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Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life with Dogs
Unlikely Friendships meets Marley and Me. This heartwarming gift book from National Geographic presents a collection of inspiring dog stories and touching photos—dogs who comfort veterans, dogs who learn to surf, dogs who detect cancer, and dogs who save the Each one is devoted. These 38 uplifting dog stories showcase the most amazing dog rescues, accomplishments, and abilities that fascinate us and touch our hearts.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2013
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351 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Ascher-Walsh
10 books10 followersRebecca Ascher-Walsh is a journalist and the devoted owner of Buddy, a pit bull she rescued from a shelter near her home in New York City. She volunteers at a shelter in Manhattan and is the founder of the Deja Foundation, which assists small organizations helping dogs rescued from high-kill shelters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
January 9, 2026
4 Stars for Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, and Life with Dogs by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh read by Susan Boyce.
What not to love, lots of great stories about dogs.
What not to love, lots of great stories about dogs.
May 27, 2021
If you want to read about why dogs are truly human's best friends, read this book. You'll find stories of a dog who comforted survivors of 9/11, a dog that saved the life of her person when he was injured in the woods, and even a dog that stood in front of his person in the face of an oncoming train when she tripped on the railroad tracks and couldn't get up. One caveat: I got the audio book, which was okay, but I think the physical copy would have been much better.
December 11, 2023
This is a good book of 38 stories of dogs. Dogs do such amazing things, and I have read so many dog books, that some of the stories were normal good and not extraordinary as billed in the subtitle. I would have to say all the stories are good or better. For those who don’t read as many dog books the stories could have an easier time approaching the extraordinary.
I am left puzzled though, why 38? Why not make it an even 40? I already got another book of hers, ‘Loyal: 38 Inspiring Tales of Bravery, Heroism, and the Devotion of Dogs’ and once again 38. Did some focus group say that 38 was the perfect number?
What raises this book up is the slick format. Almost every chapter has the dog’s name as the title. When stories don’t give the dogs name or any of their personality, it diminishes the dog story to me. There also is a picture of the dog, usually with the owner which also makes it feel very personal. The pictures and short stories would make it a nice book to have out on your coffee table or to give as a gift.
What made me laugh, more than hate, was there was also blue circle of info in the first page of each chapter with almost always was either so well known or so obvious information as to be useless, but as the blue filled in background made it pop out like it was an important fact tidbit, I had to laugh instead of getting annoyed at the fact. Again, probably because I read so much, these may be more interesting to others. So some of these are:
• Pete the pup from the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull
• Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular breeds in the United States
• Dogs may be born deaf because of a genetic defects, may become deaf due to injury or infection, or may experience hearing loss as they age
• Greyhounds were bred as hunting dogs because of their capacity to see small animals across great distances and their ability to quickly reach high speeds
• Officials estimate that more than a million alligators can be found in the state of Florida
There is one that was new to me that said:
• Pit Bulls on U.S. military posters during World War I were often referred to as “the American Watch Dog.”
There was also a scroll of a couple of sentences of text at the end of the chapter, and sometimes I did learn something from them, like this bit that is however better said from a source I found online:
Dogs have a left gaze bias when looking at human faces. This means that they tend to look first towards our right side, and only do it to humans, not to other dogs or inanimate objects. The left gaze bias only applies when looking at another human being’s face, it does not apply when looking at inanimate objects or animals. Dogs have somehow learnt to gauge a human being’s emotions by utilizing the very same technique of left gaze bias. It’s believed dogs evolved and developed left gaze bias and can see our emotions because of their long association with us.
There is also in most chapters some bullet points about the breed of the dog in the story. Breed information taken in small doses like this works well.
As far as the stories, there is some amazing bits among the normal great things dogs do. Here is one of my favorites:
‘Still, nothing prepared the couple for Wendy’s ingenuity the afternoon when Richard was working at the computer and suddenly found himself on the floor. As he later learned, he had suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. “I remember Wendy trying to drag me into the living room, and somehow I got up into my chair there,” he says. “That's when she brought me the telephone.” Wendy is trained to fetch the phone, but only when asked, and what happened next was something her trainer says she never could have taught her; When Wendy saw that Richard couldn’t dial with the hand, she had placed the telephone in, she moved it to the other hand so he could call his wife.’
So worthy of 5 stars in spite of some fluff.
I am left puzzled though, why 38? Why not make it an even 40? I already got another book of hers, ‘Loyal: 38 Inspiring Tales of Bravery, Heroism, and the Devotion of Dogs’ and once again 38. Did some focus group say that 38 was the perfect number?
What raises this book up is the slick format. Almost every chapter has the dog’s name as the title. When stories don’t give the dogs name or any of their personality, it diminishes the dog story to me. There also is a picture of the dog, usually with the owner which also makes it feel very personal. The pictures and short stories would make it a nice book to have out on your coffee table or to give as a gift.
