Fur Mama: How I Found My Best Life Adopting a Retired Racehorse and a Shelter Dog

Diana du Pont was a die-hard careerist and grinding workaholic. Married without children, she never had a chance to see herself as maternal material. Then, having fortuitously been offered a new post in a town known for its rich equestrian legacy, she adopted a young, tempestuous Thoroughbred, fresh off the racetrack, followed by a loveable rescue dog. This turn of good fortune began an emotional journey from Type-A professional to a woman willing to risk the life upon which her entire sense of self-worth and personal identity had been built.

Fur Mama traces du Pont's moving transformation into a devoted animal parent as she introduces these two dependents, both entirely reliant on her for a new form of "family." Even as she's uprooted from all that is familiar and moves halfway across America, she finds herself unexpectedly consumed by the abiding need to love and care for these innocent, living beings as her own. Despite challenges in her animal relationships, du Pont gracefully navigates her new maternal role and what it might mean, in this context, to be a "good mother."

With intelligence and sensitivity, du Pont's powerfully moving memoir explores the social phenomenon of embracing and humanizing pets--and the benefits we discover when we do. Blending themes of career and motherhood with horses and dogs, Fur Mama adds a new twist to the ongoing cultural debate about "having it all" and the nature of true professional and personal success.