A Dog's Life (Paperback)

Nonetheless, Boy, Peter Mayle's beloved canine, overcame these earthly vicissitudes to lead a very cushy life in the south of France. So delighted is Boy with the way things have turned out that he wants to tell us all about it, and he does in the rib tickling "A Dog's Life."

Now, Boy is no ordinary stray pooch who wins the hearts of an affluent couple. Boy is a manipulating, crafty, sly four-footed friend who twists his master and mistress around his begging paw.

Edward Koren's drawings bring this shaggy shyster to life as Boy shares his attempts to be dog-master of all he surveys, his romantic trysts, his run-in with arch enemy, Hepzibah, the house cat, and his disdain for Homo Sapiens, although they are necessary to toss him under the table tidbits.

Peter Mayle is in top form, delivering a warm, witty, over-too-soon read. I highly recommend it.

- Gail Cooke

Facetious and urbane, Boy recounts his numerous adventures: his humble beginnings at the "limited outlets of the maternal bosom", "mano a mano" wrangles with the cat in the garage, run-ins with French plumbers and dilettante painters, "ordeal by chicken", and finally becoming a full-fledged member of the Mayle household. We also hear his acute observations on the foibles and idiosyncrasies of everyday living with his biped "masters", as well as what he has to say about babies, cats, hygiene, poodles, crime and punishment, and "vets who insist on taking one's temperature the old fashioned way."

The humorous, quirky drawings by Edward Koren are an added bonus and really capture as well as enhance the story's flavor.

While A Dog's Life is definitely an enjoyable read, it is not to be mistaken for one of those sweet, feel-good stories with a happy ending that pulls on the reader's heartstrings. This book is by no means a saccharine paean to the dog, rather it is an ironic satire on humans and their habits and eccentricities, using a canine's perspective as a pretext. It may even make you stop and ponder the unconditional love and unfaltering loyalty you receive from your own pet (Boy explains that humans are a dog's "most convenient support system").

Being an animal lover, I particularly enjoyed this "dog memoir". I was able to relate much of Boy's actions (particularly the "seven gestures of appeasement") to those of my own adopted stray, Pixel. A Dog's Life is a must-read for anyone who owns a dog. Four paws up!