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Cody: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Dog
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Dog is the memoir of a yellow Labrador retriever.
Cody was an abused dog who lost his home and abuser to Hurricane Katrina. He lived as an abandoned stray on the streets of New Orleans for 3 months before he was captured. Later, he became my foster dog. Cody was the most emotionally damaged dog I had ever worked with, and I knew that he would always need a therapeutic home. I adopted him. Two years later, I, too, was abandoned and alone when my husband of 29 years ended our marriage.
Cody and I healed together over the next several years. He helped me recover from the loss of my marriage, a hysterectomy, a suicide attempt, and unemployment. When I couldn’t find a job in the U.S., I moved to China as an English teacher; Cody went with me as my service dog. In China, Cody became an independent dog, while I worked on becoming an independent woman.
We moved to Alaska after three years in China, first living on a remote and isolated island in the Aleutians, and then moving to a less-remote, but still-isolated island in Southeast Alaska. Cody’s evolution, from a “quivering mass of dog flesh” to a confident and capable dog, was an inspiration to the people he met along the way.
Cody was an abused dog who lost his home and abuser to Hurricane Katrina. He lived as an abandoned stray on the streets of New Orleans for 3 months before he was captured. Later, he became my foster dog. Cody was the most emotionally damaged dog I had ever worked with, and I knew that he would always need a therapeutic home. I adopted him. Two years later, I, too, was abandoned and alone when my husband of 29 years ended our marriage.
Cody and I healed together over the next several years. He helped me recover from the loss of my marriage, a hysterectomy, a suicide attempt, and unemployment. When I couldn’t find a job in the U.S., I moved to China as an English teacher; Cody went with me as my service dog. In China, Cody became an independent dog, while I worked on becoming an independent woman.
We moved to Alaska after three years in China, first living on a remote and isolated island in the Aleutians, and then moving to a less-remote, but still-isolated island in Southeast Alaska. Cody’s evolution, from a “quivering mass of dog flesh” to a confident and capable dog, was an inspiration to the people he met along the way.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2024
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2026
Cody: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Dog by Lauren Henry Brehm is a deeply moving memoir about shared trauma, companionship, and the transformative power of unconditional love.
Cody, a yellow Labrador retriever, begins his story amid devastation. After enduring abuse, he survives the chaos of Hurricane Katrina and lives as a stray on the streets of New Orleans for three months before being rescued. Emotionally scarred and fragile, he enters Brehm’s life first as a foster dog and soon becomes something far more permanent.
What elevates this memoir beyond a traditional pet story is its parallel narrative. As Cody slowly rebuilds trust and confidence, Brehm faces her own unraveling: the end of a 29-year marriage, major health challenges including a hysterectomy, unemployment, and a suicide attempt. The bond between them becomes reciprocal each healing the other.
The memoir’s geographic sweep adds richness to their journey. Cody accompanies Brehm to China, where she works as an English teacher and he becomes her service dog. Later, they relocate to remote islands in Alaska, including the Aleutians and Southeast Alaska. In each setting, both dog and human evolve growing stronger, more independent, and more resilient.
At 260 pages, Cody blends animal memoir with personal recovery narrative. It will resonate strongly with readers of transformative pet stories, mental health memoirs, and accounts of reinvention after loss. Cody’s evolution from a “quivering mass of dog flesh” to a confident, capable companion mirrors the author’s own path toward renewed independence.
Ultimately, this is a story about survival, partnership, and the quiet heroism of an “ordinary” dog who became extraordinary through love.
Cody, a yellow Labrador retriever, begins his story amid devastation. After enduring abuse, he survives the chaos of Hurricane Katrina and lives as a stray on the streets of New Orleans for three months before being rescued. Emotionally scarred and fragile, he enters Brehm’s life first as a foster dog and soon becomes something far more permanent.
What elevates this memoir beyond a traditional pet story is its parallel narrative. As Cody slowly rebuilds trust and confidence, Brehm faces her own unraveling: the end of a 29-year marriage, major health challenges including a hysterectomy, unemployment, and a suicide attempt. The bond between them becomes reciprocal each healing the other.
The memoir’s geographic sweep adds richness to their journey. Cody accompanies Brehm to China, where she works as an English teacher and he becomes her service dog. Later, they relocate to remote islands in Alaska, including the Aleutians and Southeast Alaska. In each setting, both dog and human evolve growing stronger, more independent, and more resilient.
At 260 pages, Cody blends animal memoir with personal recovery narrative. It will resonate strongly with readers of transformative pet stories, mental health memoirs, and accounts of reinvention after loss. Cody’s evolution from a “quivering mass of dog flesh” to a confident, capable companion mirrors the author’s own path toward renewed independence.
Ultimately, this is a story about survival, partnership, and the quiet heroism of an “ordinary” dog who became extraordinary through love.
January 4, 2025
Our best friends are dogs, they say. They provide us with great companionship, protection, and support. Helper and service dogs are indispensible. They love us more than their lives.
So, what can you do for man’s best friend when they are broken, homeless, and feeling defeated? Vets will give them medicines, but that won’t bring a broken and defeated dog back. You need someone who has faith in them, the patience, and all that "understanding love" they need to reclaim them.
This is the story of a failed dog, who when everything else failed to heal, responded to love! He made such an extraordinary turnaround in life that you need to hear of him, and his dedicated savior.
The book is as much the story of Cody’s amazing turnaround as a shining testament to his savior’s (the author’s) devoted, patient care to pull off that miracle for him.
So, what can you do for man’s best friend when they are broken, homeless, and feeling defeated? Vets will give them medicines, but that won’t bring a broken and defeated dog back. You need someone who has faith in them, the patience, and all that "understanding love" they need to reclaim them.
This is the story of a failed dog, who when everything else failed to heal, responded to love! He made such an extraordinary turnaround in life that you need to hear of him, and his dedicated savior.
The book is as much the story of Cody’s amazing turnaround as a shining testament to his savior’s (the author’s) devoted, patient care to pull off that miracle for him.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews