The Bad Dog's Diary: A Year in the Life of Blake: Lover . . . Fighter . . . Dog

The Bad Dog's Diary #1

by Martin Howard

Blake is a lovable mongrel just trying to lead a happy life; he loves his owner, fiercely defends his territory against interlopers (including his owner’s new lady friend and her cat), does his best to avoid the frequently threatened neutering, and spends a lot of his time either scooting across the carpet or chasing local tail. It really is a dog’s life, and Blake has kindly taken the time to keep a diary of a year in his own life—providing a hilarious glimpse into the mind and world of your average mutt. Adorably illustrated throughout in his own hand, Blake gives insight into the canine world from a true dog's dog, including what it means to be pack leader, living with the threat of castration, what dogs really think about canned food, the joys of leg-humping, and, of course, the political and social injustices of the traditional human–canine relationship. Backed up by a host of friends, including Scottie, a geriatric, sex-mad Westie, and Constable, a dim-witted best-of-breed TV personality, Blake's plans take unexpected turns as the year progresses.  Hilarious, wise, and often touching, Blake shows us exactly why there will always be a place in the human world for dogs.

Genres: Fiction, Dogs, Novels, Animals

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Paul Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - so funny - so well observed. Re-reading it again as I love Blake and his antics so much. If you love dogs - you have to read this.

[Jordanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a strange conversation at work that made me remember that this book existed and I had read it but I remembered nonetheless and though I only recall a few specific parts, I remember the book had me in stitches - no judgement, I think I was about 10 at the time.

[Katka R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[Ambula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally brought for my mum as a gift. Easy read, very funny. Reminds me of a dog I had when growing up. Love it.

[Eeve Sopková · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, musím priznať, že som na začiatku bola dosť sklamaná...úprimne som čakala niečo úplne iné, niečo z pohľadu "obyčajného" psa, ktorý svojím svojským psím, jednoduchším, proste typickým zvieracím pohľadom bude komentovať svoj život a všetky peripetie s tým súvisiace. Ale dostala som ťažkého filozofa, citujúceho Churchilla či Napoleona, inšpirujúceho sa stratégiou Atilu, ovládajúceho astrológiu, biológiu či psychológiu. No vyvaľovala som okále :) Skôr mi to prišlo ako fantasy.
Napriek tomu, postupne stránku po stránke, si ma Blesk kompletne získal :) Zžila som sa s ním, držala mu palce, chechtala sa na jeho prirovnaniach a výstrelkoch (hoc si myslím, že až takto "zlý" a neposlušný pes ani neexistuje, a to som psíčkar), a intenzívne prežívala ich malú súkromnú, hoc nemenej dôležitú vojnu o územie, a neskôr aj o slobodu.
Dočítala som, a hneď mi začalo byť ľúto, že je už koniec. Až takúto zmenu myslenia od začatia čítania až po koniec som u seba ešte nezažila...vzdávam hold nezlomnému autorovi, ktorý vytrval vo svojom štýle písania a nevzdal to až do konca :)

[Kathryn Minn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I have dogs at home, 6 of them in fact, and I have always thought that I knew how they perceived the world around them, however after reading this book it made me think that they might be seeing it in a completely different way. It succeeds in being very convincing that it is from a real dogs point of view, a really funny one at that! Blake’s interactions and thoughts on the postman particularly made me laugh out loud. It has completely made me think differently about how my dogs live their lives and has made me stop every so often to pause for a moment and try and imagine how they are seeing the world. It takes a few entries of Blake’s diary to really start to lose yourself into his everyday world but the more I read the more I started to root for Blake and in the end it felt like he was one of my good pals, the one that has a real sense of humour, all of us have one, who can’t help but see everything in such a uniquely funny way. This is a book that I would definitely recommend to animal lovers, in particular dog lovers.