What made me laugh, more than hate, was there was also blue circle of info in the first page of each chapter with almost always was either so well known or so obvious information as to be useless, but as the blue filled in background made it pop out like it was an important fact tidbit, I had to laugh instead of getting annoyed at the fact. Again, probably because I read so much, these may be more interesting to others. So some of these are:
• Pete the pup from the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull
• Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular breeds in the United States
• Dogs may be born deaf because of a genetic defects, may become deaf due to injury or infection, or may experience hearing loss as they age
• Greyhounds were bred as hunting dogs because of their capacity to see small animals across great distances and their ability to quickly reach high speeds
• Officials estimate that more than a million alligators can be found in the state of Florida
There is one that was new to me that said:
• Pit Bulls on U.S. military posters during World War I were often referred to as “the American Watch Dog.”
There was also a scroll of a couple of sentences of text at the end of the chapter, and sometimes I did learn something from them, like this bit that is however better said from a source I found online:
Dogs have a left gaze bias when looking at human faces. This means that they tend to look first towards our right side, and only do it to humans, not to other dogs or inanimate objects. The left gaze bias only applies when looking at another human being’s face, it does not apply when looking at inanimate objects or animals. Dogs have somehow learnt to gauge a human being’s emotions by utilizing the very same technique of left gaze bias. It’s believed dogs evolved and developed left gaze bias and can see our emotions because of their long association with us.
There is also in most chapters some bullet points about the breed of the dog in the story. Breed information taken in small doses like this works well.
As far as the stories, there is some amazing bits among the normal great things dogs do. Here is one of my favorites:
‘Still, nothing prepared the couple for Wendy’s ingenuity the afternoon when Richard was working at the computer and suddenly found himself on the floor. As he later learned, he had suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. “I remember Wendy trying to drag me into the living room, and somehow I got up into my chair there,” he says. “That's when she brought me the telephone.” Wendy is trained to fetch the phone, but only when asked, and what happened next was something her trainer says she never could have taught her; When Wendy saw that Richard couldn’t dial with the hand, she had placed the telephone in, she moved it to the other hand so he could call his wife.’
So worthy of 5 stars in spite of some fluff.
May 8, 2022
3.5 stars
I shed a few tears while listening to these profiles/stories of 38 incredible dogs. I think part of the reason behind that is because my own extraordinary rescue girl Coraline is in the last stages of her life. So I tend to be a bit teary right now. But reading {listening} about these amazing dogs is a lovely way to spend a few hours, and some of the stories can be pretty emotional.
I listened to the audiobook and realize that I missed half the book by not being able to see that photos of the dogs. So after listening, I went ahead and ordered a used hardback version from amazon. I suspect my rating will be higher when I can see the book as it was intended to be seen.
I shed a few tears while listening to these profiles/stories of 38 incredible dogs. I think part of the reason behind that is because my own extraordinary rescue girl Coraline is in the last stages of her life. So I tend to be a bit teary right now. But reading {listening} about these amazing dogs is a lovely way to spend a few hours, and some of the stories can be pretty emotional.
I listened to the audiobook and realize that I missed half the book by not being able to see that photos of the dogs. So after listening, I went ahead and ordered a used hardback version from amazon. I suspect my rating will be higher when I can see the book as it was intended to be seen.
October 14, 2013
WOW. Just wow. I can't even put into words. The dogs in these stories truly are heroes. I read this every single morning on the way to work for a week. Every single morning I bawled my eyes out. I tried everything to not cry, I'd look up, I'd try to think of something else, nothing worked. The stories are not even written sentimentally. They're just honest fact telling stories of truly amazing dogs. The bonds they can have with people and how truly astounding they are.
It makes me want to run out and adopt more. I want them all. One story that really struck home was that of Lily. The pit bull that put herself between her owner and a train. I remember reading this story in the papers. It happened not that far from where I lived and I was struck then but how extraordinary pets are.
Just reading these short glimpses into a small handful of pets makes me wonder how many more stories that are out there of pets that have helped others or saved lives or even put their own lives before their families. You can't help but be touched by this.
What choked me up the most was the artist... I don't want to ruin it and this book was not meant to be sad. It's inspiring and I hope dog lovers alike will read this and enjoy them as much as I did.
It makes me want to run out and adopt more. I want them all. One story that really struck home was that of Lily. The pit bull that put herself between her owner and a train. I remember reading this story in the papers. It happened not that far from where I lived and I was struck then but how extraordinary pets are.
Just reading these short glimpses into a small handful of pets makes me wonder how many more stories that are out there of pets that have helped others or saved lives or even put their own lives before their families. You can't help but be touched by this.
