A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray

I guess there are spoilers.... I bought this product for my son because he was required to read it for public school, and I did not want his poor underpaid, overworked teacher to have to drive to my house to deliver a copy when she could better spend her time planning, relaxing, and just crying into a pillow. It didn’t matter. She came anyway and dropped off a whole bunch of stuff for him, because she is an awesome person. I did not read this but my son told me the book was really good. I did not read this because I do not read sad animal stories – I live them every decade or so. Seriously, on Christmas a visiting relative ran over my puppy and broke her hip in our driveway in front of us.... on Christmas!!!! She fine but my Christmas was terrible; I did not need to read this book, but my son had to.He said: I like it, but it’s sad. The point of view is fun and unique. It is told as an autobiography of a dog which is kind of neat because dogs can’t really write in real life, but if they could they would write this.

Both sad and happy, but ultimately happy....Dogs are not meant to be on their own, but unfortunately it happens, probably 99% of the time because of irresponsible owners. One of the saddest parts of the whole book was when the main character, a dog named Squirrel, stands on her hind legs to look into the house of the family that was "caring" for her. She always thought if she had people to be with she wouldn't be lonely, but she realized then that that isn't always the case. She slept in the garage, sometimes they played with him and sometimes they forgot to feed him and then after the summer was over, they left and just left her there. I guess there are really people like this. I am happy for Squirrel, that she finally found someone to really love her, I just wish she could have done it sooner, as she was an older dog by the time she found a true home. I guess that doesn't always happen, though. Some people might not like this book, saying it's for younger children, not adults, but I don't agree with that. I think it's for any age, some will appreciate it, some won't, but will probably be more likely to like this book if you are a dog lover. If you are looking for reading material with 10 different intricate storylines woven together or a murder mystery, don't pick this book. I have seen reviews on here where people are comparing apples to oranges. I pray that this book will enlighten people to the fact that so many dogs are unwanted and unloved. There are people who say, "Oh, it's just a dog." But I hope those people would read this book and think differently.

I read this with my 11 year old niece and she now wants to be a vet. We have two pups Diesel and Charlie and she loves them to death! We both love and care fue our animals and those that are homeless. This book was a testament on how an animal can love you unconditionally! The sad thing is that there are humans that are not so kind to them. Highly recommend that all animal advocates read this book!

I am a dog fanatic and I love to read books about dogs. So far, A Dog's Life is my favorite. It is a young adult book, so I suppose I am too old to be reading this kind of book. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I intend to read it again. The story is written from the dog's perspective. Squirrel was born in a shed. Yes, her name is "Squirrel". Her mother named her puppies only words that a dog would understand. One day Squirrel's mother failed to return to the shed. So Squirrel and brother, Bone, decided to set out on their own in order to survive. They sometimes met with danger and cruelty. But, it was not all sad. Squirrel had friends, happiness and freedom in her life as well. Ultimately, she triumphs! Safety and love are found. As the dog tells her own story of life on the street, and her life with various owners, it brought me to tears.The story by Ann Martin is beautifully written and not surprisingly a Newberry winner. A Dog's Life will warm your heart. I recommend it for all ages.

My students used this for a book club book. It was an all boy group, and they loved it! They had conversations about feelings that cam easier because they were coming from a dog! They seemed to connect more with Squirrel than they have with stories with kids!

This is a good short little book about a stray dog. Her life will start off pretty good until one day her mother never comes home. Her brother, Bone, decides to leave the nest, she follows. What ensues is a rough life of garbage raiding, hunting, cold winters, and mean people. She will eventually find a home with a woman who needs her.I think the worst part of this book, was when the man who picked her brother and herself up as puppies from the roadside decides to throw them away. He does so literally out the window of his car at the mall. Being a dog lover, I just can't ever imagine doing that to a puppy. But life is what it is.Over all, this is a great short book, Squirrel is a very likable character, you immediately feel her pain and joy from page one. It's a page turner that I read in one sitting.

When I got this book, I thought it would be a short, nice little paperback that would be better suited for a child. Well, though it is short and I read it in only a few hours, I absolutely loved it.Born to a stray dog, Squirrel has only her mother and her brother Bone as company. Unfortunate circumstances leave Squirrel to fend for herself in a big, big world. The story follows Squirrel from a puppy to an elderly dog. She makes friends and from humans she experiences both cold, harsh treatment and gentle affection.So many "autobiographies" of animals can be cheesy or too anthropomorphic. "A Dogs' Life" managed to balance the fact that animals have emotions without giving such human thoughts and actions that it crossed the line into being silly.The book is far from silly. It's a wonderful story that will make you feel anger, worry, sorrow, joy, and contentment. You might even shed a tear or two, like I did.

My daughter loved this book..some harrowing scenes for the stray dog named Squirrel. Looking forward to more books by the same author.

If you don’t really read books like me read a dogs life the story is a wonderful sad but happy story of a cute puppy who travels through the country after being separated from her brother and watching her friend die.She lives through many hard things but finds a loving home.P.S.read this book

It's a lonely story about the life of a stray dog. Sometimes funny, sometimes sand. Some pages shrink the soul of the reader and other pages make your tears sprout. Squirrel, the female dog, tells her story about her life. Her life when she was a puppy, with her mother and her brother and how her life is a challenge to survive, to find food and finally, how to learn to trust in good people.

Easy reading, nothing really leaps out - quite factual and probably true to life but find it a bit weird in that the dog is never caught - quite a nice read and a nice gentle ending. As someone who is involved with rescue dogs its a bit far fetched - would be great if all dogs could find a forever home like this

The item arrived today, and I'm pleased with the copy. I'm looking forward to reading this story. Great. Thanks.

a excellent book for all dog lovers beautifully written tear jerking and heart warming I am reading it for the second time. goes so well with The art of racing in the rain both written by the dogs themselves !