To Lose A Dog
A Love Story. A Tragedy. A Manual for Surviving the Unsurvivable.
In Memory of Franki • February 14, 2020 - March 28, 2025 • Forever tongue out, forever loved
On Valentine's Day 2020, an English Bulldog entered Isaac's life and rewrote the rules of love. For 1,855 days, they built something rare—a bond so deep it transcended species, so public it healed millions, so profound it changed everything. Then lightning struck. This is the unflinching story of extraordinary love, preventable tragedy, and grief that proves some connections never truly end.
Order for yourself, gift to someone grieving, or share with anyone getting a dog—this book teaches what to expect and how to love completely.
Ships June 2026 • Lock in founder's pricing
Followed by over 1M+ on TikTok and 100K+ on Instagram
More Than a Memoir—A Manual Hidden Inside a Love Story
12 chapters. 45,000 words. Five years of joy, one day of tragedy, and a lifetime of lessons about what it means to love a dog completely.
The Story You Lived, Told With Devastating Honesty
From Franki's miraculous Valentine's Day birth to the phone call that shattered everything. Morning massage rituals, meal countdown ceremonies, three pneumonia episodes, Instagram fame (1M followers), Freddi's arrival, and March 28, 2025—the day Isaac will never forget. Nothing is sugarcoated. Nothing is held back.
Science That Validates Why This Hurts So Much
The oxytocin-gaze loop. Neural coupling. Thirty thousand years of co-evolution. Chapter 7 explores the neuroscience and biology that prove your bond was as real as any human connection—and why pet loss grief can neurochemically hurt more than losing a person.
Practical Help Embedded in Every Chapter
This isn't just Isaac's story—it's a survival manual disguised as a memoir. Each chapter includes help topics: choosing the right dog, building unbreakable bonds, vetting pet care providers, navigating end-of-life decisions, surviving acute grief, and learning to love again without guilt.
Permission to Grieve as Deeply as You Loved
Why society dismisses pet loss (and why that's wrong). The rock-in-your-pocket metaphor. What helped Isaac survive the unsurvivable. Physical symptoms, guilt processing, and the truth that healing doesn't mean forgetting. Chapter 9 holds space for grief that has no timeline.
Meet Franki
The English Bulldog behind the story. See why 1.5M followers fell in love with his signature tongue-out smile.
Follow the journey:
From Mayor of Domino Park to internet sensation, Franki's story touched millions. This is where it all began.
Reserve Your Copy
Your pre-order honors Franki's legacy and welcomes you into a community that understands.
Inside the Book: 14 Chapters, 1,855 Days, One Irreplaceable Bond
A story told in four acts—from the first meeting at an airport to the permanent transformation that follows loss.
The Love
Prologue + Chapters 1–4
How a closed-off founder met an English Bulldog at LaGuardia Airport during lockdown and learned what it means to be present. Morning massages, Instagram fame, three pneumonia episodes, and the day Franki finally accepted his son. The building of a bond that would change everything.
The Loss & The Grief
Chapters 5–8
The phone call that shattered a world. What the first 30 days look like when grief is compounded by guilt, distance, and preventability. Why "it's just a dog" is scientifically wrong—the neuroscience of attachment, oxytocin loops, and 15,000 years of co-evolution that prove this bond is as real as any other.
The Healing
Chapters 9–11
What remains after loss—the gifts dogs give and why losing them devastates us. Surviving the "firsts" (birthdays, holidays, seeing another bulldog). Freddi's own grief journey and learning to love him differently. The architecture of moving forward while carrying what you've lost.
The Legacy
Chapters 12–14
Creating meaning from tragedy. Who Isaac was before Franki, who he became with him, who he remains after. The plans to honor Franki's memory through education, accountability, and community. A letter to Franki. A message for those with living dogs: be present now. A message for those grieving: you will survive this.
The complete manuscript is approximately 75,000 words—substantial enough to truly help, focused enough to read when you're drowning in grief.
This Book Isn't For Everyone
Not For You If...
- You think "it's just a dog" and this book will make you uncomfortable
- You want a sugarcoated pet loss story—look elsewhere
- You're not ready to ugly-cry in public—maybe read this at home
- You believe pets are "replaceable"
This Book Is For You If...
- You've ever loved a dog so much that losing them broke you completely
- You need someone to say "your grief is legitimate" and mean it
- You're drowning in fresh grief or carrying the ache years later
- Your bond with your dog feels deeper than "owner and pet"
What makes this different: Unapologetically honest about the highest highs and lowest lows. Science-backed validation. Practical help embedded in real story. No recap bloat. No melodrama. Just the truth about what it means to love a dog completely—and what happens when that connection is severed too soon.
What Advance Readers Are Saying
From readers who've walked this difficult path
"I ugly-cried through Chapter 8, then immediately texted the link to my sister who lost her dog last year. This book doesn't just tell Isaac's story—it holds space for every dog parent's grief."
Sarah Mitchell
Early Reader, Lost her rescue mix Bailey
"The science chapter changed everything for me. Finally understanding WHY losing my dog felt like losing a limb—the oxytocin loop, the neural coupling—gave me permission to grieve fully. This book validates what society dismisses."
Michael Chen
Lost his golden retriever Luna
"I've followed Franki since the viral midnight refusal video. This book captures not just his fame, but the profound private moments—the morning massages, the meal countdowns, the way they became one consciousness. Isaac writes with brutal honesty about both the joy and the preventable tragedy."
David Park
Dog parent and longtime @frankiandfreddi follower
"Chapter 9 gave me language for grief I thought I was experiencing alone. The rock-in-your-pocket metaphor, the physical symptoms, the guilt—Isaac writes with such clarity about surviving the unsurvivable. This book is a lifeline when everyone else says 'it's time to move on.'"
Emma Rodriguez
Pet loss support advocate
In Memory of Franki
February 14, 2020 - March 28, 2025
Born on Valentine's Day as the only puppy in his litter—destined for something extraordinary
The English Bulldog who touched 1.5 million hearts, became the Mayor of Domino Park, and taught us that the most profound love stories don't always happen between humans
Forever tongue out, forever loved
"The first morning after Franki's burial, I woke to complete silence. Not quiet. Silence so profound it felt like deafness. Freddi sat alone on the bed where he and Franki used to sleep face-to-face, asking with his eyes where his father was. And I had no answer."
— From Chapter 9: A Grief Like No Other
As Featured In
Franki's story earned features in major media outlets from Newsweek to The Mirror, touching hearts worldwide
Hello Bark
English Bulldog Pros and Cons
Featured expert advice on Franki's daily exercise needs and caring for English Bulldogs
PetHelpful
Bulldog Misses Daycare
Franki's heartwarming viral story about missing doggie daycare so much his face melted hearts everywhere
Newsweek
Bulldog Obsessed with Watching Sunsets Melts Hearts
Viral TikTok with 230,000+ views of Franki watching Brooklyn sunsets sparked conversation about canine consciousness
The Mirror
Sweet Dog Obsessed with Watching Sunsets 'Like Simba in The Lion King'
International coverage of Franki's adorable sunset-watching obsession at the Brooklyn skyline
From Mayor of Domino Park to international media sensation—Franki's legacy lives on through every heart he touched
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Pre-order now at $22 (save $6) • Ships June 2026