal hope of overcoming any prejudice against them and the challenges that come with it.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Hogan’s Hope: A Deaf Hero’s Inspirational Quest for Love and Acceptance is the true story of a dog rescued from abuse, written by Connie Bombaci. Born the runt of the litter in a puppy mill and christened Number 10, the tiny Dalmatian pup hardly stood a chance at a normal life. Not only was he born deaf, but he was also quite small. Not permitted indoors, he suffered horrific beatings whilst being caged outdoors with no shelter or warmth. After being rescued and rehomed, Number 10 was renamed after being adopted by a kind and loving family. Now known as Hogan, his life was about to change tenfold because his new family acknowledged his deafness and helped him work through his residual fears, as they learned and taught basic commands in American Sign Language, and turned this scrawny, bruised and beaten canine victim into a happy, healthy survivor.

The moment I saw the premise of Hogan’s story, I had never wanted to read any book so badly before in my life. Connie Bombaci’s story of Hogan – a Dalmatian pup which had withstood all the odds and became a beacon of hope for so many – moved me to tears. Seeing how horrifically an animal could be treated gave me chills, whilst clenching my fists at the same time. I saw Hogan’s rescue from such a horrific place to be a true blessing. Being Deaf, I know the challenges and prejudices that stem from audism and surdophobia, and could not help but rejoice as I experienced Hogan’s transformation from scared victim in a world devoid of trust, to a confident, devoted and loving pet which lived and gave his all for his human and animal friends and family. One of the most emotionally satisfying and enriching books I have ever read, Hogan’s Hope: A Deaf Hero’s Inspirational Quest for Love and Acceptance is a tale which I not only enjoyed, but also recommend to readers aged over 15 years, so that they can see that deafness does not create boundaries in any species – it is how you interact and embrace those who are deaf which makes all the difference in their silent world.

Cathy K

Such a wonderful, inspiration book. A must read for every pet lover!

Momma loves DOGs

I just met the author, she had a deep devotion to not only her dogs, the cause, but life in general. Out of adversity, a neglected, worthless dog gave us mere humans unconditional ❤️ love and lessons that we should impart to our human owners.
Thank you!

Bobbie Blum

This book for so inspiring, the work that Connie Bombaci put into getting Hogan’s confidence and the love that they gave to a mistreated dog. Her and her husband deserve a lot of credit. It is amazing that a dog can learn commanded with sign language.

Mary Albanese

Hogan’s Hope, written by Connie Bombaci, is not simply a story about a dog. It is more a love story between Hogan, a deaf Dalmatian, and his indefatigable mistress who not only saves him from certain euthanasia but also makes it her mission to share the world with him by teaching him ASL. Together, she and Hogan navigate the complexities of the hearing world as they raise public awareness about the viability of owning a deaf dog. The many expressions of love and devotion given and received by Hogan and Connie make this book an inspirationally rich reading experience.

Mary Albanese
Animal Communicator
ZenZu Animal Communication & Energy Work

Judy Mastrony

I met Connie a few months ago on the Madison green when a pet adoption and craft fair was going on. I approached Connie, spoke to her about my belief in faith and hope. I bought her book and can not say how much I loved her story. We are also friends with a dog rescuer in Texas. There are a few dogs in our family and they truly bring much love and happiness. To teach sign language and bring these special pets to others who need "hope" in order to believe they can do anything they put their minds to shows what a special person Connie is.