A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life

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A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 490 ratings · 132 reviews

Steven Kotler was forty years old and facing an existential crisis—which made him not too different from just about every other middle-aged guy in Los Angeles. Then he met Joy, a woman devoted to the cause of canine rescue. "Love me, love my dogs," was her rule, and not having any better ideas, Steven took it to heart. Together with their pack of eight dogs—then fifteen do...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published September 28th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA (first published September 18th 2010)

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Nov 08, 2011 Lea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-wins, acquired-2011, books-i-own, read-2011, reviews

Wow -- I've got a lot to say in this review, and it's hard to know where to start . . . I guess I should say first that I won this in a First Reads giveaway. Thanks!

I signed up for this giveaway on a whim -- I like animals (although I prefer horses to dogs), but a memoir about animal rescue wouldn't necessarily be my first choice. But the idea intrigued me, and I figured I'd just pass the book along to my sister when I'd finished it. Well, sorry, Q, you're going to have to pick up your own copy...more Wow -- I've got a lot to say in this review, and it's hard to know where to start . . . I guess I should say first that I won this in a First Reads giveaway. Thanks!

I signed up for this giveaway on a whim -- I like animals (although I prefer horses to dogs), but a memoir about animal rescue wouldn't necessarily be my first choice. But the idea intrigued me, and I figured I'd just pass the book along to my sister when I'd finished it. Well, sorry, Q, you're going to have to pick up your own copy -- I just can't let this one go!

The book didn't click with me initially. The author seemed a bit . . . angsty to me. I'm a very happy person, so reading about his anxieties and the negativity he was experiencing at the beginning of the book was depressing, and even disturbing. I really wasn't sure if I could read an entire book filled with this seemingly glass-half-empty attitude.

But I did keep reading, and as the story progressed it seemed as though the author experienced a lightening of his spirit. His focus shifted to the dogs in his care, and this part of the book became more enjoyable. It was both heartbreaking and uplifting to see the compassion and attachment this couple have with not just their dogs, but ALL dogs. I can't say I could do what they do, but it was interesting to get a first person perspective of what goes into animal rescue.

The book really came alive for me when the author began writing about his research into dogs and various states of being -- he discusses altruism, sexual orientation, enlightenment, shamanism and shapeshifting, dog and human evolution, inter-species communication . . . I could honestly go on and on and on, and none of it was anything less than intriguing. I really enjoyed how he would use an experience with his dogs as a jumping off point for a scientific discussion, then circle back to the initial story. I found this made this made the technical bits more personal as I considered them in relation to the author's life.

I do believe Steven Kotler has found some form of enlightenment at his dog rescue in New Mexico. I'm not sure he will ever be as emotionally strong as he probably needs to be, given the last-chance nature of the animals he works with, but it appears he's found a balance that works for him.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book, and I will personally be searching out all of Kotler's other books.(less)

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Mar 13, 2012 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

A Goodreads friend recommended I read this book, and I must say I'm glad I did. Written by a professional writer and dog-lover, A Small Furry Prayer recounts the work of a husband and wife team of dog rescuers, a couple who adopt dogs slated for death at animal shelters in order to give them a last chance at rehabilitation and adoption, or at the very minimum a happy and loving home during their last months of life.

Interestingly, I recently finished The Evolution of Brun...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Brittany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, anthrozoology

There are very few books that I finish actually speechless. Most of the time, in the course of reading, I make a few notes of things I want to be sure to include in the review. Not this one. This one swept me away so completely I could only read, I couldn't even think about the experience of reading, and reviewing was entirely out of the question.

Starkly, this book is the story of what happens to one man's life when, in his 40s, he realizes that his high-flying journalist life in LA just isn't c...more There are very few books that I finish actually speechless. Most of the time, in the course of reading, I make a few notes of things I want to be sure to include in the review. Not this one. This one swept me away so completely I could only read, I couldn't even think about the experience of reading, and reviewing was entirely out of the question.

Starkly, this book is the story of what happens to one man's life when, in his 40s, he realizes that his high-flying journalist life in LA just isn't cutting it anymore. First he ends up with a dog, and a 14-step outline of how to take care of that dog. The he falls in love with a dog rescuer. And before he fully understands what's happening to his life, he has moved to a tiny drug-ridden town in New Mexico and is living with an ever-varying number of rescued dogs, all of whom have special needs, and regularly starting his morning with "shit toe" (what happens when you step in dog poop barefoot.)

Many books have been written about how animals have changed a human's life. But only very rarely, in my experience, are those books written by people who didn't start out as dog people. This guy didn't. He didn't grow up with dogs. He lived alone in a city without one. (Something this book caused me to realize I could never even contemplate anymore. Three months in NYC without Lily was almost the end of me). He also didn't start out as a "pack" person; he was perfectly fine on his own, or thought he was. But moving in with a pack, and then realizing he needed them -- and further realizing that they were daily expanding and deepening his worldview threw his world for a serious loop.

Being a skeptical, hard-bitten journalist, he responded by researching the heck out of the situation. He appears to have interviewed every canid expert, ecologist, behaviorist, anthropologist, shaman, psychologist, and philosopher he could get his hands on and read a truly staggering number of books. So many books and articles, in fact, that I started wondering who was financing all this reading. These aren't books you can find in just any public library. I'm going to have to use some of my research library access to read many of them (which I'm very much looking forward to doing.)

This is the kind of book that makes you rethink your worldview in a wonderful and unexpected way. It made me realize that the times in my life I have fought depression the hardest have been the times I have tried to live pack-less. And those depressed times are peppered with my attempts to find a surrogate pack. What Kotler learned about canine and human evolution--that in a very real way we domesticated each other and evolved to live together and suffer when we live apart--made a huge amount of sense. Many of the books and much of the research he cited I was familiar with, but a lot of it was also new, and I can't wait to check it out.

His writing style was wonderful. The prose was gritty, realistic, human, humble, proud, crazy, tragic and very funny. In short, it accurately reflected what I have experienced of real life.

At times, he could come off a little--well, something that could probably be called credulous, overzealous, or overly-optimistic. And while I realized that it could come off that way, it did not to me. This level of epiphany cannot be counterfeited. And epiphanies, by their very nature, often imbue one with optimism and a willingness to embrace ideas you would never have otherwise considered. While I am withholding judgement on some of his conclusions, he inspired me to explore them for myself, and to think more deeply about who I am and how I fit into the world.

You really can't say anything better about a book than that. I highly recommend this to everyone on the planet.

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Dec 11, 2010 Larry Strattner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love dog books. I read all dog books. I read dog books from training books, to breed tomes, to stuff like Marley and Dog On It,(a good detective story by the way).

If you read dog books too this book is a must. It is the best mixture of story and science about, or related to, dogs I have read in a long time.

The author is a rescuer. He gets a lot of chiuauas at his rescue operation. If I never saw another chiuaua it would be too soon. In spite of this bias I loved the book and the dogs who dropp...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Darcia Helle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways, animals, biographies-memoirs, nonfiction

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I laughed and cried. I didn't want it to end.

Kotler didn't set out to be a hero to unwanted dogs. That role came to him, first with a dog named Ahab, then with a woman who said that to love her meant loving her dogs. But this is more than a story about dogs. It's about a man finding his purpose through and with these dogs, about what it means to be human, about compassion and love and what's truly important in life. This book touched me all...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like dog stories, always have, so I liked Kotler's book just for that reason. What I particularly liked about this one was that it was about a couple-Steven and Joy-setting up a sanctuary for dogs and dealing with all the problems involved with that.. We meet a lot of different dogs with special needs and we see Steven's approach to socialize the dogs and create a family for the dogs ( as well as for himself and Joy). But with the joys come the inevitable heartbreaks. Furthermore,"the Rancho d...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Leilani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dogs

At first the author's writing style annoyed me - it seemed glib, rushed, overly self-conscious. He kept brushing by intriguing ideas and leaving them after just a few paragraphs. After a while, however, I grew to appreciate his exploration of a wide variety of ideas. The section about biotic egalitarianism was especially interesting. And the portraits of individual dog personalities were vivid and winning. (The descriptions of local animal cruelty were difficult to read, though.)

I'm still annoye...more

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May 28, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dog-books

This book was fantastic. Probably one of the best books I've read in quite a while.

First off, it was not at all what I expected it to be. I was expecting, admittedly, without doing much research on the book first as I received it for free, a sappy story about a dog rescue, compiled mostly of stories of individual dogs. Although there is a component of that in this book, the larger part is comprised of an exploration into the science and philosophy of animal psychology and the human/animal bond....more This book was fantastic. Probably one of the best books I've read in quite a while.

First off, it was not at all what I expected it to be. I was expecting, admittedly, without doing much research on the book first as I received it for free, a sappy story about a dog rescue, compiled mostly of stories of individual dogs. Although there is a component of that in this book, the larger part is comprised of an exploration into the science and philosophy of animal psychology and the human/animal bond.

The book is very well researched, and much appreciated by me, the author provides and extensive references list at the end of the book. I think I will end up looking a lot of these up and checking them out.

A Small Furry Prayer documents the author's journey from a dog owner to a dog rescuer. The journey he describes is largely an emotional change, as he discovers a kinship with the dogs which leads him to question common belief that animals are not sentient beings - that self awareness and emotional range are special traits reserved only for homo sapiens. He uses his stories of his experiences with the dogs as a springboard for taking the reader on a trip through his research, and what that research has led him to conclude. It was extremely interesting, and very enlightening. There were parts of this book that were so hilarious that I had to read them aloud to my husband, and there were parts that were so serious I needed to read them twice to get a full grasp. There were also parts that were terrifying, horrifying, and incredibly sad. This will definitely be a book that I will remember for a long time.

I appreciated this book because in sharing my life with six animals I find myself asking some of the same questions that Kotler did. It was refreshing to read such a well researched book that followed along with my own thoughts about wildlife, farm animals and companion animals.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who works in animal rescue (of any sort), or is interested in animal psychology.(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Georgia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was very informative as the author researched the relationship that man has had with animals throughout history and more specifically, with our canine companions. I learned a lot about dogs and how they are able to read our emotions. It's really amazing what animals can pick up on. I also learned that dogs have been a part of our daily lives almost since the beginning of time. They assisted humans with hunting, kept us warm at night, and helped protect our families and they still conti...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

A rescue friend of mine put this in my hands, telling me I would like it. I love books about dogs, but this one didn't look very special.

In fact, when I started reading it, I was immediately disdainful. Kotler's editor really screwed up. There were a lot of spelling errors and his stream of consciousness narrative had NO structure.

But the content ended up mattering so much more to me (which REALLY says something, if you know me). It took awhile for Kotler to lure me into his life. The individual...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Ponch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am so disappointed. I am a huge fan of animal rescues (I worked for one and have volunteered for one as well) and I really wanted to like this book. Actually that is too harsh in a way. I did not finish reading the book. I could definitely tell it was written by a reporter and I found it to be very wordy. I loved the concept or the book and a really valued the information that I received in the first 70 pages. Unfortunately, I kind of felt like I was studying when I was reading this book. It r...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Bobby rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a lovely surprise. Often times a book about dogs may veer, sometimes just slightly, into cheesy territory with no substance. I didn't know what to expect from this one and to be fair you rarely do know until you start reading such a book. I expected the memoir part of this book, of course, and found that thread to be interesting, honest, and insightful. What I didn't expect was to see the author's experiences alongside different insights, usually of a scientific nature. There I fou...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The author, Steven Kotler had written for magazines and newspapers, and had never considered himself an animal person. He was introduced to Ahab by a friend, who thought Kotler would be a good companion for the dog. Kotler and Ahab became best friends.