What choked me up the most was the artist... I don't want to ruin it and this book was not meant to be sad. It's inspiring and I hope dog lovers alike will read this and enjoy them as much as I did.
October 8, 2018
Devoted is a small book with 38 short stories about dogs and their devotion to humans. The focus of the book is dogs working to make life better for the humans they serve – veterans, the disabled, the elderly and children with learning disabilities. I liked that this book included a broad selection of dog breeds, not the usual golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers as service dogs. The stories included Pomeranians, chow chows, Yorkshire terriers, greyhounds, mastiffs, and of course, many mixed breeds. At the end of each story, there was a summary of information about the dog breed.
I would describe this as a “feel good” book about dogs that will make any dog lover smile and get teary-eyed at some of the stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would describe this as a “feel good” book about dogs that will make any dog lover smile and get teary-eyed at some of the stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
November 9, 2013
This book looks a lot like other books which have heartwarming stories about animal friendships (see True Love) or the relationships between people and animals. I expected this to be another of those books, and I was hoping to take it on a school visit to talk to middle school kids about it, but it's not. The first story is about a war vet who gets a puppy and then thinks about killing himself and the dog stops him. There were a couple of stories like that in this book. While very powerful, not really middle school appropriate.
I actually found this book to be a bit wrenching. It's a good book with interesting and amazing stories but it did drain me a bit. Not for someone who wants a lighthearted, funny read.
From Amazon:
Unlikely Friendships meets Marley and Me. In this heartwarming gift book, author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh presents a collection of inspiring dog stories and touching photos--dogs who comfort veterans, dogs who learn to surf, dogs who detect cancer, and dogs who save the day: Each one is devoted. These 38 uplifting dog stories showcase the most amazing dog rescues, accomplishments, and abilities that fascinate us and touch our hearts.
Jacket description:
Dogs have long been our loyal companions, but sometimes the connection we share with them transcends that of playmate and caretaker. Devoted tells the stories of dogs who are rescued, and who rescue in return. Meet Lily, an adopted pit bull who stood in front of an oncoming train to protect her fallen owner; or Faith, a chow chow mix who defied the odds to learn how to walk on two legs. From across the globe, each inspiring tale brings to light unparalleled displays of fortitude, faith, and love.
I actually found this book to be a bit wrenching. It's a good book with interesting and amazing stories but it did drain me a bit. Not for someone who wants a lighthearted, funny read.
From Amazon:
Unlikely Friendships meets Marley and Me. In this heartwarming gift book, author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh presents a collection of inspiring dog stories and touching photos--dogs who comfort veterans, dogs who learn to surf, dogs who detect cancer, and dogs who save the day: Each one is devoted. These 38 uplifting dog stories showcase the most amazing dog rescues, accomplishments, and abilities that fascinate us and touch our hearts.
Jacket description:
Dogs have long been our loyal companions, but sometimes the connection we share with them transcends that of playmate and caretaker. Devoted tells the stories of dogs who are rescued, and who rescue in return. Meet Lily, an adopted pit bull who stood in front of an oncoming train to protect her fallen owner; or Faith, a chow chow mix who defied the odds to learn how to walk on two legs. From across the globe, each inspiring tale brings to light unparalleled displays of fortitude, faith, and love.
November 29, 2017
If you have any reservations about canine companionship, this book will obliterate them. Dogs can not only be trained to complete tasks, but can train an attentive owner to better utilize the range of their abilities. Yes the breed affects what tasks each might be better suited to, but each animal is an amazing individual full of surprises - not the least of which is the ability to love and understand emotions.
Of course I would be remiss to mention that part of the reason I purchased this book is because I am well acquainted with DeeDee - who keeps my adult daughter safe. The other 37 stories were just as compelling in this well researched book. It may not be an exhaustive study of the subject, but this Nat-Geo book should be a welcome addition to any personal library.
Of course I would be remiss to mention that part of the reason I purchased this book is because I am well acquainted with DeeDee - who keeps my adult daughter safe. The other 37 stories were just as compelling in this well researched book. It may not be an exhaustive study of the subject, but this Nat-Geo book should be a welcome addition to any personal library.
May 11, 2018
Loving Dogs
How can anyone not love a dog? If you don't love dogs before you read this you will after you read it. I breed and show dogs and they are truly a gift from God. I think this book would motivate any one to get a purebred or a mixed breed. I cannot imagine life without a dog.
How can anyone not love a dog? If you don't love dogs before you read this you will after you read it. I breed and show dogs and they are truly a gift from God. I think this book would motivate any one to get a purebred or a mixed breed. I cannot imagine life without a dog.
February 1, 2019
I love reading! I love dogs! I guess that explains why I love reading books about life with dogs! But even if y’all don’t love reading or dogs as much as I do, y’all will find this book well written and inspiring.
