Book Description
When Barbara meets her future husband, Ray, it is love-and dog-at first sight. Over the course of thirty-two years, seventeen relocations and nine dogs, their mutual love of dogs guides them on their unconventional path. The love that Barbara and Ray get in return is literally lifesaving, with one dog attacking a lethal intruder and another discovering Barbara’s cancer. Her own survival story underscores the story of how her dogs become survivors themselves.
Each new dog adds its own dynamic to the family, sometimes upending it. From Turbo (whose Spock-like ears may have provided super powers), Barbara learns about the will to live; Lexington demonstrates incredible patience and an inexplicable love of golf; Madison teaches that laughter is truly the best medicine and that the whole “nine lives thing” is not reserved just for cats; Morgan should be sainted for tolerating Izzy, who is as cute as she is bad. Barbara is certain that somewhere in doggie heaven there is a poster that says “If you are sick, injured or in need of really expensive medical care, FIND THESE HUMANS!”
My Review
As a dog lover and pet resort owner, Dog-ma was a must-read, can’t-put-it-down kind of book for me! No, this book is not about Zen living, it’s about how living with dogs makes your life complete. I was captured into the hearts of each pup, especially Kashi. The author brings you into the drama with her amazing descriptive adventures.
This book is about hope, courage, love, adventure, determination and spirit. Each dog that comes into the author’s life, gives her and her husband many things that you can’t buy at a store. Kashi’s determination and love showed while helping and adapting play with her companions is wonderful. We can learn so much from dogs. They love unconditionally! Each pup has a special part of them that they give to their owners. Even when they pass on, that part remains with us forever.
My favorite part of Dog-ma is the flooding of the downstairs after the hot water tank malfunctioned. Kashi truly turned lemons into lemonaid! She considered it her own personal pool and splashed a played in the water for hours. Our lives would be so much easier if we could always see the positive in every situation.
As a lifetime dog lover, when we go on vacation, we need to pet any pups that we come across just to get our “fur fix.” My Mother-in-law’s house is so fur-free, I think we have entered into a alternate universe. Even if your house is Fur-free, you will love this book. It will keep you laughing, sometimes crying and you won’t want to stop turning pages to see what these crazy pups are going to do next. I highly recommend putting Dog-ma, the zen of slobber, on your Christmas wish list!
Here is our Border Collie, Marley- he is the most intuitive dog we have ever had!
Author Bio
Barbara grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and always a dog, or two or three. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from a small women’s college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Meeting her husband in Washington, DC, they continued together on a journey as self-proclaimed dog addicts. In the ensuing years, she founded three successful businesses in the Pacific Northwest and is a prolific fundraiser for breast cancer research. She and her husband are retired and now reside in Southwest Florida with two dogs and copious amounts of dog fur. She is currently working on indulging her well known flip flop addiction.
You can find Barbara on her website, Facebook or via Twitter.
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Disclosure: I received this book to review through Moms With Voices Media. All opinions are 100% my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation.