Dogs discussion

Below are some, not all, of my favorite canid (both dog and wolf) books, fiction, non and poetry.

Old Yeller, Gipson
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, by Haddon
Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck
Dog Dogs, Erwitt
Dog is my Copilit, The Bark
Pack of Two, Knapp
Edgar Sawtelle, Wroblewski
My Dog Tulip, Ackerley
Game of Thrones, by George Martin, simply for the direwolves and their relationships with the Starks.
Darkest Desire, The Wolf's Tale, by Anthony Schmitz
The Dog Who Talked to Gods, by Jessup
The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, by Pelevin
The Heart of a Dog, by Bulgakov
The Underneath, by Appelt

Your faves?

A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron
Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
Any Dog Books by Cesar Millan & Jack London & Monks of New Skete

Because of Winn-Dixie :) I love it. Timeless story about a girl and her dog.

Great story.

Marley and Me by Josh Grogan --can't miss mentioning this book. I cried every time I read it, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, A Dogs Purpose by Bruce Cameron, and a MUST READ--I'm a Good Dog by Ken Foster (recollections of the pitbull breed).

Kristy wrote: "Marley and Me by Josh Grogan --can't miss mentioning this book. I cried every time I read it, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, A Dogs Purpose by Bruce Cameron."

I hated the movie. Maybe I'll give the book a shot.

If you liked "Merle's Door" you'll love "Pukka's Promise." (both by Ted Kerasote). part doggy memoir and part fabulous information for all dog owners.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is going to be turned into a movie next year. Idt I can watch that. Ugh! Its w Patrick Dempsey tho.... hm...
Books I loved but still sad

I want to.read one day:




And more

Narnian525♥♪ wrote: "Kristy wrote: "Marley and Me by Josh Grogan --can't miss mentioning this book. I cried every time I read it, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, A Dogs Purpose by Bruce Cameron."

I hated the movie. Maybe I'll give the book a shot."

The book is way better than the movie...

I read a lot of kids' books and some of my favorites are:
Because of Winn Dixie
My Life in Dog Years
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...
How (Not) to Kiss Your Dog
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

Until Tuesday.
A Dog's Purpose.
A Dog's Journey.
Unsaid.
The Art of Racing In The Rain.
Marley and Me.
Merle's Door.
OOgy.
One Good Dog.
A Big Little Life.

As a dog lover and mystery lover, I also have to recommend the series by Susan Conant.

I just finished this one yesterday: It's a simple read, but it's really cute. I love how Wishbone imagines himself as the main character in the story. I'll be checking out some more titles in the Wishbone series.

Just finished Drop Dead on Recall Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham. In the same category as Susan Conant's dog filled mysteries.
Others like it -
Donna Ball's High in Trial and High In TrialEmily Carmichael's A New Leash on LifeA New Leash on Life

For dog fantasy fans in from Dog Books group, “Recovered” Book 3 of my Shapeshifters' Library has must been published. I have eformats for dog-loving reviewers: pdf, epub, and mobi/Kindle. If you’re interested in reviewing, send me an email (amber @amberpolo. com) tell me which one you prefer, and I’ll send it out. I’d love for you to take a look.

Though Recovered is Book 3, I think it works as a standalone read or even an intro to the series.

Or try you luck for a print copy. My Goodreads Giveaway begins Sunday Sept 15th.
Amber
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
www.amberpolo.com
Short blurb:
Recovered is a cross country canine cozy adventure, filled with ancient mounds, dog-catchers, rescue groups, and wolfdog issues. Come along with Bliss, children’s librarian and white greyhound shifter, and reformed werewolf Harry as they search for the most valuable library on the planet, chased by Sybilla and Blaze, werewolves crazed to stop them.

Stewart McFarlane’s (Goodreads Author) review of
Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend
by Susan Orlean (Goodreads Author)

The real story of the original Rin Tin Tin is as captivating and exciting as the storylines of his movies.
In many ways this is a book filled with powerful mythic themes. The finding of Rin Tin Tin amongst a litter of puppies, in a bombed out German military kennels toward the end of WW1, is as exciting as any movie. Lee Duncan’s refusal to leave his two puppies, Rin and his sister behind, when the US forces were returning home after the end of the war, has the quality of an epic story. The first film script Lee wrote was based on the story of Gelert, the devoted Welsh hunting dog who defends his master’s baby son against a wolf, only to be killed by the master who wrongly assumed that the dog a attacked the baby. Lee’s struggle to convince the movie bosses that Rin could perform for the camera well enough to emerge as a canine movie star, also has a mythic quality. This was an age when most American went to the movies every week, and the industry sold 100 million movie tickets a week. In such a setting, the impact of Rin Tin Tin in those early silent movies of the 1920’s, was immense. He became a major star and help turn around the fortunes of Warner Brothers and Lee Duncan.

