I turned 50 years old this year and one of my goals was to read 50 books. One of the books I recently read is A Dog”s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.
I”m usually up on the latest fiction about dogs, thanks to DaddyNell, whose Christmas gifts for me almost always include a heartwarming book about animals. But somehow he missed this one. I heard about it while sitting on a beach in Spain, talking to a fellow traveler.
A Dog’s Purpose is told from the perspective of a dog who reincarnates several times, searching for his purpose. Interestingly, he remembers his lives, some of which are happier than others, and he is able to put lessons learned in each life to determine his unique purpose.
My traveler acquaintance said the book wouldn’t make me cry. But it did, though I cry at Hallmark commercials, so it obviously doesn’t take much to get the waterworks going. I cried when the dog experienced abuse, I cried when the dog died, I cried when “bad” things happened to his owners, and I even cried when he determined his purpose. I should invest in Kleenex!
On a brighter note, I liked that the stories point out how dogs might misinterpret our actions. For instance, it’s probably best to never let your dog play with old shoes if you don’t want him to munch on that new pair. And perhaps it’s good to slowly teach that young pup how to be alone rather than to give her free reign of the house while the kids are home for summer break, then suddenly banish her to a garage after school starts.
This is a sweet book for the dog lover. I checked out the author’s website recently and noted that he has written several more books. Might have to check them out!