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You Had Me At Woof: How Dogs Taught Me The Secrets Of Happiness (2010)

by Julie Klam(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1594487766 (ISBN13: 9781594487767)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Riverhead Hardcover

review 1: Interesting, somewhat engaging book about one family's fostering and volunteering in rescue experience. I do orientation for new rescue volunteers and I tell them that rescue is passionate work. This book hits on that passion, but I feel is overly dramatic about it...exactly what I warn volunteers to be careful of so they don't get burnt out and drained. Perhaps it's the breed the author is working with, perhaps it is living in NYC, perhaps she thought those would make the best stories. While I enjoyed reading the first-hand account, the dramatics annoyed me a bit and I didn't read the book nearly as quickly as I could have because sometimes I just had to put it down and walk away after an especially whiny/drama-filled passage. I also took issue with the fact that the dogs... more absolutely RAN her family's life. I love dogs and I love fostering, but dogs need boundaries and rules to thrive. I found myself frustrated that she was letting the dogs run rampant, especially in a small apartment with a child. I can see why her daughter rebelled. All in all, I could identify with the stories she told, I just think there's a lot that could've been left out without taking away from the book that would have kept my interest. And I think that as a good foster and pet owner, she could've done more to set the dogs up for success. Biting and peeing in the house needs to be dealt with, not lived with...for the sake of the dog and the sake of the people in it's world.
review 2: It started out somewhat odd. The book started out with talking about mentally talking to your dog...yeah...I almost donated it to a local free library on the corner by the post office. I was not getting my new books on my list until a week later. I really didn't have another option until they came. I kept reading (I would fall asleep during breaks at work if I didn't) and started to feel a little better about the book. Some of the stories made me smile or picture a crazy dog. Some were something that made me sad for the rest of the day. (*SPOILER*) Reading about the details of Moses being mowed down by a truck in the middle of Broadway was so unnecessary. It was okay for a book to read for break. I've read better books about dogs. less

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