This book is a fascinating read for anyone of my generation who grew up with the later descendants of Rintintin, in my case the TV shows of the 50’s & 60’s, where Rin Tin Tin is a heroic member of a US Cavalry troop living in a fort out west. After recently injuring my back, I found myself watching Youtube re-runs of these TV shows, I still enjoyed them, after not seeing one for about 50 years. Anyone who admires German Shepherds will enjoy this book. Since I had to wait 50 years and move to Thailand before I could get a German Shepherd Dog, I suppose it is inevitable that I would appreciate this book. My own book of animal stories, OF MICE & ZEN, has three chapters devoted to my own Thai German Shepherd and his adventures. He just happens to closely resemble the Rin Tin Tin of the TV shows.

German Shepherds had only existed as a separate breed since the late 19th century, but their strengths were soon noticed and they became the standard German military dog, serving as couriers between communication trenches. Medical dogs, seeking out injured soldiers, to provide aid & supplies to the injured or comfort for the dying, sentry dogs and detectors of dangerous gas attacks. In 1914 my Grandfather, was a skinny teenager, but a very fast runner, he was a courier in the trenches in WW1, so I have some idea of the dangers these human and canine couriers faced. Early in the war the allied forces had to use human runners because the dogs were not available. Eventually the British and US military had to make do with thousands of requisitioned civilian dogs in the war effort, but the Germans has this elite breed of strong, aristocratic, intelligent dogs. Many allied soldiers admired the work of this new breed, and other GSDs as well as Rin Tin Tin were smuggled or otherwise shipped back the USA.

One famous GSD was Strongheart, who became the first canine movie star in 1921. Dogs had appeared in films prior to that, but only in cute comedy roles. Strongheart was far from cute, he was a powerful, intelligent and focused German Shepherd. Peter the Great was another, specially imported from Germany to star in many movies. By the mid 1920’s Rin Tin Tin outshone them all, he seemed to run faster, clear higher fences, and could even climb trees. One of his great skills, thanks to Lee’s dedicated training, was his feigning injury, to provoke the tears of the audience. He could act cowed and crestfallen in scenes where he was wrongly accused of some misdeed, and then act overjoyed when he was proved innocent and vindicated. He was totally focused on Lee, not surprisingly, given his background. A typical one man dog, devoted to the man who rescued him. He was not a friendly dog, and was known to bite people and dogs who approached him without proper introductions. But in the studio or on location or in the many demonstrations he gave, so long as Lee was there off-camera, directing the dog, often by gestures, Rin Tin Tin was impeccable and could act friendly and sociable as required. He was, basically, a very focused working dog, trained to perform. Working dogs back in those days were not expected to be friendly. Dogs were generally kept to guard livestock and they lived outside. Sociability was not really expected. But by the 1930’s America was changing, becoming more suburban and expectations of dog owners changed too. Susan Orlean documents this shift very clearly, and describes the rise of dog obedience trials and the notion of training household dogs. She notes the work of Blanche Saunders and Helen Whitehouse Walker who popularized dog obedience and training for the American dog owning public.

RinTin Tin died in 1932, and despite having sired 48 puppies with his mate Nanette, Lee Duncan had given most of them away, and had not trained a successor to Rinty to perform in the movies. He reluctantly trained Rin Tin Tin Junior, one of the pups he had kept, but his heart wasn’t in it. Junior was a much bigger and more handsome dog than his father, but he could not perform in the same way. Lee often used substitute dogs to complete a movie. But at least the Rin Tin Tin lineage was established. Lee Duncan responded to the demands of the new attitudes to dogs by allowing Junior and his son RinTinTin 3rd, to play with children and visitors, and make them friendly and socially acceptable. Lee was growing tired of the movie business, and even tried to re-enlist in the early 1940’s but was rejected as too old. Orlean describes his war contribution in detail.

