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One Paw in the Grave - Volume One

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One Paw in the Grave – Volume One

The master storyteller behind the genre-bending Spot and Smudge series offers up this collection of wonderfully twisted dog-themed short stories.

Meet a disturbed little dog with a curious sock fetish, and a smart puppy who isn't about to let the monster in the closet scare his little girl, and a plucky cur whose unique relationship with a very large fish might just save a lost soul.

Travel back to the first encounter between an inquisitive wolf and a curious human, and forward to a very special dog returning from space, and along the way stop at a farm with a dark secret and a creepy French manor and a not so restful old folks' home. There's even a midnight encounter with an unlucky assassin, and a visit from the grim reaper.

And woven throughout all of these extraordinary tales is one irrefutable truth...

We all have One Paw in the GravePraise for the One Paw in the Grave

"Udulutch does it again! The same great bite and insight as Spot and Smudge with an endless variety of dogs and humans, and not dogs and not humans” Itercpt Book Club

"Great fun! Runs around the bases of all the best genres with a fresh spin on every one" Bill C.

"As always, a wicked twisted ride of creative doggie madness!" Five Square Corner

"Good dogs, bad dogs, great dogs, evil dogs, smart dogs, mad dogs, crazy dogs, funny dogs, incredible dogs, preposterous dogs…and a bunch of equally awesome people…what more could you want?!” Sarah D.

"Another perfectly good week chewed up by a jaw-dropping, fist-pumping, emotionally-charged, mood lifting, oh hell yeah Robert Udulutch series" Michaela P.

"This guy is disturbed, thank Dog." Haley W.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2021

62 people are currently reading
12 people want to read

About the author

Robert Udulutch

16 books20 followers
Think a small town boy from Wisconsin, whose first job was pumping poo out of RVs while reading everything he could get his smelly hands on, puts himself through school bartending and after thirty years in tech management at Sony and Microsoft leaves to travel a lot, and pen his experiences with rescued littermate pups and Scottish in-laws. The result is the Spot and Smudge series; Horror/Thriller/Genetic Engineering Sci-fi that one reviewer called "a deliciously twisted, darkly humorous tail".

Yeah, I've got some stories...and maybe a few issues.

You can see pix of the real Spot and Smudge and learn more about the books and the charities some of the proceeds support at rudulutch.com

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5 stars
59 (78%)
4 stars
9 (12%)
3 stars
5 (6%)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
3 reviews
August 8, 2021
From a fan of Spot and Smudge

When I finished The Dawn of Canicene (which was amazing by the way), I wad so sad that the series was over. Then I got a prompt to read this set of short stories. I was not disappointed. I should have written this review earlier, but I was anxious to get to the next collection.
206 reviews10 followers
June 15, 2021
An excellent start to this series of short 🐕 dog stories!

"First Contact" was my favorite short story in this anthology of all around excellent short dog stories. (The stories are short, not the dogs!). It was especially exciting to me to read such an excellent story about the historic first meeting between humans and wolves. Which eventually led to the incredibly important long term historical relationship between humans and canines. Read this book and this series, you WILL be glad that you did! :)
3 reviews
June 29, 2021
Wonderfully Imaginative Dog Tales

A satisfying collection of slightly twisted stories about dogs of all kinds, big and small. I love the Spot and Smudge books but sometimes just want to read a short story . I was thrilled when I saw the author had published a book of short stories as well. Whether you are a dog lover or just someone who enjoys a good yarn this book should satisfy.
Profile Image for Caryn.
2,393 reviews3 followers
November 1, 2021
Different!

This was a most enjoyable collection of quirky, interesting stories which all involved dogs! It’s hard to pick a favorite but I did! I loved the first one equally as much as Laika in space. The ending was particularly funny.
This author has such a great sense of good dog stories and I love it!
Profile Image for MARK HILLER.
21 reviews
April 10, 2025
For the love of all dogs.

This book and the author are fantastic, I cannot wait to start the next one. I am a reading alcoholic. I haven't left any reviews in a long long time but this gentleman definitely has one coming. Thank you for providing me with a nice little library to feed my need for a little while. Take care and God Bless.
Profile Image for Beverly Fuqua.
871 reviews7 followers
July 29, 2021
It was okay, some stories were better than others. I almost didn't read after the first one because it was atrocious! If you pick this book up read on after the first story, or better yet just skip it.
Profile Image for Lynn.
156 reviews19 followers
August 22, 2021
Brilliant

I can’t say enough about this writer and what he writes about, dogs are a wonderful creature and he really does justice to the dogs that he uses as his characters. If you like dark,funny and just some unique reading give this author a try..you won’t be disappointed.
2 reviews
September 5, 2021
Great stuff for animal lovers

Loved the first book am going for the second now. The only reason it’s not got 5 stars is because of the spelling mistakes ie brake for break!
Apart from that great stuff.
Profile Image for Dolly.
267 reviews3 followers
September 18, 2021
Intriguing

Short booklings to enjoy. Some really great segments in this volume. My favorite was the dog in space. That was very rewarding. I urge you to try these books. You're sure to like them.
5 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2021
I chose this book because I love dogs and was interested to see what stories would be written about them. I very rarely give five stars to any book, but this one was an exception. I loved it! It was better than I expected it to be by far. The first story blew me away, and the rest were equally as good. I will definitely be reading the others in the series, and highly recommend them to anyone.
31 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2022
Do NOT read this at work.

So started reading this on my break, hard to explain to some why you are crying. Stupidly wonderful short story’s left me in tears, and they made me smile. Just read them at home with tissues and chocolate. Highly recommend to any animal lover.
3 reviews
July 19, 2021
Great book

Great book, Great stories. Once I started, read it through till the end, could not put it down. Thank you.
268 reviews2 followers
August 25, 2021
werewolves, space dogs, spirit guides, guard dogs great mix of dog stories.
Profile Image for Karen.
127 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2021
was surprised that it turned out to be a bunch of short stories but definitely worth the read
8 reviews
November 15, 2021
This is a great read!!

Awesome stories. I love dogs and i love reading about them. These dogs do things that any dog lover can wrap their head around.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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