Russ Vassallo- Virginia Vassallo Tears and Tales:  Stories of Animal and Human Rescue by Russell A. Vassallo is a finalist in the Fiction & Literature: Short Story category in the USABookNews Best Books 2006 Awards.  The book also won an Reviewers Choice Award 2007 from Reader Views.  Russell A. Vassallo is also an Award-Winning Finalist in the Short Story Fiction category of the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards for Tears and Tales. Stories Git abandoned dog searches for her puppies and a home. The Ghost Beside Me - A dog's spirit survives her death; The Horse That Cried - A  horse grieves for his canine companion; A God of All Creatures - An abused dog finds love; The Long-Shot Dog - The final days of a beloved pet; To Love a Crooked Horse - A stoic, abused mare finds love; The Cardinal - A beloved dog returns as a cardinal to comfort a cancer survivor; A Day Away - Scheduled to be put down, will the dog be saved? The Return of Lucky - A boy's love for his pony lasts for years; Heart of an Animal.