He and RinTinTin 3rd were the major recruiters for the military “Dogs for Defense” scheme. They made personal appearances and cinema newsreel clips to promote the scheme. Owners of GSDs, Dobermans, Belgian Shepherds and other large breeds, were encouraged to lend or donate their dogs for war work. By 1939 the Nazis had their specialist corps of 200,000 German Shepherds. They had ousted Baron von Stephanitz, the developer of the breed, as President of the GSD Club, they threatened him with concentration camp if he didn’t resign, and he died in 1936. In the USA things were handled differently. A friend of mine was a young boy in WW2 and recalls “Skipper” their beloved German Shepherd, being sent by “Dogs for Defense” to be trained by the US Coastguard as a detection dog, guarding the shores against Japanese or German infiltration from U-boats. He returned to the family in 1945, a superbly trained war hero, just as good natured as when he left.

Orlean notes with bitter irony that not only was Hitler a devotee of German Shepherds, so was Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who died at Auschwitz aged 15, along with her family. She loved Rin Tin Tin and even managed to get hold of a Rin Tin Tin book, when she could no longer see his movies, as the Nazis banned Jews from cinemas when Anne was 13. Susan Orlean’s well researched references to European and American history and particularly social history, is one of the great strengths of this book. It provides the context in which the generations of RinTinTin emerged as international stars. She documents the role of Bert Leonard, the producer who was responsible for the TV careers of the later generations of RinTinTin, including the US Cavalry hero I had so admired as a child, along with millions of other kids of my generation.

Mark Stevens, an earlier reviewer on Goodreads rightly says that the Rin Tin Tin story, “…is about hopes and dreams in America. It’s about myth-making and reinvention. It’s about star-making and it’s about persistence and the power of shared experiences. It’s about the rise of movie-moving and the rise of television and, the biggest surprise to me, the history of dogs being used in war.”
This is an excellent way of summarizing a fine book. I still get a thrill when I see my German Shepherd running to me over the fields of Thailand, so fast that he seems to float over the ground, clearing rocks and ditches with ease. I know part of that pleasure relates to my seeing Rin Tin Tin bounding across the landscape, returning to his fellow cavalry troopers, all those years ago.

Dr Stewart McFarlane is Author of:
OF MICE & ZEN.Animal Encounters in the Life of a Wandering Buddhist

Available on Amazon (Kindle) or in E PUB format at:
www.taichi-exercises.com

Free excerpts to download can be found on Stewart's Goodreads page.

Stewart,

Great review! Now I may just have to purchase this one!

We have had GSDs forever and one of our favorite possessions is a signed photograph of Rin Tin Tin by Lee, dated 1931. It's a lovely head photo of Rin!

This sounds like a wonderful book, one that we could keep with the photograph.

Thanks for that, you will love it. Quite a few pictures of Rin & Lee Duncan are included in the book. Have fun with the dogs.

OH! Good more pictures!

Stewart did you see that we wrote a book, Please check out our author page here in Goodreads.

Have a great week!

The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love, and Family by Jon KATZ.

This is a well written and important book by Jon Katz, a prolific writer on dogs. The author’s approach in researching this book was deceptively simple. Interview and observe dog owners, usually with their dogs, in a small community in northern New Jersey. Interwoven with these reports and observations there is some intelligent analysis of the state of values and relationships in modern American society.
The author’s conclusions are fascinating and important for dog owners. He argues that while traditional roles of working dogs, such as guarding and herding stock, have declined; the new roles of companion dogs have emerged on an unplanned and largely unsystematic basis. These new roles revolve around the emotional support and comfort dogs provide. Dogs often help their owners through difficult phases of their lives, through illness, divorce, bereavement, or lack of meaningful contact with people. He shows how dogs often adapt to these roles brilliantly, but points out that it is here that the problem resides. Some people become so emotionally dependent on the dog, that they anthropomorphise their companion, and forget its own natural instincts and drives. The dog’s own needs as an animal, which is over 98% wolf, in genetic terms, are often overlooked. Dogs do have the need to sometimes just be dogs.

Owners can forget that their companion is a dog at all, and expect a level of emotional support and understanding that dog is not equipped to give. The author argues successfully, that this is usually detrimental to the dog and can give rise to some canine behavioral problems. These include: over protectiveness, jealousy, fear or aggressive biting. Or if the problems become unmanageable or if the owner's problems were temporary, and the owner’s need for this canine emotional support ends, then the dog mat be rejected. Placing too high expectations on the dog, often without an understanding of a dogs need for some freedom and some training, and some boundaries and structure in its life, can create problems. Katz is not being overly negative or judgmental here, just emphasizing the pitfalls of this type of co-dependency. The result of dogs failing to meet impossible expectations and not being given the training and exercise they need, just leads to more “problem dogs” and dogs being tied up in a yard, or shut in crates, or simply abandoned or put to sleep.

