Guest Book Review: Devotion: Humans and Their Four-Legged Soulmates by Dobie Houson

Today I’m immensely pleased to introduce you to my new guest reviewer: Sharon. She will appear from time to time, offering her insights and commentary on books in genres that do not normally make their way to my blog. I’m rather excited to be able to expand the scope of reviews available through Jill-Elizabeth.com – I tend to read (and therefore review) within a certain set of categories. It’s a fairly broad set, but it has its limits – limits I’m perfectly aware of and have been comfortable with, largely because I did not see a ready alternative to such limitations. I read for enjoyment and entertainment and education – this is not my job and I don’t make a penny from it (despite the requisite disclaimer about affiliate status, I VERY rarely get any/enough click-throughs to actually generate any payments – still, the lawyer in me requires that I be upfront about the possibility). As a result, I don’t read things that I do not enjoy – I don’t have the time or, frankly, inclination, to read books that I cannot get into or that don’t interest me. There are any number of categories that I decline to consider for review out of hand (if you’re curious, check out my Review Policy) because I have found that, by and large, books in those categories fall outside of my interest areas. But I do realize that there are slews of books that are marvelous and interesting within those same categories, and I’m now pleased to be able to offer reviews of some of them, courtesy of my new guest reviewer. She will, at least initially, be focusing on categories that she finds edifying – like self-help, life management, social issues, and pets/animals.

With that as a rather wordy introduction, I’m pleased to bring you her first review – Devotion: Humans and Their Four-Legged Soulmates by Dobie Houson.

First, a quick blurb. “Devotion is a beautiful and heartwarming collection of short stories that honors the love, courage, and unbreakable bonds these amazing partners share as they navigate life. Additionally, Dobie, founder and executive director of Finding Forever, donates a portion of all proceeds to animal rescues and sanctuaries. For more information: www.findingforever.org.

And now on to the review.

Devotion: Humans and Their Four-Legged Soulmates by Dobie Houson
Review by: Sharon

I had mixed feelings about this one. I loved the concept – stories exploring the love and devotion of and for our four-legged family members. The feelings expressed were on point. The concept of alternate therapy and other alternate methods really had me intrigued, but unfortunately I was ultimately not that impressed. The initial story sounded like “A Dog’s Purpose” – which I loved. Unfortunately, the responses the writer attributed to our four-legged family members struck me as difficult to imagine and did not always feel believable to me.

I believe this book might be best enjoyed by the alternate therapy community of animal lovers. It has a broad reach – a variety of four-legged pets were represented in the stories. It is possible that the book did not resonate because I do not have personal experience with all of the types of animals/pets that were included. The human/four-legged family member relationship is a personal one, and the interactions presented in the stories are dramatic exemplars of that, so it is possible that a person with broader animal experience may relate to the stories differently.

My review copy was graciously provided by the book’s publicist.