Book follows dog over Rainbow Bridge

After Dom Perruccio’s beloved dog, Cannoli, died, he researched the Rainbow Bridge, an old poem about what happens to our furry friends after they die.

According to the poem, the Rainbow Bridge is a path that pets take from Earth to Heaven. It has food, water, sunshine, open meadows, friends and happy times.

Perruccio, a Sparta native, recently released his new book, “The Adventures Of Miss Cannoli the Scamp” for children and adults.

The book is about Cannoli crossing over the Rainbow Bridge. At first, she is confused, but she sees some familiar dog faces, such as her good friend, Trevor-Larry, who comforts her at the start of the Rainbow Bridge, where they begin their adventure together.

The readers will experience Cannoli’s adventure through Perruccio’s words and handwritten and painted images by Kathleen Firth.

Cannoli picks up the nickname “The Little Scamp” after coming up with a mischievous plan that she asks her friends to be a part of.

Perruccio wrote the book to explore the idea of what happens to our loved pets after they and we die. The hope is that both will be reunited in the afterlife.

“It’s something that actually seems real, it actually seems like it’s really going to happen one day,” he said. “It keeps the thought of me seeing my dog again one day. ... It’s kind of a happy ending to a very sad story after a pet passes away.”

Writing process

This is not the first book that Perruccio has written. He released his memoir, titled “Stomping Ground,” in 2020 and wrote a chapter in “When Greenwich Village Was Ours” in 2022.

He explained that it is very easy to write when it’s a true story; in this case, the characters are real but the story is fictitious.

He also loves the idea of Cannoli living on in his book.

“I wanted to immortalize my pet, so she would always be remembered, not only in my mind but in other people’s minds too.”

Perruccio grew up in New York City, then moved to Jefferson, where he had a big farm with a lot of farm animals. Five years ago, he moved to Sparta and downsized to a smaller house.

He worked all of his life and knew he wanted to write one day. He wrote his memoir 10 years ago but wasn’t able to publish it until he retired and had more time to research how to get a book published.

He hopes people enjoy his book for its uniqueness and the illustrations, which he believes elevate it above other books. His goal is to have the book introduced into elementary schools for children to enjoy.

Perruccio envisions this as book one of a series about Miss Cannoli exploring the Rainbow Bridge.

The book is on display at Muddy Pawz dog grooming and the Highlands Veterinary Hospital. It is on sale at the Sparta Books.

CORRECTION: Where the book is for sale was incorrect in an earlier version of this article. We regret the error.