Some of the case studies in his account end happily, and the dog is clearly comfortable and contented in it’s role; but others do not, and the author is frank but non-judgmental in his appraisal of the problems. I am not going to dwell on the problem cases Jon Katz outlines. We are all familiar with pattern which leads to some dogs being abandoned or spending their lives tied up, or in cages. Instead I want to dwell on two of his cases which are resounding tributes to the adaptability of dogs.

The first is 78 year old Mrs Giamatti, who has a host of medical problems, and her devoted 17 year old poodle Trixie, with her own list of medical problems. The frail old lady would have had to go to a nursing home if it wasn’t for Trixie. As she says, “Trixie keeps me company and keeps me busy.” She walked her three times a day. The little poodle had been by her side after the death of her husband, and the death of her best friend. She didn’t spoil or over-feed the dog and she didn’t anthropomorphize the dog. Katz comments that this is partly a generational issue. I have to confess that the end of this story had me in tears, but I shall leave readers to discover that for themselves.
The other success story which had the same effect, was about the author’s own border collies Devon and Homer. Devon was the difficult dog of the pair, highly strung, jumpy and nervous. The author had spent two hard years, calming the dog down and training him, including some work on sheep herding. He took the collies to a sheepdog demo, at Scottish Country Fair, to help with the PA commentary for a friend and to put his two collies through their paces. As the collies waited their turn, a group of disabled children arrives and one boy called Joey, a 12 year old in wheelchair, makes straight for Devon, stamping his feet and shouting. It was a nightmare scenario for the author, he expected the normally nervous Devon to at least bolt at the noise and unpredictable movements of the child. Instead, the dog put his head in the boy’s lap, and then climbed onto his knee. The boy squeezed the dog and Jon Katz tried to explain to him to be gentle. The dog relaxed and was very reluctant to leave the boy. Both collies managed to complete the shepherding demo, and the author agrees to take the dogs to visit the kids at their residential care home. Even the sheep obsessed Homer, came around to the idea of being petted by these kids when they went to visit.

This story struck many chords with me. I remember Vicky, my Sheltie’s gentleness with a boy with Down’s Syndrome when I was about 12. I remember Paddy, my huge, normally boisterous Irish Setter, being as gentle as lamb when a blind girl in our village came to my daughter’s birthday party and wrapped her arms around his neck. Dogs are of course are descended from pack/ family based predators. By instinct they know when another animal is sick, weak or injured. Many dogs have strong prey drives, re-directed in case of shepherd dogs. As family pack animals, they have strong protective drives too. So, they will tend to protect a person or animal seen as weak or vulnerable, if they don’t see them as prey. Collies of course will herd sheep all over the hills, but if they find a weak or injured lamb, they will try to help it. My German Shepherd Dog, Pepsi, has strong hunting instincts, but he is as gentle as anything with puppies, kittens, even with tiny wader chicks if he finds them at the reservoir. He never harms them, and his body seems to relax as he checks that they are OK. Given all this, the author’s account of Devon’s behavior is still highly impressive.

One reason I find this book so fascinating is that the differences between the USA and Thailand in attitudes to dogs, are immense. Thailand is overrun with stray and semi owned dogs. People will grab a puppy from a feral litter, find it amusing for a few weeks, and then just abandon or ignore it or dump it at a temple. The result is thousands of stray or semi owned dogs, wandering around, often causing problems, scavenging for food, chasing cars, motorbikes, anyone walking by, squabbling, breeding more litters. The majority are perfectly nice, intelligent dogs, many learn that if they are friendly to people, they will get food. But most Thais will not take responsibility for these dogs, or get them medical attention when they are sick or injured. The notion of training a dog, or putting it on a lead and exercising it, still less emotionally bonding with a dog; are alien to most Thais. In the street of 15 houses where I live, there are about 28 dogs, all owned and kept in the owners gardens and yards. Of these, only my two ever get taken walks. My two dogs go out at with me for walks at least twice day, and get at least an hour off lead running and swimming, as well as trips to the market, seeing friends, etc.