Later, that same friend introduced Kotler to Joy, a woman with a passion for chihuahua rescue. As he fell deeper in love and felt the need for a change, he and Joy set out to find a place, secluded from neighbors with lots of cheap land. They ended...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, first-reads-and-early-reviews

A SMALL FURRY PRAYER: DOG RESCUE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE by Steven Kotler is nonfiction. I prefer nonfiction to fiction when the nonfiction tells a story, as nonfiction often does not. In this case, A SMALL FURRY PRAYER does and doesn’t. It really is about what the subtitle says, dog rescue and the meaning of life.

The book begins when Kotler is 40 and wants to do something different with the rest of his life. He falls in love with a dog rescuer, Joy. Love Joy, love the dogs. So dog rescue turns...more A SMALL FURRY PRAYER: DOG RESCUE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE by Steven Kotler is nonfiction. I prefer nonfiction to fiction when the nonfiction tells a story, as nonfiction often does not. In this case, A SMALL FURRY PRAYER does and doesn’t. It really is about what the subtitle says, dog rescue and the meaning of life.

The book begins when Kotler is 40 and wants to do something different with the rest of his life. He falls in love with a dog rescuer, Joy. Love Joy, love the dogs. So dog rescue turns out to be both the subject of the book and the “something different” that Kotler does.

Kotler moves from LA to New Mexico with Joy and her dogs. They live in a home with lots of property and lots of solitude.

Joy’s pack of dogs becomes Kotler’s pack as well. And the pack keeps growing as the local humane society gets more unadoptable dogs, i.e., dogs who are sick, maybe dying, retarded, ugly, etc. But freelance writing assignments are much harder to come by in the out-of-the-way place they now live. So money is always an issue, and they make their choices based on that: $20 or $60 dog food? medical treatment for the dogs or euthanasia? rescue 13 or 10 dogs? and so on.

Chapters of this book tell stories of their lives with their dogs, with Kotler’s thoughts on particular incidents. This leads to much philosophizing and a lot of research and examination. Some chapters are continuation of examination of issues from the previous chapter. But you could still say that A SMALL FURRY PRAYER does tell a story because the chapters are presented in chronological order.

Yet, each chapter of the book could stand on its own. This is a device many writers of nonfiction use, and it is often successful. John Grogan used it in MARLEY & ME. He put together the newspaper columns he wrote about his family’s life with their dog, and look how well that book did.

Although that type construction doesn’t entirely work with me, in both cases (both MARLEY & ME and A SMALL FURRY PRAYER) I liked almost every chapter. (In A SMALL FURRY PRAYER, I could have done without a whole chapter on dogs and sex.) But these books came across as what they are: many common but separate stories or (as in the case of A SMALL FURRY PRAYER) stories that lead to thoughtful examinations.

The common thread running throughout A SMALL FURRY PRAYER: has Kotler chosen the right path for the rest of his life? So he examines the path he chose: dog rescue. The separate stories of dogs that Kotler and Joy rescue are touching, Igor’s story especially so. You’ll see.

The book is not a single, detailed story, my preference. Just the same, I loved the individual stories, and Kotler’s examinations are excellent. His viewpoints are validated by much research that is so much like those of Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, I hoped that they knew each other. So I emailed Kotler to ask him. Unfortunately not, but I’m betting it will happen.

As for my comparison of A SMALL FURRY PRAYER and MARLEY AND ME, it ends with their construction. In my opinion, honestly, A SMALL FURRY PRAYER far outweighs MARLEY AND ME. While I enjoyed MARLEY AND ME because it was often laugh-out-loud funny, I prefer stories that are thoughtful as well as humorous, as those in A SMALL FURRY PRAYER are.

I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: real-life

I listened to A Small Furry Prayer on my commute back and forth to work. I'd find myself so engrossed in what was being said, that I'd realize 10 minutes had passed, and I had reached my destination!

Not only is this a story about dog rescue, but it's also the philosophy and scientific research behind animals, dogs in particular. I learned that the panting noise my Chihuahua Zuzu makes when she's playing with me, and that she joins in with me when I make the noise, is actually doggie laughter. I...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Michelle Jones Urfer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals

Okay, this book was just a little weird..... I wanted to hear more stories about the dogs, and instead had to read through a lot of the author's bizarre "meaning of life" thoughts......many of which were beyond strange..... "shape-shifting"? Really? I loved hearing about how he acquired many of the dogs - and I loved hearing about how they overcame of lot of fear issues w/ some of the dogs - and I cried when I read about those who didn't live to see their forever homes....but it was tough for me...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Pamela Barrett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received Steven Kotler’s book A Small Furry Prayer in the mail on the day we picked up our first foster dog, a chocolate and tan dachshund with an attitude. Good thing, then I didn’t take all the growling personally. I found that Steven’s book was something I needed to sift through. There are short anecdotes of his life at the dog rescue, Rancho De Chihuahua that he and his wife run in New Mexico, inter-dispersed with science and esoteric meanderings.

I loved reading about the dogs and how thi...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, dog-cat-bird

I have been turning over and over again about how to write this review. To me, there were two books in one. One book is about the personal experiences of the couple with the dog rescue in northern Arizona and the other is related or not sometimes not of philosophy of religion and animal research.

The part that I enjoyed was the telling of Joy, Steven Kotler’s almost saint like wife and his relationship to her and the dogs. Both of them had chronic illnesses. She has Lupus and he has Lyme disease....more I have been turning over and over again about how to write this review. To me, there were two books in one. One book is about the personal experiences of the couple with the dog rescue in northern Arizona and the other is related or not sometimes not of philosophy of religion and animal research.

The part that I enjoyed was the telling of Joy, Steven Kotler’s almost saint like wife and his relationship to her and the dogs. Both of them had chronic illnesses. She has Lupus and he has Lyme disease. So both of them were limited physically in what they could do by their immunological diseases. Joy seemed to be driven in her desire to run a shelter operation. I didn’t know before reading that the many of the rescue dogs are often so feral that they could never be pets. They might seek the heat of a human’s body for warmth at night but if that human woke up and started to get out of bed, the dogs might bite them.

The couple moved from Southern California to Chimayo, New Mexico soon after starting their rescue operation. Partly because the place they rented was going to be sold. I had some hunches about which dogs from shelter would be most adopted. I knew without saying that the puppies that are cute and cuddly and especially those that were already housebroken are the first to be adopted. I didn’t know that the color of the dog’s coat made a difference. When searching for a dog in the pound that would be considered a candidate, they looked for the shy, the handicapped, deaf, blind, drooling, chewy, dogs who were probably not housebroken.

I learned that I probably would never be up to heartache and the disappointment of running a dog rescue operation. Joy loved the dogs so much, that it was love me and the dogs or we don’t get together. So since Steve loved her, he decided to accept the dogs and was surprised to find that he was profoundly grief stricken when they died, often of old age.

Now, the part I didn’t like. This may be because of my educational background. I took philosophy and philosophy of religion course and a full year of animal behavior courses. I have also read a great deal about animal intelligence and behavior. That is why, when the author would discuss a study or an animal story, I felt irritated. When I decided to read this book, mainly because of the endearing cover of a dog looking so forlorn, I didn’t expect to review all or most of the material that I had already covered in college. I started skipping through the book whenever a study or a religion thought was discussed.

If you are different from me and are interested in animal rescue operations, love dogs but haven’t read many animal studies than you will probably love this book and wonder at how many things we know about animals and dogs and familiar. But if you are already well schooled in this topic you might not learn very much from this book and will be disappointing.

I received this book from the Library Thing program and that in no way influenced any part of my review.

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Oct 29, 2012 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal

I LOVE dogs...and cats...and I am in the process of trying to adopt a new dog from a rescue so when I saw Steven Kotler's book at the library I immediately picked it up. While the book has plenty of good parts, I just can't recommend it. Kotler is just very wordy and rather than writing a dog book about dogs, in every every chapter he goes off on some philosophical tangent. I admit after a while I just started skipping large parts. It is really a shame because he obviously has lots of interestin...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read

I won this book in a First Reads giveaway, and I tried really hard to get into it, but I eventually gave up. I really wanted to read this book as I love reading books about how dogs and pets can change a person's life. But, after getting about 1/4 of the way through the book, I had had enough.

I loved the fact that the author and Joy take in so many dogs, but I just could not relate to either person/character. I couldn't get past the narrator's/author's arrogance and selfishness. He constantly co...more

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Mar 27, 2013 stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, animals, kindle, memoirs, non-fiction

this book was not what i thought. i thought it was going to be a nice book about dog rescue. which it is, kind of. but it's also about science and humanity and all the classic existential questions: is there a god? why do i exist? do i exist? what is the point of any of this? can i be loved? what is love? etc. etc.

so, not really beach reading, even for me, but i highlighted lots (i love that part about kindles - it's not an actual highlight) and plan to go back. there was so much food for thoug...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Marvel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Interesting book when the author is talking about their dogs and the rescue facility they opened in New Mexico but he spends most of his time delving into the philosophy of life and the way philosophers over the ages have come to their conclusions as to the relationship between men and animals. There were some educational segments and I now know that Descartes was an idiot - I don't care if he is known as the father of modern philosophy. Seems he didn't think animals had souls thus they had no f...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Beverly Deardurff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Steven and Joy, his girlfriend whom he later married, decided to open a dog rescue shelter in New Mexico. They moved from Los Angles. Steven's aspiration was to open a center for dogs who were not adoptable. Through his play, interactions, attachments, and death, he made comparisons with other people's research. Buddha taught "four noble truths: life is suffering, suffering has a cause, the end of suffering is the goal of life, thus the removal of suffering is how we should pass our days". These...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

as dog rescuers are part of my day-to-day life as a veterinarian, I've had my thoughts as to why they do what they do, or at what point does a well-meaning soul cross "that line"?

well, this book was unexpectedly enjoyable and insightful. the author does his research and presents the bond we feel for dogs, and they for us, in a practical and yet kind, fashion. a bit slow to start, I did find that the book touched on many emotional components that helps to define our connection with those we call...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Shesh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just finished this amazing book. It makes me want to start a dog rescue. Or maybe just bring a rescue home (but I already have over the legal limit number of dogs in SLC). The second part of the title, the Meaning of Life is quite a surprise. Gay dogs, empathetic dogs, dogs who read the faces of humans, iq's of dogs and wolves and does the D-o-g believe in G-o-d? Okay - some of it was a bit out there - I really want to rate it 4.5 stars but for those of us out here who believe in the Bob Marley...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Chrissy Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Other than a few passages that highlight some interesting animal research and studies, this book is a rambling diary of the author patting himself on the back for working with rescues. He is quite deluded as to what effective rescue work is really like. There is a fine line between animal rescue and animal hording.

Who can help but gag while reading someone go on and on about how great and noble they are. I expected so much more from this book. Also his use of the word "retarded" and general ste...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Written in clean, sometimes humorous prose, a really good read and goes well beyond warm and fuzzies. Lots of great research woven in about the history of human-canine relationships, altruism and behavior. A surprising spiritual component that spoke directly to me and actually helped with some current human-canine issues in my own home. Loved it. You don't have to be a pet-rescue person to appreciate it. In fact, it opens the window of understanding between those who choose that way of life and...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Suzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dog-books

This book was a pleasure to read, visually and emotionally. I only have one criticism; that it got a bit too educational towards the end, leaning heavily on technical details rather than story-telling. That's not to say that I don't want to learn something while I'm reading, but I purchased this book because I wanted to read about the life of an animal rescuer, and particularly about the author and his partner who had started their own rescue farm. I want to know about the dogs, their personalit...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Audrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

While the story itself was one that was entertaining and enlightening, most of the book wasn't necessarily about the story.

I suppose the title really gives away what the book will be about, but more emphasis should be placed on the "meaning of life" part, since that is what Steven Kotler focused on more.

The basic plot behind this book is that Steven and his girlfriend, Joy find themselves struggling financially when their landlord in LA decides to sell the property and evict them. The problem...more While the story itself was one that was entertaining and enlightening, most of the book wasn't necessarily about the story.

I suppose the title really gives away what the book will be about, but more emphasis should be placed on the "meaning of life" part, since that is what Steven Kotler focused on more.

The basic plot behind this book is that Steven and his girlfriend, Joy find themselves struggling financially when their landlord in LA decides to sell the property and evict them. The problem with this idea is that Steven and Joy have a handful of Chihuahuas, making it difficult to find a new rental property that will allow the amount of dogs they have. Finally, with little other option, the two find a home in Chimayo, New Mexico, a place known more for their violence and drug addicted citizens then anything else. At this point, Steven seems to know that because Joy is really the driving force behind the 'rescue operation,' so he decides to fully commit, and the two begin a bonafide rescue adventure. Up to this point, the two have really only rescued Chihuahuas, but after moving to Chimayo, they quickly find they are the only rescue in town and are soon called to pick up dogs they would not normally rescue.

The story revolves around how Steven and Joy treat the rescue dogs, believing love and trust will slowly turn their sorry life around. They then try to find homes for these pups once they are rehabilitated, although they have their fair share of dogs that don't seem to change. Throughout the whole process Steven philosophizes about life and how the true meaning of life can really be seen in the behavior of dogs.

Now this wouldn't necessarily be a terrible thing...if most of the book were about the experiences Steven and Joy faced as they started their dog rescue. But Steven spends much of the book talking about a quote or finding or statistic that helps reaffirm some life lesson about trust or love or homosexuality. And so the book really seems more about the studies that other people have conducted more than the start of a dog rescue.

It certainly wasn't a book that was difficult to get through. But I did find myself sometimes thinking about other things that needed to get done while I was reading because of how off topic it sometimes seemed to get. The fact that I downloaded the Kindle version as the Daily Deal for $.99 doesn't make this book a bad pick up. (less)

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May 29, 2013 Ronnie Bishop rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book took me a ridiculously long time to read. That is partially due to the fact that I have the attention span of a gnat, but it is also partially because this book isn't the nice easy read I thought it would be. Because of the dog on the cover, I thought this would similar to Merrill Markoe's Walking in Circles Before Lying Down but it isn't. There are some fun stories in there about this guy's adventures in dog rescuing, but a lot of it was psychological and philosophical discussion abou...more

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About Steven Kotler

Steven Kotler has been a freelance writer since 1993. His articles have appeared in over 42 publications, including: The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Wired, Discover, Popular Science, Details, Outside, National Geographic and ESPN the Magazine. His December 2002 Moment Magazine story about private detective Steven Rambam, "The Last Nazi Hunter," won the Rockower Award for Best Profile.

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“When people say that animal rescuers are crazy, what they really mean is that animal rescuers share a number of fundamental beliefs that makes them easy to marginalize. Among those is the belief that Rene Descartes was a jackass.” — 11 people liked it

“It was a silly time to try to make a living out of words, but it was a silly time in general.” — 2 people liked it

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