If you've ever dealt with a "difficult" dog, this may be the book for you. I went into it expecting a largely fun memoir of the author's experiences with her rescue dog Freddie but it was more than that. It was one part memoir, true, but also her reflections on the human-dog relationship in general as well as some research findings. It made it a bit of a jumpy read at times but I won't deny that it was well written and kept my attention. I settled on a 4 star rating while, quite frankly, depending on what you're looking for, you may rate it higher or lower. It's based on solid research as well as personal experiences of the author. And, there's no denying it, my heart was with Freddie in hopes she'd help him find the peace and happy life he deserved.
Given the nature of the book, I hesitate to share much info as I don't want any of it taken out of perspective. So, let me utilize the author's tool of reflection. "Difficult" dogs aren't "difficult" on purpose, just to irritate us. They have genuine issues, just as "difficult" humans do. Freddie's were formed before he came to the author. In fact, she was warned upfront that he had issues but was lost in the rush of finally getting her very own dog. I guess the lesson here is don't rush into anything, no matter how much we fall in love with the idea of how perfect life will be once they settle in. Life isn't that simple for human or canine. I've been lucky enough not to have had a dog with severe separation anxiety, for instance, but even my beloved Daisy had her quirks that required time and effort on my part.
Please note, while full of reflections based on experience and advice, the book is neither scientific nor simply memoir. It's a reflection of one person's experiences with one dog, albeit utilizing the info and reflections of others as a path to understanding and bringing the human and canine minds together. I had to grin at the author's caution not to fall into anthropomorphism, ie giving human traits or qualities to animals. I'm sure that's one thing just about every pet owner in the world has been guilty of. I know I have but, phew, was really aware that I was just mouthing off, so to speak, on the wonders of my then dog. It's also a caution that what worked here may not work for your own dog, so be realistic.
Bottom line, in other words, I do recommend this one with the caution of not going into it with preconceived ideas of what you are going to read. Just as we shouldn't assign human traits to our pets, we shouldn't assign a book to live up to our expectations. Read this one with an open mind and you'll come away with much to ponder and, fingers crossed, should a "difficult" dog cross your path, some genuine ideas of how best to help it reach its full potential. Maybe even help you learn how to manage your own expectations and life. As the book reminds us, caring for an animal, any animal, is a responsibility, a complex, many faceted one. If you're lucky, you'll learn a great deal about not just your dog but yourself. I guess I could say in simple words that it will make you think, taking responsibility for your own actions as well as the responsibility that come with pet ownership. As you'll discover, this responsibility put a lot of stress on Heyward's own relationships and caused ripples. Thanks #RandomHouse for allowing me this early peek at a thought provoking book that gave me far, far more to ponder than I had expected. It's a reminder to us all to be open to change and willing to learn, even when we're just sure we "know it all". Grin.
No comments:
Post a Comment