Bookworm Book Review

for

Holidays, Hounds and Hot Buys

#Giveaway & #Gift Guide

#houndsandholidays

House Trained by Jackie Bouchard

Denise’s Dog Dish & Shasta’s Yorkie Yap/ denisegruzensky.com received an autographed copy for the giveaway and an honest review. We did not receive monetary compensation to review/promote this product. We only accept products that we use ourselves, believe our readers and ourselves will benefit from learning more about & feel you will enjoy.  Pooch Smooches – Jackie’s blog and Jackie Bouchard are not responsible for the content of this post. This post contains my affiliate link(s). If you purchase a product via these link(s) & use my discount code, I will receive a commission.

The decision to have pets instead of children is a valid one for some people, especially when you are a perfectionist like Alex Halstad. Though her sister (and her judging friends) do not understand Alex and her husband Barry’s choice to remain parents only to a fur child. Marie (their fiercely loyal Labra-doodle), after all, is so much easier than having a child. “But with a dog, guidance counseling only involves a leash”.

As I write this, our own small family is currently sans children, though we have actually just returned from our 4^th trip to Prague for In Vitro Fertilization. Shasta, our rescued Yorkie-Schnauzer is our fur child. There does seem to be a stigma for those without children, I’ve felt it and have heard our friends who have chosen to not have children discuss it. I know some are offended by the childless referring to themselves as Dog- or Pet-Parents but I’m proud to hear someone call me a “great Dog Mom”. I frequently say, after watching our friend’s children, a dog behaves like a toddler who still cannot put their desires into words.

Alex’s tidy life is not perfect. She is desperate to get her interior design business on track before her husband Barry discovers she has spent most of their savings. As she struggles to get her orderly life back on course her husband’s previously unknown college age daughter and baby show-up on their doorstep.

I absolutely love how Marie and Baby Ruthie are compared-and-contrasted.   “Humm. This is one way babies are better than dogs-easier to dry off when sopping wet.” Alex’s training session had me laughing so hard there were tears. “The success with one-word commands at the park gave me an idea, and we’ve got a few more minutes before we have to leave. Just enough time for a training session.” She proceeds to teach baby Ruthie to sit and stay using positive dog-training techniques and Marie as her example. “…I praise them both and dole out hot dog bites…  I talk in my excite-the-dog voice, hoping it works on babies as well.” There are a lot of, not preachy, life lessons throughout the book. Alex wishes she could be more loving and accepting like Marie and may just discover she has been judging others as well as herself a little to harshly.

To say I adore Jackie’s writing is an understatement. As she herself says, “If you love books and dogs and laughter, you’ll love my Fido-friendly fiction novels”. I would say that applies to her blog Pooches Smooches as well. She has the ability to develop wonderful characters, including the dogs, in her books, which involve relatable, humorous, yet complex relationships. Whether you are a woman who loves your home, childless by choice or otherwise, dog-lover or simply someone who likes to have a smooth running-life (or the man who loves them since my husband enjoyed the audio version with me as well) you will find something to relate to in House Trained. If you have not read What the Dog Ate or Rescue Me Maybe you can read my previous reviews. I highly recommend you pick up copies as they make wonderful gifts!

Shasta and I give both books  5/5

We are excited to be participating in the 1^st annual Holidays, Hounds and Hot Buys Giveaway and Gift Guide hosted by 6 elite pet bloggers. This year we have over $1,000 in prize packages to giveaway. A rundown of the themed prizes and participating brands were featured on #BlackFriday as well as the #houndsandholidays complete Gift Guide. Click on each blogger’s logo below to be taken directly to their gift guide and rafflecopter entry form.  Be sure to save each of the participating bloggers to your favorites so you can visit each of us daily increasing your odds to win.

Happy Holidays,

Smiles, Barks and Wagging Tails,

Denise & ~Shasta