A Bittersweet Story, the Life of a Stray Dog
Written: Sep 25 '07 (Updated Sep 28 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Perspective told by a dog, Awareness, Pet Responsibility
Cons: Bittersweet story that will bring tears, not easy to read nor recommended for sensitive children
The Bottom Line: Squirrel lives a tough life as a stray and she recalls her life in this autobiography. This is written to increase awareness of abandoned and homeless pets.
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| pestyside's Full Review: Ann Martin - A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a ... |
Life was good for the new puppies in the shed, especially while they were in living in the wheelbarrow with their mom. Humans were close by but they never bothered the animals taking shelter in the shed. Squirrel was especially close to her brother Bone. She had snoozing time in the sun, cats to play with, and a mom who loved her until one day when their protective mom left and didn’t return.
A Dog’s Life turns out to be a difficult book to read and it tugs at your heart as author Ann M. Martin tells the story of a stray dog from the dog’s perspective.This is told in first-dog narrative. She is Squirrel, Bad Dog, Daisy, and Addie. She lives briefly with a number of people but mostly she lives with Moon (a canine friend of the road) and by herself.
Never really knowing a regular schedule for eating, her luck is best with trash cans where she doesn’t have to worry about other stray dogs. She develops a pattern of living in the shelter of farms during cold winters and wandering the streets during the warm times of the year. She learned the lessons of survival at a very young age.
When she was first separated from her brother Bone, the two had been “adopted” by a couple who almost hit them with their car. While the woman wanted the dogs, the man didn’t and tossed them in a box leaving them to the mercy of anyone in the parking lot of a mall. They were about five months old. They were found, but separated. She was cuter than her brother and the next “adopters” left him in the lot separating the two. This relationship didn’t work out and she soon found herself wandering around, completely on her own. Later another couple adopted her and while they were nice, they kept Squirrel isolated and stuck in a room all by herself. She was so lonely, something she didn’t think would happen with a human family. They forgot to feed her or play with her, but that’s OK, she was just a summer dog. In the fall they were gone from the summer house and she was once again alone.
My Thoughts
Well written books have the ability not only entertain but encourage us to think, feel, question, laugh, and cry, as well as to see our world through various perspectives. This is a book written for fourth and fifth grade readers, but they had best have strong hearts and lots of tissues. It will foster empathy for homeless animals. The misfortune that falls upon this homeless dog will have all readers misty and all lovers of dogs aching to adopt every stray they find.
Broken down by injuries, age, too many years of hunting and eating from the garbage takes its toll on Squirrel and her last winter on the road was her hardest. As you prepare yourself for the inevitable, the author provides a heartwarming conclusion. Squirrel learned to survive and didn’t need a human, after all, they had done nothing but let her down, cast her aside, thrown her away, hurt her, or worse. Her heart was braced for being alone, until she met Susan.
The story begins with Addie/Squirrel recalling her days as a stray, remarking upon how important warmth is for old dogs, but she was also remembering how cruelly she had been treated by humans. Ann M. Martin wrote Addie’s story as an autobiography of a stray, as an autobiography of many strays with the hope of increasing awareness of the conditions homeless dogs face every day.
I’m not certain who should read this bittersweet chapter book. The author, who spends much of her time on animal rescues, has combined the stories of many dogs she has met, into this stray's autobiography, and as such, this becomes a powerfully emotional book. A child sensitive to the sufferings of animals will have difficulty reading this and their hearts will ache in much the same way mine ached. Using this in a classroom and as a tool to instruct about pet responsibilities might be one of the best ways to use A Dog's Life. Children who assist with rescues and at shelters will especially appreciate the stories as it provides a voice for the animals they are attempting to help. While I consider this a must read for anyone considering adopting a puppy, for anyone about to take on the responsibility of pet care, I caution readers. It is a painful story to read, but the final pages provide long-awaited hope. It’s unfortunate that Squirrel had to endure so much hardship to reach happiness.
This book is my seventh contribution to hadassahchana’s and dramastef’s Fight Illiteracy Write Off.
Recommended:
Yes
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