6 Reasons Why You Should Read 'A Dog's Journey' (and 1 Reason Why You Shouldn't)

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A few weeks ago (you might remember), I posted five reasons why I thought you should read the bestselling novel A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

You might also remember that at the end of the post, I mentioned that the sequel, A Dog's Journey (pictured above) - in which Buddy, the dog protagonist, finds himself on a life journey with a different human, Ethan's granddaughter, Clarity - had just hit the shelves and that I'd be reading it as soon as I could get my hands on a local library copy.

Well, I did. And I have. And here's what I think, starting with why you shouldn't read the book:

If you haven't read A Dog's Purpose yet. Trust me. Now, hurry up and read A Dog's Purpose!

And, the reasons why you should:

1 - 4) Refer to the first four reasons why I said you should read the first book. The same reasons apply here.

5) The dog's human is a girl/teenager/woman, which might make the story more relatable to female readers (it was to me). At a minimum, it demonstrates (in literary form) that dogs form equally strong bonds with humans of both sexes.

6) It's just plain fun.

Happy reading!

(P.S. I'll see you back here on Friday.)

Do Read: The Art of Racing in the Rain (just not in the way I did)

And when I say "not in the way," I mean DON'T read it directly after reading (another novel I recently reviewed) A Dog's Purpose.

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In fact, now that I've made the mistake (and I'll explain in a bit), if you haven't read either of these two books yet, I recommend reading The Art of Racing in the Rain first.

A brief explanation: Both books are narrated by a dog. Both books deal with difficult situations (both human and canine). Both books celebrate and study the bond between dogs and humans. Both books are engaging and evocative.

However: The authors use largely different writing styles. The dog protagonists have completely different intellects, personalities, mannerisms and "philosophies." One book (A Dog's Purpose) is suitable for (older) children, the other (due to language and adult situations) is not.

But since I read them practically back-to-back, I can't stop comparing the two, even though in doing so I'm comparing (pardon the cliche) apples to oranges.

So. Let me just say this: I plowed through The Art of Racing in the Rain in just a few hours (over two days). It was that engaging. It is a good read. Just know that Enzo, the narrator, is not overtly dog-like. In fact, he is so human-like (in his thinking), at times, you might forget he's a dog at all. 

And that is okay. :)
(As long as you read Enzo's book first!)

5 Reasons Why You Should Read 'A Dog's Purpose'

I read this bestselling book last week:

Image via Goodreads.com

Here's a brief plot synopsis, from the publisher:

"This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?"

Although I purchased the book several months ago, I had been hesitant to read it because -- being written in the voice and viewpoint of the dog -- I was a little concerned that it might be silly. (Which, I am aware, sounds highly hypocritical coming from me, but I prefer my novels to be a little more sophisticated than my blog posts. So there. :)

I was wrong. It's not silly.

So, because it's summer (and we all need at least one good read over the summer), without giving away any more of the plot, here are five reasons why I think you should read this book:

5. It's written from the perspective of the dog, which, because Cameron seems to be some sort of canine mind-reader, makes for quite a thought-provoking (and often hilarious) read. 

4.  Although I found the first half of the book slow in a couple places, it's a page-turner. I read the entire book over about six hours (the second half pretty much had me riveted).

3. It will make you want to have a deep conversation with your dog (or, at minimum, give your dog your undivided attention, you know, just in case he's trying to tell you something important).

2. It will make you want to bear-hug your dog(s) and pretty much every other dog on the planet. 

1. The sequel, A Dog's Journey, just hit the stores (with outstanding reviews), but you won't fully grasp it if you haven't read A Dog's Purpose first (per several reviewers, as I haven't read the sequel yet, but will be as soon as I can find it at the library). :)

Image via Goodreads.com

Happy reading! 

Note: I did notice on Amazon.com (not an affiliate) that there were several inexpensive used copies of A Dog's Purpose available.

Second note: I'd give you my copy, but I'm making my older two kids read it next.

Third note: If you are my neighbor, you can borrow it when they're done. :)

*****

Another book review coming up tomorrow!

Hint: It's Corgi-related.

What Your Dog Thinks about Your Personality Traits - A Survey

So (as I was saying on the blog yesterday) according to a recent study of 1,000 people in the UK, a person's choice of dog breed might reveal something about that person's personality (for example, owners of Toy dog breeds tend to be open and agreeable).

Yeah, about that whole extrovert magnet thing we said before, we were wrong.
We're magnets for both extroverts AND introverts.

And although I can't refute the study's findings (well, at least the ones that don't apply directly to me), I certainly wouldn't bet the farm on them.

Nevertheless, I've been thinking today (thanks, in part, to the insightful comments left on yesterday's post) about this study's implications and why it's even relevant, and you know what?

I decided to ask Jon Farleigh and Dewi what they think.

(Okay, not really, but you can probably see where I'm going with this.)

So, I thought it would be fun to create a short (5-question) survey of my own to see whether our personality traits reveal anything (about us) to our dogs.

Have you got two minutes to lend your responses?

Click here if you can't see the survey.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

***

Thanks! I'll post the results on Thursday! :)

True or False? Corgi Owners Tend to Be Extroverts

Hint: I said "tend" to be extroverts, not "are" extroverts. (smile)

So, if you answered "false," according to a study done by Jo Fearon and Dr. Lance Workman of Bath Spa University, presented earlier this month to the British Psychological Society, you'd be wrong.

Um, yes, we are extrovert magnets.

According to their study, based on a survey of 1,000 dog owners, who answered questions about their own personality traits, one could draw the conclusion that owners of dogs in the Herding/Pastoral group (i.e. Welsh Corgis, German Shepherds) are more extroverted than, say, owners of dogs in the Hound group (who, incidentally, tend to be more "emotionally stable." I do not make this stuff up).

Here are the high-level findings for each dog breed group:

Group                                                 Owner Personality

Herding (Pastoral):                                     Extroverted

Non-Sporting (Utility):                                 Extroverted and Conscientious

Sporting (Gundogs):                                   Agreeable 

Toy                                                           Agreeable and Open

Hound                                                       Emotionally Stable 

Working                                                    Agreeable

Terrier                                                       Open

In presenting his study at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Dr. Workman said: 

"This study indicates that we might be able to make predictions about someone's personality based on the breed of dog that they choose to own. It seems likely that personality types are subconsciously drawn to certain breeds."

*** 

Okay (Elizabeth talking here), so if the above statement is true, does it mean that an introvert (for example) should naturally shy away from herding breeds (like Welsh Corgis)?

And if that's true, then does it mean that certain people (hypothetically speaking) who think they are introverts, but who are coo coo for Cocoa Puffs about Cardigan Welsh Corgis (for example), are really not introverts, after all, but extroverts??????? 

Well, if so, I hope someone sends those people a memo before they mislead any other poor unsuspecting dog blog readers friends and acquaintances!   

(By the way, someone should also tell Dr. Workman that he might not have used the right sample of people. Just sayin'.)

***

So, what say you?

Do the results of this study hold true for you and your dogs?

Look a'here! We donated today's post...

...an invaluable guide to surviving a power outage - from a dog's perspective - to our local community!

Because taking back a donation is rude, please go see it at Richmond Pet Lovers (dot) com. No gasoline necessary! 

Dewi: Dude, get up here and smile; the mini-peeps are coming.

Jon Farleigh and Dewi - Dogs of the Day on The Daily Corgi

I know I just posted about Dewi's Daily Corgi Cardi Cam appearance last week, but today both Jon Farleigh and Dewi are The Daily Corgi's Dogs of the Day (and they can only be Dogs of the Day once in their lifetimes).  So please go check them out!  :)

Thank you!  Blog friends rock!

See Dewi on The Daily Corgi today!

Oh, my! The Dew Man just made The Daily Corgi (again). I can't help but be proud of my crazy blue boy.  Go see him!

Thanks, Laurie Eno at the pawsome blog The Daily Corgi!

How does S. Gross - The New Yorker Cartoonist - know my dogs?

I posted this on MyCorgi last month:  A New Briefcase =

Yesterday my husband sent me this link:
Cartoons from the Issue of January 10th, 2011: newyorker.com

The dog in the suit with the briefcase looks like it could be a Cardigan.  Hmmm. 
:^)