“That’s the lesson of the dogs, that it’s important to both live in the moment and then go on to the next wonderful thing.”
Josh Michaels is almost a modern-day hermit, living in a cabin near Evergreen, Colorado, where he only gets a cell signal out in his backyard. He telecommutes and is rarely interrupted. Then, one day, there is a call that changes his world – his neighbor needs him to watch his dog while he goes to bail his brother out of jail in France. Josh has never had the dog and tries to say no, but Lucy is thrust upon him quickly, even though it’s obvious she’s pregnant. Panic sets in as Josh tries to figure out how to take care of a pregnant dog.
I have enjoyed many W. Bruce Cameron books and when I saw there was a Christmas one available as an audiobook, I quickly checked it out through Libby from my local library. The Dogs of Christmas is told from the human’s perspective, but does include the love of dogs all throughout the book. I originally read A Dog’s Journey through a blind date with a book from my local library and then went on to read A Dog’s Purpose and Emory’s Gift.
While Josh’s girlfriend has left him months ago for someone else, he still has her pictures up around his home. When a fairly attractive woman from the shelter stops by to help him with his predicament, she sees potential in him, but Josh has several issues to deal with before he can truly open up to someone else. He lives in his family’s old home and the memories of his parents breaking up before Christmas still haunts him. Lucy ends up giving him the best Christmas gift he could ever want – a heart that understands the less of the dogs.
The Dogs of Christmas is a heart-warming tale of how much dogs can help people in all areas of their lives. It has some twists and turns, and even some scary moments, but being a holiday book, all ends well. Animal lovers, lovers of holiday fiction and lovers of good fiction will all enjoy this book. It would be fine for high school readers or older.
How do you incorporate your pets into your holiday traditions?