Shepherd Girl: A Dog Story

by Cat Needham

In the style of James Thurber's "The Dog Department" meets "Marley and Me", "Shepherd A Dog Story" chronicles the exploits of Athena, a silly long-coated German shepherd. Athena is goofy, clumsy, and vain, and although she successfully foils a stranger’s abduction of the author in a dark parking lot, she also finds time to chase lawn gnomes, strip the author topless at the Dog Park, and play-bow to stuffed toys at an age when she should know better. Athena is at times exasperating and certainly no perfect replica of Rin Tin Tin, but the underlying love and devotion between dog and author are undeniable. For all who have loved a dog, Shepherd A Dog Story will remind them why. "If you've ever considered bringing home the spunky little German shepherd puppy that caught your eye, you might think again after reading Cat Needham's hilarious recount of one frenzied moment after another with Athena." - Bob Tarte, Author of "Enslaved by Ducks" and "Fowl Weather"

Genres: Dogs

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mary Rowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shepherd Girl is a must-read for anyone who loves German Shepherds, or is thinking of getting one. As author Cat Needham learns quite quickly when she adopts puppy Athena, this is a very special—and at times difficult—breed of dog to raise. But with enough attention and love, owning a Shepherd can be a tremendously rewarding experience.

But even if you’re not in the market for a Shepherd, this book is interesting and funny, because at its heart is a story about love, compassion, and patience. Reading it brought to mind the Erma Bombeck columns I used to read in the newspaper, and the humorous ways she’d write about her family life. The book is a page-turner too, because of Needham’s sharp-witted writing. And if you love cats, there’s plenty here for you as well. (I won’t be guilty of putting spoilers in this review, but I think it’s fair to say that Needham never lets her cat play second fiddle to her dog.)

[Jamie Nakasone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this book. It's actually a good story for dog lovers. But I couldn't get past the first handful of chapters. Although it was fairly amusing, it didn't hold my attention fully. I think it was the way the book is written. If you want to compare it to Marley and Me, John Grogan wove his dog's story with his own, including what was going on with his work and his family. Unfortunately, Needham isn't as good a writer as Grogan, and she seemed to write this book mainly about the dog.

[Shawndra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great tale of a first time dog owner jumping right on into the deep end with a fluffy landshark baby. Many hilarious adventures! Many of Athena's actions reminded me of one or the other of my own two girls (one of whom is also a huge clumsy, floofball dork) and it was awesome that she gave her cat equal page time. One of my cats is 15.5yrs old so the end of the story... ack tears everywhere. It is pretty cute how really old cats get to the point where they lose all pretense of manners and just jump right in for goodies/attention/whatever. Great read if you are looking for a quick, fun book and are a fan of GSD's and cats.

[writnkitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished Cat Needham's Shepherd Girl and noticed uncanny similarities between Needham's experiences and my own experience rescuing a retired greyhound.

In the book, German shepherd Athena starts out as a cute little ball of fuzz but quickly morphs into a funny, beautiful, obedience-challenged girl. (Kudos to Needham for all her efforts to help Athena channel that GSD energy!) Needham chronicles her Athena experiences with honesty, wit and tenderness.

We should all be so lucky as to have our "tails" told in this manner.

[Jule · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed most parts of this book. As a Shepherd owner she hit most traits of a German Shepherd wdead on with great laugh-out-loud humour and knowledge. The only part that dragged a bit was descriptions of friends dogs but otherwise a great book.

[Sheilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED it! I have lived with German Shepherds for many, many years and I very much enjoyed peeking in on Cat's life with Athena. Plus, it was laugh-out-loud-funny in places.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will stay with me forever. I instantly related to the narrator and saw myself in her throughout the whole story. I absolutely adore Athena and I almost called my own dog Athena just because they reminded me so much of each other. I took my time reading this because I wanted to savor every bit, and I can already tell that I will be rereading it multiple times. Shepherd Girl has most definitely taken the number 1 spot of my favorite dog books, thank you Cat for reminding me how much my dog means to me and the journey we have gone through together.