Reader's Response--A Dog's Journey?

*This post may or may not contain spoilers

"Dog is God spelled backwards."  I have loved dogs since I got my first dog at the age of four.  She was a Golden Retriever named Candy.  She was beautiful.  We used to roll around in the yard together.  One day her nose started bleeding.  The vet said that it was a tumor.  Candy is dead now, but I have three new dogs to love and care for; Andy, Ella, and my baby boy Charlie.  Charlie is a mutt (a Shih Tzu Yorkie mix).  I was recommended A Dog's Journey, by W. Bruce Cameron, after my mom bought it from her school's book fair.  I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical before actually reading the book.  I had done something that I vowed to never do--judge a book by its cover.  The little puppy and speech bubble on this particular cover screamed "Young Adult" (and I am not a big fan of Young Adult, excluding John Green that is).  It looked like it would be a quick read though, and I do love dogs.  Needless to say, I caved and read it anyway.  It was amazing.  I cried, multiple times.  This being said (if it was not made obvious by the preceding sentence fragments), I only saw it suiting that I recorded my response to the book in writing.

Before I begin, I would like to give a brief synopsis of the journey itself.  Buddy is a good dog.  After spending several, eventful lives in search of his purpose, Buddy has discovered that he has already fulfilled it--he lives to love and protect his master.  A Dog's Journey  follows Buddy as he lives, dies and returns to life, in the body of another dog.  Buddy becomes Molly, who later becomes Max, who finishes his journey as a sweet Beagle named Toby.  The most impressive part of this story, was the fact that it was told from the point of view of the dog.  Never did I stop to think, "Hmm, this doesn't sound like a dog," because it did, in fact, sound just like a dog.  I was drawn in with this approach, and was made to care deeply about the dogs, the people, and what happened to them.  I cannot always say that I get this involved with the characters, so when I do, one can assume that it was a very well written and heartwarming tale.  In fact, A Dog's Journey was far from just a "Young Adult" novel.  It was a book in which any person, of any age, can love and hold close to their heart.

One question remained after I finished this novel: do we take care of our pets, or do our pets take care of us?  I could not help but think about my little Charlie as I read through this book.  I imagined Charlie's first encounter with a mirror.  I imagined the time that Charlie so excited, that he sprinted around the house, jumping from chair to table in order to release some of his excess energy.  The loyalty expressed by Buddy in this story, crossed all boundaries, and I am sure that Charlie is moved by this same loyalty.  This book is the kind of emotional gut-wrench that makes me proud to care for a canine, and proud of the loyalty that they show to us.  If you are not a dog lover, or not even a dog liker, steer clear of this novel.  If you are like me however, grab yourself a copy of this wonderful book, and prepare yourself to laugh, smile, yell at imaginary people, cry, and seek out love from your furry friend.