Great Dog Stories

December 1, 2011
This new collection of dog storiesshaggy and otherwiseconsists largely of devotional tales about the special relationship that exists between humans and their best friends. Among the topics discussed are the gift of unconditional love, the power of obedience, and the joy of adoption, as well as such universal themes as trust, patience, and forgivenessall written about dogs from a spiritual perspective. A typical anecdote involves Shadow, a terrier and toy poodle mix, who was considered damaged goods because of a leg injury. Worse, as the owners soon found out, he was standoffish and cranky until many hard-working months later, when he began to learn to lower his defenses and was transformed into a lovable and cuddly pup. The authors of this very entertaining and often touching collectiona must for canine lovers everywhere, even those who are not necessarily religiousinsist that dogs aren't accidents of nature: They are a grand design and a gift. Each story offers lessons of a religious nature and is followed by a biblical passage and a reflection that applies to the human owners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)