Born in Milton, Nova Scotia, Margaret Saunders was educated at Edinburgh, at Orléans, and at Dalhousie. A prolific writer, she produced some twenty-five books of which fourteen were animal stories. Beautiful Joe, a gentle rather than heroic autobiography of a dog, was her first and by far her most successful work. Published in 1894, it sold approximately one million copies in 14 languages and many editions. Miss Saunders displayed her passionate interest in animal welfare, not only in her writing but by donating most of her royalties to humane societies. She died in Toronto.