April 2, 2021
Aw, of course I would love this book! Dogs doing amazing dog things, great short stories and I love she includes a bit about the breed of the dog of the story we had just heard. Listened to it in an afternoon:)
January 25, 2022
If you are considering bringing a dog into your life this may be just the book for you. The author provides thumbnail profiles of 38 breeds of dogs and provides a mini story showcasing each.
January 6, 2019
oh my. what a perfectly beautiful way to begin 2019.38 beautiful dogs accompanied by their story. if you weren't a dog lover before reading this..you will be after.
there are the stories of the dogs helping the blind or the autistic, beautiful stories. there are also the unusual. eudy and tula. maremma sheepdogs who live on a 3.7 acre island in Australia. their job?protecting the island's little penguins from the foxs that almost wiped them out.
you've never heard of maremma sheepdogs? neither had I. the other nice part of this book is that a side column describing the breed in each chapter.
I loved dogs always. this book confirmed it
there are the stories of the dogs helping the blind or the autistic, beautiful stories. there are also the unusual. eudy and tula. maremma sheepdogs who live on a 3.7 acre island in Australia. their job?protecting the island's little penguins from the foxs that almost wiped them out.
you've never heard of maremma sheepdogs? neither had I. the other nice part of this book is that a side column describing the breed in each chapter.
I loved dogs always. this book confirmed it
January 22, 2022
4-
This is a nice, short collection of anecdotes featuring various dogs helping their owners which highlight the relationship these unique animals have with us. The author gives brief descriptions of breed characteristics throughout. It is basic and doesn't go into detail or provide information on the research being done on canine cognition and behavior, and is for the casual reader with some knowledge and interest in dogs.
This is a nice, short collection of anecdotes featuring various dogs helping their owners which highlight the relationship these unique animals have with us. The author gives brief descriptions of breed characteristics throughout. It is basic and doesn't go into detail or provide information on the research being done on canine cognition and behavior, and is for the casual reader with some knowledge and interest in dogs.
January 29, 2018
Part of the problem with this book was the E-book format. There are, what I assume would be sidebars in a print book, but in the e-book they pop up in the middle of the story. Very annoying. The stories themselves, while showing the great character of dogs are not fully developed. This was a disappointing read for me.
January 12, 2020
An engrossing, heartwarming selection of dog tails (pun intended) showcasing the special bond between dogs and their people. Well-written and delightfully accompanied by loads of pictures, the emphasis is on the couragious ways in which lost or abandoned dogs have selflessly protected and cared for the humans who take a chance and rescue them. Beautiful book in every way.
February 23, 2021
Prepare for heart-swelling tears! The title of this book tells it all, stories of the devotion, loyalty, and love that we share when we share our lives with dogs. Each story is only a few minutes long but they are lasting and tender. The author assembled facts and trivia that added to each story. And each story showed yet another way that dogs are truly Man's best friend.
April 17, 2020
So many sweet stories about how truly remarkable dogs are. The stories are short, roughly the length of a newspaper article, with pictures to go along with each. (Very uplifting reading during this Quarantine period).
August 5, 2020
Book is more of a documentary
I did expect to read short stories about different person's experiences with their dogs. Many of the events surrounding these could have been embellished to make the story telling significantly more emotional for the readers.
I did expect to read short stories about different person's experiences with their dogs. Many of the events surrounding these could have been embellished to make the story telling significantly more emotional for the readers.
February 22, 2022
This was a story full of fabulous stories all about dogs. The stories entail the fabulous feats of our furry friends from detecting seizures to detecting cancer to lifesaving escapades.
There is also a lot of interesting information on different programs like parole dogs and more.
There is also a lot of interesting information on different programs like parole dogs and more.
May 25, 2023
This is a lovely book! It tells many biographies of people who rescued dogs, dogs who rescued people, and various combinations of these. It tells a bit about many different dog breeds and their characteristics. Nice photos illustrate the book.
December 22, 2017
It deserves 2.5 stars. The stories are sweet but a bit boring.
July 1, 2019
Good short pieces on dogs. Nice pics too.
April 20, 2020
Very nice, heart-warming stories about dogs who changed the lives of their owners
October 22, 2020
I love dog-human stories of devotion and dedication and this book had 38!! along with descriptions of how a type of dog was bred and what its job was. Interesting. I listened to the Audible edition.
December 30, 2020
Beautifully presented. I enjoyed the photos & sidebars. I understand the continual push to show Pit bulls in the limelight but I wish a Rottweiler had made the grade as well. Nice compilation.
January 1, 2021
Favorite story was about Faith
January 9, 2021
Touching, educational, and inspiring, a fantastic read about man's best friend.
June 29, 2021
We don’t deserve dogs!! 😭
November 1, 2021
Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews