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Saturdays with Stella: How My Dog Taught Me to Sit, Stay, and Come When God Calls
Sometimes your best four-legged friend is also your best teacher
When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a “tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s).” Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.
As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics–sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor. In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how
Sit!–at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice
Drop It!–and let go of personal agendas
Come!–when it’s time to run in the right direction
Stay!–in God’s presence
In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart–she’ll show you how captivating you are to God.
When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a “tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s).” Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.
As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics–sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor. In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how
Sit!–at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice
Drop It!–and let go of personal agendas
Come!–when it’s time to run in the right direction
Stay!–in God’s presence
In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart–she’ll show you how captivating you are to God.
- GenresNonfictionDogs
166 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Allison Pittman
32 books655 followersAllison Pittman is the author of For Time and Eternity, Stealing Home, the Crossroads of Grace series, and her nonfiction debut, Saturdays With Stella. A high-school English teacher, she serves as director of the theater arts group at her church. She is also the co-president of a dynamic Christian writers group in the San Antonio, Texas area, where she makes her home with her husband and their three boys.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 30, 2008
About the book:
Sometimes your best four-legged friend is also your best teacher
When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a "tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s)." Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.
As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics-sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn't expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor. In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how to:
Sit!-at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice
Drop It!-and let go of personal agendas
Come!-when it's time to run in the right direction
Stay!-in God's presence
In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart-she'll show you how captivating you are to God.
My review:
Saturdays will Stella is an easy, enjoyable read with some great lessons to learn in regards to not only training your dog, but obeying the Lord. :) I just wish I had this book when my dog Mattie was alive. She was a nervous piddler, too. We never figured out how to fix that except to have her become an outside dog. Then she stopped. At any rate, I loved this book and read it quickly. The pictures are cute, too. But the spiritual lessons are so good that I even read some out loud to my husband. There is a lot you can learn about obedience (and even more to ponder about God's ways) from reading Saturdays with Stella. I highly recommend it.
Saturdays with Stella was published by Multnomah and released in August 2008.
Sometimes your best four-legged friend is also your best teacher
When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a "tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s)." Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.
As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics-sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn't expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor. In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how to:
Sit!-at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice
Drop It!-and let go of personal agendas
Come!-when it's time to run in the right direction
Stay!-in God's presence
In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart-she'll show you how captivating you are to God.
My review:
Saturdays will Stella is an easy, enjoyable read with some great lessons to learn in regards to not only training your dog, but obeying the Lord. :) I just wish I had this book when my dog Mattie was alive. She was a nervous piddler, too. We never figured out how to fix that except to have her become an outside dog. Then she stopped. At any rate, I loved this book and read it quickly. The pictures are cute, too. But the spiritual lessons are so good that I even read some out loud to my husband. There is a lot you can learn about obedience (and even more to ponder about God's ways) from reading Saturdays with Stella. I highly recommend it.
Saturdays with Stella was published by Multnomah and released in August 2008.
September 27, 2023
I stumbled upon this book when searching for a light, short book readily available on audio at my library. At only three hours, this was a quick and enjoyable listen. I liked the author’s story and voice as the narrator. The religious lessons and Biblical excerpts were beautifully intertwined with Stella’s lessons. I would even recommend this book to a Bible study group as a group read. Very enjoyable! I know Mrs Pitman’s personal lessons and purposeful writing made me look in the mirror.
October 26, 2012
Allison Pittman writes a humorous, yet reflective, story about her special dog, Stella. I, too, had a special dog with whom I walked an incredible journey; Allison and Stella's story often seemed similar to mine and Sage's. This book spoke volumes to me, as a dog person and a Christian. I thoroughly enjoyed following Allison and Stella through the ups and downs of life, the physical and the spiritual. I have read this book twice, I enjoyed it so much!
March 4, 2021
This was such a great book! It was such a great idea to include scripture in a book about a beloved dog, Stella, who is going to obedience/training school. Each week Stella learned a new command, and the author took what Stella learned the way it would look in a psalm or reading from the Bible. It was a very inspirational and loving book to read during Lent. Extra bonus if you’re a dog lover like me!
July 27, 2011
I treated this wonderful book as a daily Bible study and loved the uplifting analogies between Stella and the humans that 'trained' her and myself and God who continues to be with me as a constant 'trainer' in my life. I really hated to see it end, but see its messages every day in my relationship with my own 'Stella,' Chester the Black Lab.
August 16, 2018
As I enjoy insporational reading and am also involved with animal rescue, the title caught my attention. This book was a "feel good" easy read. One I enjoyed very much. I would definitely recommend Saturdays with Stella to anyone - especially if you have ever owned that one special pup and experienced that true connection of a best friend.
May 26, 2015
This was so good. It almost seemed as if it were written just for me! It's a memoir about a woman's experience taking her dog to obedience school and the lessons she learns from God about herself in the process. Such a sweet sweet story!
January 24, 2010
I love the connection between God and people and dogs---and what dogs can teach us. And I LOVE this book!
January 16, 2012
A very witty and heart warming book! Good tips on how to train your dog too :o)))
December 17, 2015
Another way to help me understand my relationship with God. Enjoyed it!
July 8, 2017
I absolutely LOVED this book! I even bought some for friends.
October 12, 2023
I came across this book at a used bookstore and loved the cute picture of the dog on the cover. When I bought it, I thought I was getting a short story about the trials and tribulations of dog training. But, in addition to reading about the progress Stella was making in obedience training, the author included wonderful Bible verses and lessons.
Furthermore, I giggled at her descriptions of the other dogs in the class:
Prima and Donna - two Yorkshire dogs whose uncontrolled barking at windshield wipers cause potential driving hazard
Blanca - a three month old yellow Labrador whose trouble is in the reality that she is only three months old
Bitsy - a Dachshund with a broken tail
Rex - a badass Australian Shepherd mix who is retaking the class
Furthermore, I giggled at her descriptions of the other dogs in the class:
Prima and Donna - two Yorkshire dogs whose uncontrolled barking at windshield wipers cause potential driving hazard
Blanca - a three month old yellow Labrador whose trouble is in the reality that she is only three months old
Bitsy - a Dachshund with a broken tail
Rex - a badass Australian Shepherd mix who is retaking the class
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 27, 2009As a 1st time dog owner, this book made me laugh and challanged me. I love the God that gave my Harley.
February 10, 2013
I think I own Stella's brother
January 22, 2015
I enjoyed this book. Was skeptical at first but the author did a good job of linking the lessons from her dog's obedience classes to verses and teachings from the bible. Worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews