Woman's Best Friend: Women Writers on the Dogs in Their Lives

Edited by Megan McMorris

Foreward by Pam Houston

A collection of twenty-six essays about women and their canine companions. I WANT THE DOG ON THE COVER SO BAD!! Anyway, the foreward was written by one of my favorite authors, Pam Houston. Since much of her writing is based on her life, reading her words here was like catching up with an old friend. In 2005, she wrote Sight Hound, a wonderful book about the relationship between a lonesome writer living on a Colorado ranch and Dante, her wise, lovable Irish wolfhound recently diagnosed with cancer.

In her moving introduction to this book, she writes, "Dante taught me that if your paws are too big to fit in your ears, you have to find someone else to do the scratching, and that if you want your hand to be licked, you might have to put it under somebody's nose. He taught me that sitting in the grass together doing nothing isn't really doing nothing at all, and that sometimes even if you haven't acted perfectly, the good thing happens anyway. He taught me that if you really love somebody, cleaning their bodily excretions off the carpet is no problem, and in the end, money doesn't really matter a bit. He taught me that loving in the inevitable face of loss, is the single most important challenge of our lives; that without loss, love isn't worth a hill of beans, and without love, life is nothing more than a series of losses. He taught me that everything is forgivable, that every moment contains eternity, and that loving unconditionally doesn't mean you are a self-annihilating fool. After he died he taught me how to live without him, but also that I didn't have to. He taught me that because we loved each other so completely, a part of him would always be with me."

Some of these stories are cute and funny, others made me cry, but anyone who loves animals will appreciate this well written collection. Most entries include a small photo of the dog that the author is writing about so that is a nice touch. The editor has a similar title coming out next month about cats. I can't wait to read it! ****