It's Just A Dog

Once I started this book, I read it straight through...tears and all.Although some found "Ghost Pete" obnoxious, I found him to be smart and comical.The book starts with a middle-aged man losing his dog of 13 years. It's at this point, I cried through several chapters. Books rarely make me cry, heck, it takes a LOT to make me cry! But, this is so well written and so close to home, it was impossible to keep my eyes dry!Our hero is an artist who's devastated when his beloved Jack Russel Terrier dies and he's forced to come to terms with this fact. The characters are believable and definitely not the current influx of two dimensional characters found in so many books theses days. The people he comes into contact with say and do some of the real and sometimes thoughtless things a lot of people do when one loses a beloved pet. I.e. "So, are you going to get another dog?" One of my favorite "least favorite" comments people often say. As if his dog was a broken vase or torn sock.His success comes from paintings he's done of his dog and sell for thousands around the world. When Pete dies, he can't paint, he can barely breathe. Anyone whose lost a long-time pet, in his case, 13 years, knows the grief associated with losing such a love.One particularly moving comment (I shared on Twitter) was: "Don't cry because you lost him, smile because you had him" It took me years to stop grieving over a very special black cat, named Amy, who was more like a dog than a cat. She got me through cancer and always waited for me at the door when I came home from work. Seven years later, she's still a loss, although I resolved the typical "NO MORE PETS, IT'S NOT WORTH THE GRIEF". But I married into two and a starving kitten arrived almost two years later and he's a joy!People start thinking he's nuts, because in his small town, everybody, knows every thing about every body! When word gets out about Pete showing up, four months after his death, it stays a secret for about nine seconds. Thanks to his Art Manager. Although only he can see or hear Pete, the other animals can too and makes a believer out of several.The book doesn't focus too much on the antics of Ghost Pete, it's just enough to give this book an added flavor. Basically, it's definitely the meat of this book. The rest is realistic, sometimes quite funny and an excellent read. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves animals, and will also show that the love of a pet, any pet, is worth the grief...even if it doesn't seem to at the time of their passing.

The book is obviously partly biographical. I emphasize with anyone who has dealt with the death of a beloved pet. I've experienced it more than once myself so I know how painful it is.One thing really bothered me about the book, though - if that part, too, is autobiographical: When the author was writing about making love with the female dog rescuer, he said "Perhaps we were unwittingly inspired by our favorite charges going at it with such reckless abandon." (Talking about dogs in a dog park.)I live in Panama and organize and sponsor a low-cost spay/neuter clinic. For the author's information - and everyone else's - the importance of spaying and neutering cannot be emphasized often enough. In 6 years a female dog and her off springs can be the source of 67,000 puppies! Of course that's assuming they all live. Many will die lonely and painful deaths at an early age. But just assume only 1/3 live long enough to reproduce once. Do the math!I currently have 14 rescued dogs - one is named "Petey." Some others I've rescued have died throughout the years. (Some were almost dead at the time I rescued and adopted them but then went on to live several happy years with me.)Just in case anyone missed it: In 6 years a female dog and her off springs can be the source of 67,000 puppies! And cats? In 7 years a female cat and her off springs can be the source of 420,000 kittens.Shelters are not the answer; sterilization is!For the author's information, there were several errors in the book:..."this finally gave Pete and I a chance to really talk." (This gave Pete and ME a chance...)Pete and I's days were coming to a swift, humbling end." There is no such word as "I's." Better would be "my and Pete's days..."...I just whispered goodnight and laid there." (I LAY there.)

A great read. I swear that 8 years this January when I had to put down my "son" a Lab-mix that Russ heard and saw everything I said and felt for months afterwards. Not only that but in this novel he was single and artist and his pup became first over dating and so many other things.And...I had planned to wait at least 6 months before getting another dog because I was hurting so badly it would not have been fair to bring another dog into my life until I recovered somewhat. Well, that lasted about 3 weeks. After about a week I started looking on-line at the two shelters in my central TX town to see what was out there but all that did was make me cry so I quit. That is I quit for about 2 weeks and then started looking again. And all of a sudden the Pet of the Week caught my attention. Not the pictures of this 1 year old border collie-mix but the words they wrote. They jumped out at me. They had named him Trey and said he was very beautiful but VERY shy and it will most likely take some time before he warms up to anyone. The next week on Jan 29th a cold and beautiful day I made a visit out to meet this shy guy. I was the only customer there. Short story they put a temp leash on him and we went out and sat in the dormant grass and had a talk. I showed him a picture of the dog that I just lost and he shocked the heck out of me as he licked it. I cried. He melted my heart. I said as we sat down do you want to take a chance and see I we are made for each other as you have your problems being in here and overly shy and that turns people off and me losing my son. He was about two feet from me and said if you want to chance it come give me a kiss and he did and not just one but several. I KNEW then, that Domino who I had just lost was somehow intervening and folks that was just the beginning. He never talked but I have no doubt he is near by as I write this review.Oh I started a short book about all of this after having Trey for a year and then lost it in a computer crash and I have not started over again.Time to send this review and then go hug Trey!

I found this book to be a book of two halves - for all the right reasons. Half is a very sensitively written account of losing a dog which will have you in floods. The other is just bonkers and amusing.I bought this book days after losing my own Jack Russell (who looked a bit like the dog on the cover) and read it two months afterwards. Taking this into account I can say that this author knows exactly what it is like to lose a dog - and all the complex emotions that goes with that. There were so many times I found myself nodding my head in agreement with what was written.After that, Pete the Dog comes back as a ghost, which gives way for some genuinely funny moments.This book is not a guide book on how to cope with the loss of a dog but is a work of fiction. However, even during the comedy moments, the author's pain in relation to dog loss is more than apparent. I enjoyed this and thought it was a good, entertaining spin on a very sad topic. All I can say in conclusion is that I 'got' it.

I am really enjoying reading this book "It's just a dog". The writing style is perfect. Moments of humour in among the deepest grieving -how does a writer do that? But this writer does it effortlessly, with a flowing natural style which is very easy to read. How could I find myself laughing just moments after I hear Pete has died? But I do.I know how hard it is to lose a well-loved dog. It's the hardest grieving I've ever had to go through.But this book is a page-turner. I only bought it an hour ago and can't put it down. It is going dark in this room, and I don't care, can't be bothered to switch a light on, can't see a thing, but it's okay if I can just keep reading "It's just a dog."And I haven't even got to the 'ghosty-bit' yet....but am sure I'm going to love that just as much.Thanks for a great well written book, Mr. Ryan.

I usually buy factual books about dogs to download, but this one was equally enjoyable and rather lovely. From the dogs point of view, and the sentiments expressed that dogs are here to teach us empathy and love seems very fitting. Lovely read, left a warm feeling. It also helps to come to terms with the short life span of our canine family as having lost two Labradors to old age and disease, it always devastates,but it has to be a frame of mind I make myself get used to, that you have at least (generally) a good 10 years with a dog, and that should be counted as a blessing every day, they are very special creatures. My world with my dogs and the books I read would be empty.. Well written sensitive story that I am sure many will identify with.

To say I feel confused is an understatementI'm not too sure what I just read. Or why ai read it. Or why i bought it...This book is 177 pages long and in it we meet a canine portrait artist, his dog (pete, who dies as we know), his new dog and his on/off woman. And his partner in art. And a couple other minor characters.And thats about it. There are a few nice descriptive moments but other than that it reads almost like an essay written for a school project.Sorry to be blunt. I love reading and I certainly love books about dogs but this one... i cant't bring myself to recommend.

There were parts of this book that made me laugh and cry but mostly laugh. I enjoyed it and thought it was very good!