A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans (A Dog’s

7 reviews for A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans (A Dog’s

1. 

   MsPenName – February 27, 2025

   This book haunts and stunned me…
   I must share my dog story. It’s cathartic and necessary therapy for me after reading this book.The day we moved into our home we adopted a five year old Doberman mix named Mari. He was all Doberman at heart. Wise, very protective, powerful, unquestionably loyal. I had two young children and a stressful career as he began his decline into old age. To this day I deeply regret my lack of patience with him through those months. After a particularly difficult day for Mari my husband and I made THE DECISION and made a final call to the vet. On a Wednesday morning in November of 2000 we put ol’ faithful Mari to sleep.Here’s haunting parts I and II.Part I. The Tuesday night before we put Mari down my seven year old daughter and I were sitting at the kitchen table. We were discussing what was going to happen tomorrow and that it was his time. It wasn’t without tears. Mari was in his bed, next to the kitchen table. A few minutes into our discussion he suddenly sat up from his bed, looked me in the eyes and began barking…at me. Not a low woof for a moment, but two full minutes of barking that sounded like demands or pleading or both. What was he telling me? OMG. What are you saying Mari? Are you forgiving me for not being a more patient caregiver or telling me to move the pack on without you? Are you angry or scared? Do you know what’s going to happen tomorrow morning? I draped myself around and him and sobbed.Part II. The Thursday night after we’d “done the deed” my five year old son informs me there’s a dog outside that wants to come in. It’s a raw, rainy night. I look outside and see a Golden Retriever trot by the window. Look again a minute later and don’t see him. I inform my son that I was sure he had a home and was on his way back (truth be told I just couldn’t deal with any more pet drama). Next morning, I get ready for work, grab the car keys, open the door to leave and see a golden head and a wildly wagging tail at the breezeway door. I open the door and in bounds the golden, through the breezeway, into the kitchen, up the back staircase and into my sleeping daughters room. Soon the house is awake staring stunned at this beautiful, exuberant animal. Every bone in his body was asking us the question “Why aren’t you guys psyched I’m home? This is totally awesome!” The kids cried, quite frightened by the drama unfolding. My husband and I stood, mouths ajar. I went to work and my husband called the dog officer. We were all certain there was some desperate family looking for him. Ten days later the dog officer called. No one had claimed this gorgeous, healthy six month old full-bred Golden Retriever. Did we want him? We celebrated Thanksgiving with our new puppy that my son named Lucky.Lucky left us as abruptly as he came seven years later. He had his annual checkup and the vet congratulated us on getting his weight down. Three weeks later an ER vet would tell me he had leukemia, everywhere. Our family was shattered, gutted actually. The vet waited so we could all be together and we put him to sleep that night. This was four years ago and I still cry as I write this story. I suppose I’ll never recover from loosing my “third child”. I have never loved an animal (and I’ve had many, many dozens) as thoroughly as I loved and still love my gentle, playful, wise, kind, faithful Lucky. He gave us such joy. He fulfilled his purpose and never burdened me with the challenges of his old age.For obvious reasons I’ll never, ever forget this book. It left me breathless.Did Mr. Cameron have a Mari-Lucky in his life too?On a happier note, two rescue “characters” that were shipped together in the same cage from Puerto Rico now complete our family. 🙂

2. 

   Ingrid King – February 27, 2025

   A story of eternal love, from a dog’s perspective
   “All Dogs go to heaven…unless they have unfinished business here on earth.” A Dog’s Purpose chronicles the journey of one dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lifetimes. Subtitled A Novel for Humans, the book is written from the dog’s point of view.We first meet the protagonist during a short life as a mutt named Toby who was rescued from the streets and ends up in a shelter. His life ends much too soon, as does his quest for his purpose. Much to his own surprise, he finds himself reborn as a Golden Retriever puppy and finds a home with a young boy named Ethan, who christens him Bailey. It’s the beginning of the classic “boy and his dog” relationship, and we follow Ethan and Bailey through countless adventures. Bailey joyfully discovers how to be a good dog, and he thinks he may have found his purpose. But life as a cherished family pet is not the end of Bailey’s journey. He is reborn as a female German Shepherd puppy, and becomes a search and rescue dog named Ellie. However, despite many heroic rescues, he still hasn’t found his true purpose – it doesn’t become clear until his next incarnation in which he starts out as a mistreated black Lab named Buddy.Dog books tend to not be the kinds of books that you can’t put down, but I’d caution any reader to start this book without having a good chunk of uninterrupted reading time available. This heartwarming, insightful and often laugh-out-loud funny book is not just the emotional and moving story of one dog’s many lives, it also examines life from a dog’s point of view in ways that will make you look at your own canine companion with a fresh eye. Additionally, it presents a unique observation of human relationships and the bond between dogs and humans from a dog’s perspective.This is more than just another dog story. Beautifully written with great sensitivity, this touching novel will delight all animal lovers, especially fans of Garth Stein’s Art of Racing in the Rain or Ted Kerasotes Merle’s Door. This wonderful story shows us that love is eternal, our beloved animal companions are always with us, and every living being has a purpose.

3. 

   Barb Gagnon – February 27, 2025

   Great book. I bought this for a friend when she lost her precious dog. It helped me with the loss of my dog and I hope it helps her too.

4. 

   packy – February 27, 2025

   Mycket fint book

5. 

   Daniela Dell’Aglio – February 27, 2025

   A love story between a dog and “his” humans. His perspective on life and on what should really matter.Now I see my dogs under a different light!

6. 

   Rohan jora – February 27, 2025

   Are you wondering what book you should pick next? Well, stop wondering I have a beautifully crafted novel for you: W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose is not only an emotional, hilarious and engrossing story, but also the window through which we can understand the mind and the eternal soul of a dog. It is a well-written novel in which the story is narrated from a dog’s perspective. Impeccably detailed with heart. It will change your view of your furry friends forever.It is the story in which a stray dog, with a purposeless life, surprised to find himself reborn as a golden retriever, searching for meaning, led him to the hands of loving boy Ethan who named him Bailey, that made him discover his purpose of loving his boy more than anything in the world. But this life as a family dog is not the end of Bailey’s journey. His reincarnations, again and again, made him wonder if he would ever find his purpose over the course of several lives.Everything in life happens for a purpose which every creature on the earth is meant to fulfill; we just need to enjoy every moment with love and keep moving on–lessons for us.A Dog’s Purpose one of the best books I have ever read is a heartwarming story that can make you laugh and sometimes cry. This page-turner is recommended to everyone and a must-read for dog lovers.I would give it a rating of 5/5⭐️.Insightful🌈

7. 

   Amazon Customer – February 27, 2025

   Muito divertido, Índico a todas as pessoas principalmente a amante dos animais. Já havia visto o filme mas o livro superou minhas expectativas