Welcome to the official website of author Jeff Ziegler — artist, storyteller, and survivor. Here you’ll discover the unforgettable journey behind Eight Suitcases and a Dog, a gripping memoir that takes readers from the beauty of tropical paradise to the horrors of third-world corruption.
This is more than a memoir. It is a story of resilience, faith, family, endurance, and the human spirit’s extraordinary ability to survive even the darkest moments.
What happens when the life you built with your own hands is ripped away overnight?
In Eight Suitcases and a Dog, Jeff Ziegler shares the astonishing true story of leaving suburban America behind to pursue a dream life in the tropics with his wife and two young sons. Together, they built a sustainable farm deep in the jungle overlooking the Pacific Ocean — a paradise founded on freedom, hard work, and love.
Then everything changed, and they were forced into a fight for survival unlike anything they could have imagined.
Yet even in darkness, hope endured.
Through unwavering faith, fierce family bonds, and miraculous perseverance, Jeff and his family found their way back to each other.
“Jeff Ziegler’s memoir, Eight Suitcases and a Dog, is a raw, fearless, and deeply human story… a testament to the human spirit that stays with you long after the final page. I loved it. Every word.”
— J. Randy Taraborrelli
