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A Spot in My Heart: Loving a Special Needs Dog
Grand Prize People's Choice Award Winner
Often reviewed to have fond similarities of stories like Marley & Me . . . this is a heartwarming memoir of life with a bi-laterally deaf Dalmatian. Kelly and her family chose to accept the challenge of raising a deaf dog even though they had no experience before. They learned as they went. Kelly's story has become an award winning memoir. It is not a dog book; it is a powerful tale of a family with a dog in it. Vinnie was full of life and ready to experience everything there was for him to learn and know.
Acceptance and learning to communicate without hearing can be a challenge, but it engendered many stories both funny and sad; his reactions to training and limitations are sometimes hilarious.
Vinnie allowed us to live in his world. This is a book about his time with my family, and his spot in my heart.
Often reviewed to have fond similarities of stories like Marley & Me . . . this is a heartwarming memoir of life with a bi-laterally deaf Dalmatian. Kelly and her family chose to accept the challenge of raising a deaf dog even though they had no experience before. They learned as they went. Kelly's story has become an award winning memoir. It is not a dog book; it is a powerful tale of a family with a dog in it. Vinnie was full of life and ready to experience everything there was for him to learn and know.
Acceptance and learning to communicate without hearing can be a challenge, but it engendered many stories both funny and sad; his reactions to training and limitations are sometimes hilarious.
Vinnie allowed us to live in his world. This is a book about his time with my family, and his spot in my heart.
83 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2016
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Artieri
19 books5 followersKelly Artieri is a professional illustrator. Her degrees are in medical and scientific illustration.
She has worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world for many years, but now enjoys doing freelance illustration.
Kelly is also an award-winning multi-genre author.
You can find out about her work at www.kellyartieri.com.
She has worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world for many years, but now enjoys doing freelance illustration.
Kelly is also an award-winning multi-genre author.
You can find out about her work at www.kellyartieri.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 29, 2018
I almost don't know where to begin with this brief but beautiful memoir.
Kelly Artieri, like me, loves Dalmatians. Like me, she's had more than one. And, like me, one of those dogs had special needs: Vinnie was bilaterally deaf.
Artieri and her family fall in love with Vinnie long before his puppy BAER test reveals his hearing impairment; the breeder tells the family that they are going to have the pup euthanized, but Artieri says they will adopt him anyway.
The challenges of training a deaf dog are brought to light in this book as we see Vinnie's high spirits and need for extra attention running rampant through the house and hearts of his new family. Training with hand signals, while still talking to the dog, is something that came in handy when my own dogs lost their hearing due to age, but it was more of a convenience for me. For Artieri, it was a necessity.
Vinnie also developed OCD (it can happen to any dog, but is common in dogs with hearing impairments) and pica (eating things that aren't food), both of which caused their own set of difficulties.
This is a beautiful, loving book about a handsome dog (there are lots of color plates to enjoy) and a family who clearly adored him. Artieri makes a point that she is not an animal expert, "just a dog mom," but wanted to share her insights and resources with other people who have special needs pets. Nicely done indeed.
Kelly Artieri, like me, loves Dalmatians. Like me, she's had more than one. And, like me, one of those dogs had special needs: Vinnie was bilaterally deaf.
Artieri and her family fall in love with Vinnie long before his puppy BAER test reveals his hearing impairment; the breeder tells the family that they are going to have the pup euthanized, but Artieri says they will adopt him anyway.
The challenges of training a deaf dog are brought to light in this book as we see Vinnie's high spirits and need for extra attention running rampant through the house and hearts of his new family. Training with hand signals, while still talking to the dog, is something that came in handy when my own dogs lost their hearing due to age, but it was more of a convenience for me. For Artieri, it was a necessity.
Vinnie also developed OCD (it can happen to any dog, but is common in dogs with hearing impairments) and pica (eating things that aren't food), both of which caused their own set of difficulties.
This is a beautiful, loving book about a handsome dog (there are lots of color plates to enjoy) and a family who clearly adored him. Artieri makes a point that she is not an animal expert, "just a dog mom," but wanted to share her insights and resources with other people who have special needs pets. Nicely done indeed.
October 11, 2017
A Spot in my Heart is a delightful true story about a hearing-impaired Dalmatian pup and the loving family that adopted him.
It was a learning experience for the family as they dutifully researched the problems and sought expert advice so that they could give the dog all the love and attention he needed.
Vinnie lacked for nothing in that loving environment.
In spite of his hearing problem, OCD, and PICA his owners gave him the best in toys, food, shelter, and medical care.
The author’s writing style made the story even more interesting.
She related the difficulties with ‘the bad dog’ as she referred to him on occasions, as fun experiences and adventure.
There were a few sad moments too.
I enjoyed this book and I am glad that I chose to read it.
I recommend it to all dog lovers.
It was a learning experience for the family as they dutifully researched the problems and sought expert advice so that they could give the dog all the love and attention he needed.
Vinnie lacked for nothing in that loving environment.
