10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me: Life Lessons from a Man's Best Friend

by Carlo De Vito

Poignant, funny tales about a man and his dog - and the lessons learned about responsibility and enduring friendship.

It is love at first sight when Carlo De Vito, an aspiring book editor, first meets Exley, the rambunctious, rescued German Shorthair Pointer he adopts and who becomes his faithful companion. In 10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me , De Vito writes about their experiences growing up together - and the life lessons that invariably result from their adventures. Ultimately, when his beloved friend is gone, De Vito discovers some thruths about love, loss, and lasting friendship.

"It had been Exley's job to raise me. All that time we had been having fun, going for walks, getting into trouble, being companions and friends in some great adventure. And I had spent so much time teaching him to sit, stay, lie down, roll over. But all along, he had been teaching me. It is the child that makes the man, and in this case it was a dog. All along it had been the dog doing the teaching, not me. How do you like that? And I love him for it to this day and will for the rest of my life."

Writing in the heartwarming, bestselling tradition of Pack of Two and My Dog Skip , De Vito captures the spirit of that tie in a way that will resonate with not only dog lovers, but all those who share their heart and home with a pet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Dogs, Memoir

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Dale]

This was a charming, short book about a real character of a dog. I had fallen in love with 'Exley' by the end of the book and had become somewhat personally involved. The premise of the book, of lessons learned from our pets, was excellent. Sadly, the author/publisher did not do as thorough a job of editing as I would have liked. I find contradictions, however small, somewhat of a distraction. I could have read the proofs of this book once and eliminated all of them. Having said that, overall, a lighthearted, loving dog story that I still think is worthy of a good read. Not sure all those odd people who do not like dogs would agree with me, but I don't care.

[Jenny]

If you have or used to have a German shorthaired pointer you will love this book. My dogs character and behavior is so similar to the dogs in this book. The stories were funny and great. I loved the book!

[Kylee]

3.5 stars. This book truly shows the love, challenges, stresses, companionship, and joy that every dog owner experiences. I was confused at one part where the author wrote that Exley was 11 years old, but then a few pages later (and supposed to be a later point in time) said he was 9 1/2. Overall though this was a fun and lighthearted read. Our dogs really do teach us as much if not more about life than we teach them.

[Melisa Y]

Made me cry multiple times. I recently lost my dog a few months back. I found this at my little free library at the park near my house. It was different than my usual read,but it was two days after losing my dog and I felt like it was meant to be. This book was very meaningful for me. We often take our pets for granted and they give us a companionship like no other.

[Weeziee Marie]

I enjoyed this beautiful book so much. I am a dog owner, and I love my dog. It taught me how to be a better owner to my two beautiful four-legged sons. This book made me laugh and cry,And when God created a dog he made the best living thing possible

[Graemme Boone]

Thoroughly enjoyed it! I think it's a must read about relationships.

[Mark Dill]

Fantastic

[Gina Fox]

The last chapter was the best part of the book

[Nicole Batey]

Beautiful story of man and best friend. Any true dog lover would appreciate this book and all the feelings with it.

[Erin]

I felt that this book was trying to much to be the next Marley and Me. Story about a man and his best friend who happens to be an unruly, but ultimately lovable dog. And man learns how to be a better husband, father, employee, etc. Not a bad story, but there is better books about the same thing out there.

[Clint]

this was a great, easy read. It didn't really teach me anything new, but it does remind me to remember and look for the simple things in life that we so easily overlook and/or ignore in today's hustling and bustling society.

[Katherine]

I thought this would be an easy quick read and bought it for a dollar but could have used that dollar for something else. The author spends pages rambling about concepts he could condense down easily to a page while trying to use impressive words...

[Ana]

Cute story, especially for a dog owner.

[Jessica]

I loved this book. It was heart-warming, tear-jerking and included funny insights from the author. Well put together.

[Meredithbn]

One of my favorites!

[Jeannie]

The story of man and his dog is always an amzing one. Enjoyed the chapter by chapter anecdotes with the advice at the end. A good read.

[Samantha]

Bravo! Had me laughing and in Tears! 5/5 for Carlo De Vito!

[Marie]

Why does the dog ALWAYS have to die in books about dogs? Can't we just stop at the happy parts?

[Ajay Swamy]

Beautifully written. We all dog lovers would agree with the simple learnings at the end of each chapter.

[Kristin]

The author was quite an immature young man who did learn a lot from his dog. The book brings us through the years from his carefree single days to married life a decade later.

[Sherri]

Sad, but ultimately happy and life-affirming. Dogs ARE the best mirror of ourselves.

[Casey Nerau]

It was OK. Nothing that gripped me and made me want to come back to the book and finish reading. It actually took me quite a while to get through the 168 pages. I am a huge dog lover though so I still enjoyed the stories and appreciated the love he and Exley had for one another.