Review: Love at First Bark by Julie Klam

Title: Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself 
Author: Julie Klam
Publisher: Riverhead
Publish Date: October 18, 2011
Source: Library

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're an animal lover.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Julie Klam writes about dogs with a rollicking wit and a radiating warmth-as no other writer can. In her bestselling memoir You Had Me at Woof, she shared the secrets of happiness she learned as an occasionally frazzled but always devoted owner of Boston terriers. Now, with the same enchanting, pop culture-infused amalgam of humor and poignancy that reached the The New York Times and the Today show and won the hearts of readers across the country, she returns with more humorous insight into life with canine companions.

Klam focuses here on dog rescue, and its healing power not only for the dogs who are cared for and able to find good homes, but also for the people who bond with these animals. Klam became involved with rescue after years as an owner of purebred dogs. She was looking for a way to help and participate in a community, but she never imagined just how much she would receive in return. The dogs she has rescued through the years have filled her life with laughter and contentment, sorrow and frustration, and they have made certain that she never has a dull moment. Along the way, she has collected stories from friends who have also found that guiding dogs to nurturing homes made their own lives richer. These experiences, which show us that even in our smallest gestures we can make a big difference, inspired Love at First Bark."

My Two Cents:

I picked this book up at the library because of the cover. Seriously. I judge books by their covers sometimes. When I looked at the summary on the inside flap, I was intrigued. I'm an animal lover. If it's fluffy, feathery, scaly or furry I probably like it. Julie Klam is a DOG LOVER (with all capitals). She lives in a tiny NYC apartment with her husband and daughter and three naughty dogs and she still rescues dogs. It's nice and there should be people like that in the world but I had a really hard time letting go of the idea that Klam was fine with the dogs making messes in such a tiny space.

Some of the writing sort of fell flat for me. For such a short book, I didn't feel like it engaged me as much as I usually like books to engage me. Some of the lines that were supposed to be funny or witty just didn't do it for me. That being said, some of the stories in the book were definitely touching and animal lovers will still probably enjoy this book!