In spite of his hearing problem, OCD, and PICA his owners gave him the best in toys, food, shelter, and medical care.
The author’s writing style made the story even more interesting.
She related the difficulties with ‘the bad dog’ as she referred to him on occasions, as fun experiences and adventure.
There were a few sad moments too.
I enjoyed this book and I am glad that I chose to read it.
I recommend it to all dog lovers.
August 9, 2017
Great book! The author provided a free copy, which I finished yesterday. At only 110 pages, this is a quick, charming read about a very patient pet owner and her dog, Vinnie. When the author decided to adopt a deaf Dalmation, she and her family had no idea what they were in for, but with a lot of research and patience, they gave him the best life he could possibly want, and in return, he loved the heck out of them and kept them on their toes. There are even pics of this handsome pup included, so you can really get a great visual of his antics. Sweet and heartfelt, this is fun, light reading.
August 6, 2017
A lovely short memoir about the authors dalmatian Vince. Some very interesting facts and lots of beautiful illustrations. It was written in a way that it feels like the author is having a chat with you. Made me laugh and cry and hopefully it will make more people realise how much commitment animals are. Highly recommend to fans of memoirs and animals.
November 29, 2018
Warm, Interesting and educational
Kelly Artieri shares both her love and dedication for Vinnie, her deaf Dalmatian. The family rose to every challenge faced with their needy and exuberant pup, and he was one lucky dog to land in their laps. I learned a lot about dog DNA, dog training, doggie day care, and vets through this book, and I, too, came to love Vinnie. I loved seeing (and enlarging) photos of Vinnie included with each chapter. The book is short and written in an easy, conversational style.
Kelly Artieri shares both her love and dedication for Vinnie, her deaf Dalmatian. The family rose to every challenge faced with their needy and exuberant pup, and he was one lucky dog to land in their laps. I learned a lot about dog DNA, dog training, doggie day care, and vets through this book, and I, too, came to love Vinnie. I loved seeing (and enlarging) photos of Vinnie included with each chapter. The book is short and written in an easy, conversational style.
January 12, 2018
A must-read for dog owners and a mandatory read for special-needs dog parents.
A Spot in MY Heart was very pleasant reading for me. I don’t want to underestimate the value of a pleasant reading book. Some books are “difficult” to read but rewarding if you can get through them. But pleasant reading is relaxing in a way difficult reading isn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it gave me a preview inside the world of the “pet-parent”.
Kelly Artieri expertly writes about how the love for her bi-laterally deaf puppy has no bounds. It seems that deafness was just the tip of the iceberg of problems with the family Dalmatian, Vinnie. Aside from the usual personality quirks of the Dal breed in general, apparently doggie hearing problems occasionally brings about traits and oddities that, while often hilarious, are frustrating and even dangerous for the dog and others. Oh, and as I learned, quite expensive in terms of medical costs, at least when it came to Vinnie anyway.
“Pet-parent” is the only way I can describe people with patients enough to have a special-needs animal in my estimation. While any owner of a normal, healthy dog could definitely be a “pet-parent”, special-needs dogs requires the kind of care and love only a parent can provide.
A Spot in MY Heart was very pleasant reading for me. I don’t want to underestimate the value of a pleasant reading book. Some books are “difficult” to read but rewarding if you can get through them. But pleasant reading is relaxing in a way difficult reading isn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it gave me a preview inside the world of the “pet-parent”.
Kelly Artieri expertly writes about how the love for her bi-laterally deaf puppy has no bounds. It seems that deafness was just the tip of the iceberg of problems with the family Dalmatian, Vinnie. Aside from the usual personality quirks of the Dal breed in general, apparently doggie hearing problems occasionally brings about traits and oddities that, while often hilarious, are frustrating and even dangerous for the dog and others. Oh, and as I learned, quite expensive in terms of medical costs, at least when it came to Vinnie anyway.
“Pet-parent” is the only way I can describe people with patients enough to have a special-needs animal in my estimation. While any owner of a normal, healthy dog could definitely be a “pet-parent”, special-needs dogs requires the kind of care and love only a parent can provide.
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March 7, 2018First, I want to thank Kelly Artieri for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
Spot on my Heart by Kelly Artieri definitely left a lasting impression on my heart. Kelly Artieri tells her beautiful story about her amazing Dalmatian Vinnie whom has special needs. She shares with her readers the amazing journey how Vinnie became part of the family. There was one scene that was really hard to read emotionally when deciding to keep Vinnie. This scene pulled on my heart strings tightly! I am so thankful everything worked out. I wanted to reach into the book and give both Kelly and Vinnie a hug.
The bond and the unconditional love that she has for Vinnie shows throughout this book. All the research she did to make sure she taking care of Vinnie and his needs was one way she showed it. Vinnie showed them just as much love if not more back too. It was just a special relationship and experience this family was able to share with this loving dog.
In the book you will see pictures of Vinnie. Kelly also educates you on everything Dalmatians.
This is a short but very powerful read. Even if you never had a dog of your own (like me) you will want one after this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews