My family has a new puppy! Barnaby.
It’s very exciting, and a bit overwhelming, to have a dog in the apartment. It’s wonderful, and it’s also a lot of change, and I wouldn’t say that I’m the most….flexible person out there.
As my sister said in episode 27 of our podcast, as she quoted from the theme song to The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, “It’s gonna be a fascinating transition.“
For me to process any experience, I really need to read about it. So I’ve been reading tons of dog books. Some are how-to, of the “Ultimate Guide to Dogs” type of book, but I really enjoyed — and got more — from the memoirs. Below are some of my favorites so far.
7 Terrific Books If You’re Getting a Dog
1, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals, Temple Grandin. I love reading Temple Grandin.
2. You Had Me a Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secret of Happiness, Julie Klam. How could I resist that title?
3. Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself, Julie Klam again. Ok, full disclosure: Julie is a friend. But I would’ve loved both these books even if I didn’t know her.
4. Life with Beau: A Tale of a Dog and His Family, Anna Quindlen. Sweet, short.
5. Pack of Two: the Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs, Caroline Knapp. Zoikes, this is a fascinating book, on many levels.
6. How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual, by the Monks of New Skete. I’m obsessed with Thomas Merton, and I kept thinking, “Boy, Thomas Merton would’ve been so much happier as a monk if he’d been raising dogs.”
7. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Of course, I had to re-read this book for the fiftieth time, with its exciting dog scenes— good Jack getting lost in the river, Pa almost shooting Jack, Jack trying to fight the strangers.
What books would you add, what have I overlooked?
For instance, should I read John Grogan’s Marley and Me? I saw the movie, but someone told me that I really should read the book.
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