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clairereviews's review
4.0
Review: Dog Only Knows by Terry Kaye Published by: Mill City Press, Inc. (19th May 2016)
ISBN: 978-1635051537
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4*
Description:
“People aren’t stupid, they’re just wired differently. But it’s okay…they can be trained.”
That’s Belle’s story, and she’s sticking to it. This smart, sassy rescue dog from the streets of Los Angeles worked hard to figure out how to get the most out of life. Now she is sharing her wisdom with all dog—and person—kind.
Ever wonder what your dog is thinking, or why she behaves the way she does? Belle has the answers, and they may surprise you. Spoiler alert: as much as you train your dog, she trains you even more—and you don’t even realize she’s doing it.
Dog Only Knows: The Word of Dog is the ultimate relationship guide for dogs and their people. When we communicate better, we can love each other better. And Dog Only Knows, that’s what life is all about.
Praise for Dog Only Knows:
“I had no idea you could do so much without opposable thumbs.”—Houdini the Jack Russell Terrier
“Definitely the tastiest book I have ever eaten.”—Tonka, a.k.a. “The Destroyer,” breed unknown
Review:
A really fun, interesting look at our relationships with dogs, and what we can learn from our four-legged friends about communication. Insightful, amusing and informative - a must for everyone who is owned by a dog!
ISBN: 978-1635051537
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4*
Description:
“People aren’t stupid, they’re just wired differently. But it’s okay…they can be trained.”
That’s Belle’s story, and she’s sticking to it. This smart, sassy rescue dog from the streets of Los Angeles worked hard to figure out how to get the most out of life. Now she is sharing her wisdom with all dog—and person—kind.
Ever wonder what your dog is thinking, or why she behaves the way she does? Belle has the answers, and they may surprise you. Spoiler alert: as much as you train your dog, she trains you even more—and you don’t even realize she’s doing it.
Dog Only Knows: The Word of Dog is the ultimate relationship guide for dogs and their people. When we communicate better, we can love each other better. And Dog Only Knows, that’s what life is all about.
Praise for Dog Only Knows:
“I had no idea you could do so much without opposable thumbs.”—Houdini the Jack Russell Terrier
“Definitely the tastiest book I have ever eaten.”—Tonka, a.k.a. “The Destroyer,” breed unknown
Review:
A really fun, interesting look at our relationships with dogs, and what we can learn from our four-legged friends about communication. Insightful, amusing and informative - a must for everyone who is owned by a dog!
cjmichel's review
2.0
Dog Only Knows was not as good as I had hoped it would be. I feel the synopsis held a lot more potential than the actual book delivered. It didn't really hold my interest.
bookishshani_k's review
4.0
From the very beginning, Belle’s story made me smile. As I was growing up, we always had a dog. When you’re young, they can be the best entertainment and the most loyal. Often times I wondered what the heck Bud, Murfee, Zeek and Zara were thinking. Especially the time Murfee decided to eat our leather couch. Oh man, I’ll never forget the yelling that went on that day. Of course, Murfee just gave us all those sad eyes that seemed to be saying, “What? You left me alone all day. What do you expect me to do? Watch t.v.?”. I have to agree with Terry on this one, every dog has a distinct personality and probably thinks along the line of Miss Belle!
In the beginning Terry refers to herself as the “translator” and Belle is the “author”. I thought this was cute and sweet. Here and there are snippets from Terry to clarify certain things or add definitions. Other than that, it’s all Belle. In all honesty, I found myself giggling and became engrossed quickly. Belle and Terry held my attention and it was a fairly quick read for me.
Throughout Miss Belle’s advice and story it made me reflect on those pets from long ago. Was Bud really rolling in the mud because he was hot, or because he wanted to torment us as he ran through the house leaving a mess? Ironically, Bud didn’t mind the baths that would later happen after his mud race of fun. I cracked up when Belle said, “Water is for drinking not for being in.”. I’m sure most of my other dogs felt that way.
Belle goes on to bring to light the many inner working of dogs and why they do things. Things like the merit of face rubs, sloppy kisses and ultimatly the many faces only such a creative character can make. But, she also warns that it’s ok to let your person think they’re in control. After all, that’s what is expected right? The dog is to obey the master so to speak. Belle differs with that! She says you can be happy with the fact that they are only in control as much as you let them be. I think that statement has a lot of merit to it. After all, our beloved pets are just as spoiled as the others we love.
Positives:
I think Belle and Terry did an awesome job of explaining the life of a dog and their actions.
It’s wonderful how they explain that your person is different from being an owner. Because we don’t own living things. We enjoy them and keep them safe.
It has the right bit of humor to it mixed with some educational points.
Negatives:
I found it frustrating that I had to flip to the footnotes for explanations throughout the book. I know that it's the way many choose to do it.
Over all, this is a cute and fun book. It gives you some ideas of what they’re thinking and planning. So be wary my friends! There is more to that look in your dog's eyes than you think!
I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
In the beginning Terry refers to herself as the “translator” and Belle is the “author”. I thought this was cute and sweet. Here and there are snippets from Terry to clarify certain things or add definitions. Other than that, it’s all Belle. In all honesty, I found myself giggling and became engrossed quickly. Belle and Terry held my attention and it was a fairly quick read for me.
Throughout Miss Belle’s advice and story it made me reflect on those pets from long ago. Was Bud really rolling in the mud because he was hot, or because he wanted to torment us as he ran through the house leaving a mess? Ironically, Bud didn’t mind the baths that would later happen after his mud race of fun. I cracked up when Belle said, “Water is for drinking not for being in.”. I’m sure most of my other dogs felt that way.
Belle goes on to bring to light the many inner working of dogs and why they do things. Things like the merit of face rubs, sloppy kisses and ultimatly the many faces only such a creative character can make. But, she also warns that it’s ok to let your person think they’re in control. After all, that’s what is expected right? The dog is to obey the master so to speak. Belle differs with that! She says you can be happy with the fact that they are only in control as much as you let them be. I think that statement has a lot of merit to it. After all, our beloved pets are just as spoiled as the others we love.
Positives:
I think Belle and Terry did an awesome job of explaining the life of a dog and their actions.
It’s wonderful how they explain that your person is different from being an owner. Because we don’t own living things. We enjoy them and keep them safe.
It has the right bit of humor to it mixed with some educational points.
Negatives:
I found it frustrating that I had to flip to the footnotes for explanations throughout the book. I know that it's the way many choose to do it.
Over all, this is a cute and fun book. It gives you some ideas of what they’re thinking and planning. So be wary my friends! There is more to that look in your dog's eyes than you think!
I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
petra_reads's review
3.0
This little book is authored by Belle, a rescue dog who is now a therapy dog. She loves her human very much and likes to train her person to establish better dog-human communication and relationships. It was an entertaining, quick read covering dog basics such as face licking, rolling in dirt, chewing, the art of showing remorse and the pain of being left alone etc.
It would be quite a nice present for anybody who is considering becoming a dog owner for the first time. But if you have any experience of sharing your house with a dog, there is nothing really new and it's all pretty basic. The frequent mentioning of book/paper chewing became a little repetitive.
Cute idea to provide a dog's point of view, though and it did make me smile several times.
Thanks to Mill City Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It would be quite a nice present for anybody who is considering becoming a dog owner for the first time. But if you have any experience of sharing your house with a dog, there is nothing really new and it's all pretty basic. The frequent mentioning of book/paper chewing became a little repetitive.
Cute idea to provide a dog's point of view, though and it did make me smile several times.
Thanks to Mill City Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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