I am happy to say there are rare exceptions to this. Yesterday evening I was out with my two dogs and a friendly stray dog they play with, at the local reservoir. A Thai guy was swimming with his beautiful pit bull type bitch. My dogs were fascinated. She ambled up to them to make friends, completely unfazed by three randy male dogs, her body language was completely relaxed. She then ran up to me to get a pat and some attention. She was totally obedient, and I told her owner how lovely she was ,and how good it was to see her exercising with him. He said most Thais were too lazy to take care of their dogs. He admired my German Shepherd, and then called his dog over. She jumped onto the foot panel of his motor scooter and off they went.

For more on the cross cultural differences in dog ownership and some different approaches to dog-training, see my book:

OF MICE & ZEN. ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS IN THE LIFE OF A WANDERING BUDDHIST
Free sample chapters on Goodreads or Amazon or

http://www.taichi-exercises.com

Thanks Cathy for the heads up on: If I Should Die Before My Dog --|16186085]

I have added it to my "to read" list.

There are photos of my GSD & his pack on the photo gallery of the DOGS Group, and more on my Author page gallery, and in the photo gallery of 'All About Animals"... an excellent friendly group and very dog orientated.

Jeff wrote: "Below are some, not all, of my favorite canid (both dog and wolf) books, fiction, non and poetry.

Old Yeller, Gipson
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, by Haddon
Travels with Charlie..."

I always appreciate another list of books on dogs to check out. It amazes me for all the books on dogs I have read, there are so many more. I have only read two of the ones on Jeff's list.

Stewart wrote: "Thanks Cathy for the heads up on: If I Should Die Before My Dog --|16186085]

I have added it to my "to read" list.

There are photos of my GSD & his pack on the photo gallery of the DOGS Group, an..."

I added that to my list too. Thanks for the recommendation.

Jeff wrote: "Below are some, not all, of my favorite canid (both dog and wolf) books, fiction, non and poetry.

It is too bad this group isn't active at all. I really enjoy talking about books on dogs when I am not researching books, buying books, waiting for books to come in the mail, organizing them (well, I don't do enough of that...) and of course reading them. People like different things, but still interesting in comparing notes.

The books that Jeff mentions with my update on them is:
Old Yeller, Gipson - (of course, yes!)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, by Haddon - (heard there wasn't that much dog in it, so haven't read it yet but think I have a copy)
Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck - (sorry, didn't do much for me. Favorite part was the first paragraph or two. And good to hear about he wasn't racist when in the south like some other people were, but the book was just ok for me.)
Dog Dogs, Erwitt - (added it to my list on your recommendation and that I see one person's review who said, "Some of the most Majestic poops you will ever see')
Dog is my Copilit, The Bark - (is that 'Dog Is My Copilot: Rescue Tales of Flying Dogs, Second Chances, and the Hero Who Might Live Next Door'? Need more info to find it and see what people think.)
Pack of Two, Knapp (have it but haven't gotten to it yet, but will reconsider moving it up in the read soon stack)
Edgar Sawtelle, Wroblewski - (well written, but sorry, hated it. Ending was stupid or maybe just too artsy fartsy for me)
My Dog Tulip, Ackerley (have it, but haven't got a round tuit yet. Sounds weird...)
Game of Thrones, by George Martin, simply for the direwolves and their relationships with the Starks. - (GOT were great books, but not enough dog in it to read for a dog book reason, but great books).
Darkest Desire, The Wolf's Tale, by Anthony Schmitz - 9sounds fun, 'He can't control his urge to devour children who stumble across his path' but i want to read all the books on dogs before getting to wolves.)
The Dog Who Talked to Gods, by Jessup (on my list to get sometime)
The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, by Pelevin (sounds like not a dog book, but I know that nothing says fun like warewolves, except maybe vampires...)
The Heart of a Dog, by Bulgakov - (I thought you were talking about the book with that name by Albert Payson Terhune. I like Albert's books. Not sure about this Russian book, the book Beem scared me away from Russian books, but maybe eventually will get to this...)
The Underneath, by Appelt - (on my list, but some loved it, some hated this book. Sounds sad and i am not big on sad.)

Anyway Jeff, if you are still active on GR, or anyone else who cares to respond on these books or any other books on dogs they like, let me know if you have any more books to suggest or discuss.

brooke1994 wrote: "Kristy wrote: "Marley and Me by Josh Grogan --can't miss mentioning this book. I cried every time I read it, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, A Dogs Purpose by Bruce Cameron."

I hated..."
Brooke, just wondering if you ever read Marley and Me? I put it off because I just heard how destructive and misbehaving the dog was, but actually enjoyed the book. This is one of those books some people like and some don't...

Gayle wrote: (list below)

"Until Tuesday.
A Dog's Purpose.
A Dog's Journey.
Unsaid.
The Art of Racing In The Rain.
Marley and Me.
Merle's Door.
OOgy.
One Good Dog.
A Big Little Life."

Gayle, have you read any more books on dogs to recommend or discuss?
You list good choices, but I am of the camp that hated 'The Art of Driving in the rain. And I have made an effort yet to read Unsaid as it sounds sad... but it is on my list.

Does anyone know of any lists of dog books where the dog doesn't die? I hate when the dog dies and I don't want to read these books. There's enough misery like this in real life so reading is an escape for me.

in my reviews i try to add a note 'kleenex needed at the end ' as a way to let you know the dog dies. if you let me know what type of dog books you are interested in i could suggest some. i was also thinking people could just tell you at what page to stop. you could read almost all dog books that way.

i like it in short stories when there is just a quick reference that the dog crossed over the rainbow bridge. if you read a book up to when someone told you to stop reading, you could just mentally add that phrase.

Hi Stephen, you should check out the books by Jennifer Li Shotz. These are aimed at children but both me and my mum really enjoyed them.

Thank you Stephen, I'll check out your reviews. I like books where the dog is the main character. If the dog is narrating even better. I've decided I'm going to try and read books where the dog dies of old age such as Marley and Me, Merles Door, I haven't read those yet. I just don't want the dog to be killed by some awful tragedy.

Sara wrote: "Does anyone know of any lists of dog books where the dog doesn't die? I hate when the dog dies and I don't want to read these books. There's enough misery like this in real life so reading is an es..."

I am glad I am not the only one with this issue. I stopped reading dog books because of it and when I wrote Wimsey the Manhattan Bloodhound: A Comedy of Many Errors I made sure that the book does not end that way.

Elizabeth yes, its so frustrating and stressful if you don't know whats going to happen. I wish their was a simple way to find out the level of distress before reading. Even some childrens books are really upsetting. I've marked your book to read, it sounds good. I like happy stories with dogs and cats.

I am so glad we have multiple reviews available in GR so there is a way to look for clues that a book contains what we like or dislike. I can handle drama in a book, but undue cruelty, even if made up is still distressing.

Sara wrote: "Elizabeth yes, its so frustrating and stressful if you don't know whats going to happen. I wish their was a simple way to find out the level of distress before reading. Even some childrens books ar..." I agree (my book blurb says "nothing sad or serious here" since "the dog doesn't die" seemed a bit extreme :)), but there is an old book called Clara: The Early Years by Margo Kaufman that is one of the only dog books I found where nothing bad happens. I read it a long time ago but I remember liking it.

I had not heard of Clara: The Early Years: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled My Life. I appreciate hearing about it. The summary says "Full of uproarious observations and brilliant insights" but the reviews seem to be all over the place. There are sure a lot of books on dogs out there.

"Clara" is an old book but I think I appreciated it because it didn't end the way these things usually do. There are a lot of dog books out there but for those of us who don't like sad ones, the choice is actually quite small. There is another book, old Bark if You Love Me that doesn't end in death. I haven't looked at When Harry Met Minnie, which is new, so it might be sad, but maybe someone else knows.

Bark if you love me is also new to me. i see the ratings are mixed on this one too. Elizabeth - how come you don't have any reviews of your own posted so you can show what you think are pros or cons on a book?
i can understand how you feel about books tells a lot about people, and i can respect people who just want to keep their life private.

It's really just a matter of not having enough time to do everything I would like to do. Marketing my book is hugely time-consuming and
I barely have time to read. But did start a mystery called The Handyman Homicide which someone in the bloodhound community recommended and I like.

I have added your books Elizabeth to get :-)

Thanks! I hope you enjoy it. I also do a daily humor post on Instagram @wimseybloodhound #1001reasonyoudontwantabloodhound

I can’t figure out how to reply to a specific person or even copy the text I want to refer to. Must be something you can only do on the site, not the app?? 🫤 Rin Tin Tin sired 48 puppies with ONE mate?! Poor Nanette!! ☹️

Rebecca wrote: "I can’t figure out how to reply to a specific person or even copy the text I want to refer to. Must be something you can only do on the site, not the app?? 🫤 Rin Tin Tin sired 48 puppies with ONE m..."

From my computer I see an option to reply which brings in some of the text. From the app on my phone I do not see that option.