[Kathryn Minn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I have dogs at home, 6 of them in fact, and I have always thought that I knew how they perceived the world around them, however after reading this book it made me think that they might be seeing it in a completely different way. It succeeds in being very convincing that it is from a real dogs point of view, a really funny one at that! Blake's interactions and thoughts on the postman particularly made me laugh out loud. It has completely made me think differently about how my dogs live their lives and has made me stop every so often to pause for a moment and try and imagine how they are seeing the world. It takes a few entries of Blake's diary to really start to lose yourself into his everyday world but the more I read the more I started to root for Blake and in the end it felt like he was one of my good pals, the one that has a real sense of humor, all of us have one, who can't help but see everything in such a uniquely funny way. This is a book that I would definitely recommend to animal lovers, in particular dog lovers.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an easy read. Hearing Blake's point of view was refreshing from the usual human, his troublesome demeanor was entertaining, got me annoyed but interested to know what next he'd be up to. Totally recommend.

[Shelley Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knew I was going to enjoy this from reading the first paragraph on the back cover and I wasn't disappointed. Thoroughly loved it and would love to see an animated version on tv...

[KBooks - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not read a book like it!

Loved it!

[Yolande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, with some good laughs along the way.

[Marcelle Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not stop laughing (in some instances tears of joy) from start to finish!!! Blake, you cemented my love of dogs much, much stronger!

[Debra Daniels-Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but the main story arc seemed to be about Blake getting his dog pack together. It was an us versus them--Razor (a pit bull with a nasty personality) and his dogs. The humans in the book don't have big personalities or story lines either. I'd been hoping for another great book told by a dog. (Buster's Diaries comes to mind as one of my favorites in a canine's voice.) But this wasn't it. I didn't count how many times Blake humped his human's leg, or used gas against his human, and his overall inconsiderate attitude made me not really care much about him as a main character. He didn't change much in the end. This book delivered exactly what it set out to, I just wasn't crazy about the way the package was wrapped.

[Bibiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a gift from a friend, he thought it might humour me a bit.

Indeed, I was able to laugh at some bits of the book, but I thought the whole idea of a dog having a journal was a bit redundant. How much can a dog do in 365 days? It was interesting in a way that the author was able to deliver the story in the eyes of a dog, but everything that the dog did (or will probably ever do) was always repeating by itself.

I didn't manage to finish it because I just thought it wasn't for me. I found myself skipping alot of pages because I simply wasn't interested in what the dog think.

Sorry.

[JING · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not an 100% dog lover. The only experience I have with dogs is when I stay at my in laws', who have 3 dogs. I get to spend time with these dogs during Christmas and get to enjoy their company. This book makes me want to have my own dog - yes, one, for the time being. It is a hilarious book and it makes me laugh so much. I started to become interested in every dog I see on the road - I started to wonder what they are thinking and how their day has been. I feel more connected to these dogs. And the book is touching in the way that humans and dogs communicate and interact. It is such a brilliant book to read.

[Charmaine Millar · Rating 2 out of 5]

It starts out as a fun and entertaining read. Basicaly it's a day to day diary of a dog, from a dog's point of view. It starts to become rather monotanous though; around about March. I found myself getting bored reading it, although I did laugh out loud on a few occassions. Don't get me wrong, I mean, how much can a dog write about his life. They don't really do that much do they? And to fill 365 days worth of diary entries to entertain a reader must've been a bit of a chore.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly entertaining read, although I do stress that this book is for teenagers and adults because some of the humor in this book is not suitable for a younger reader. This book gives a very funny spin on the world through a dog's eyes and how dogs con their owners into doing what they want. Great for dog lovers.

[Townsville Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read mood boosting books in Townsville

[Kata · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute and funny read. Bit slow to get started, but stick with it and it will draw you in. Not exactly a literary masterpiece, but why should everything be? It's silly, it's tragic and painful at times, annoying at others, hugely loveable in the end - kind of like a dog, non? :-)

[Neeta Shenoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and endearing till the last word. A must-read for every dog/animal lover.

[Lauren Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any dog owner!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saved as a 4 star by the comic appearance of Mr Wobbly

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder if my dog sees me in the same way Blake sees his. I hope not!