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Emma and Co.
The author, her sight restored by an operation, describes her life with her now retired guidegdog, Emma, and her other chocolate brown Labradors
- GenresAnimals
150 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2017
Emma is joined by other 4-legged conspirators, some canine and some feline, all bringing joy and frustration to Don and Sheila!
February 1, 2020
Third part of Sheila Hocken's autobiography and continuing story about her guide dog Emma.
October 5, 2025
"It's not money or sight that makes a life; it's the people around you."
This statement, from the foreword to Sheila Hocken's third book about her life with Emma, the chocolate Lab who was once her guide dog, sums up the author's philosophy perfectly. Hocken's book is full of vibrant and memorable characters, the people of course but even more so the dogs. We meet the dogs who joined Hocken's household during Emma's final years, including sweet, scatterbrained Mocha; smart, mischievous Bracken; and greedy, scheming Buttons. That's to say nothing of the German short-haired pointer, Siamese cats, and rabbits that join the household.
This is the best kind of book about people and their dogs: hilarious, heartbreaking, impossible to put down, and full of practical nuggets about dog training that will help any pet owner understand their canine companions better, if only the humans would pay attention. Hocken makes us want to pay attention, then go off to be with our dogs, do things with them, and probably wonder just how much hidden potential they may have that we've overlooked or underdeveloped. Not every dog can guide the blind or win obedience championships, but they all love us and want to please us, so it's up to us to find ways we can do things together that make everybody happy.
This statement, from the foreword to Sheila Hocken's third book about her life with Emma, the chocolate Lab who was once her guide dog, sums up the author's philosophy perfectly. Hocken's book is full of vibrant and memorable characters, the people of course but even more so the dogs. We meet the dogs who joined Hocken's household during Emma's final years, including sweet, scatterbrained Mocha; smart, mischievous Bracken; and greedy, scheming Buttons. That's to say nothing of the German short-haired pointer, Siamese cats, and rabbits that join the household.
This is the best kind of book about people and their dogs: hilarious, heartbreaking, impossible to put down, and full of practical nuggets about dog training that will help any pet owner understand their canine companions better, if only the humans would pay attention. Hocken makes us want to pay attention, then go off to be with our dogs, do things with them, and probably wonder just how much hidden potential they may have that we've overlooked or underdeveloped. Not every dog can guide the blind or win obedience championships, but they all love us and want to please us, so it's up to us to find ways we can do things together that make everybody happy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews