My life has never been complete unless I had an animal in it.

This was a truly wonderful story about humanity and empathy towards those four-legged children who need love and care and receive it unconditionally, just as animals give back that love unconditionally.

Humans could learn so many lessons about life from these amazing four legged creatures.

I put off reading this book because I knew it would make me cry and it did, more than once.
I am such a softy when it comes to animals, I even cried when I read Charlotte's Web when I was a child. I had no idea the spider would die.
As such an animal lover it was hard to read this book in places especially when it detailed the abuse the puppy received before it was unceremoniously dumped in a cardboard box outside of the gates of Barb Keely's pet rescue center.
The Barby Keely Animal Sanctuary in the beautiful Sussex countryside was never meant to be. Barby's father brought home animals needing rescued and this is she got her passionate love for animals. Built from the ground up, it is still one of the remaining private sanctuaries in Britan.
I loved seeing how Barby has such a true passion for animals and devotes her whole life to them.
Though the book does get into the some of the other animals that were there at the time of the writing, many cats, several dogs, a rescue horse, chickens, ducks, goats, and more animals.
Most of the book focuses on Teddy though, a gorgeous Wolfhound/ Briard mix who just wanted love and affection but just got abuse in his former home. The puppy was huge, gangly and prone to chewing and knocking things over because of his size. Well, we all know puppies chew, they need to supervised, shown love and understanding and given toys which was done when he arrived at the sanctuary. Teddy is what we call a foster fail. Now if you don't know what that is, it is when a dog goes to a new home to be adopted but is returned because they are not compatible with their new home. This happened with Teddy multiple times. I think the author was more than happy about this as her heart had already fallen in love with this dog. Like many dogs, Teddy has behavioral issues that Barby works with a dog behavioralist to help get them straightened out. She shows a lot of compassion for her animals, and it just makes my heart sing to read about someone so devoted to animals such as this woman. I would really love to meet her and visit her animal sanctuary one day. I am a better person for having read this book.
Please if you have a little extra consider donating to your local animal shelter, their vet bills and feeding cost are so expensive. Also, won't you please consider donating some of your time to volunteering at these animal shelters. They always appreciate all you can do for them.
Here is the link to her animal sanctuary if you'd like more information on it https://barbykeelanimalsanctuary.org/

June 29,2021 publish date.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I love animals of all types, so when I see a book written about one, I am usually a sucker for reading it. And that is why I requested this book. However, like so many of these types of books, the story is actually more about the author than the actual animals, and that is not why I chose to read it. I want to hear the story about the animal. At first it started with a pup that was dropped off at a sanctuary. They only tried twice to find new owners before Barb decided to keep the dog for herself. Then it turned into a story about her brother dying and about the only thing you really heard about the dog after that was that he helped her deal with her grief. Not really what the title implied the story would be about.

This book was very heartwarming and touching. It is the story of a puppy, Teddy, that gets left at an animal sanctuary. They try to rehome him a couple of times but he keeps getting returned for one reason or another. Finally the lady at the sanctuary, Barby, decides to keep him for herself and boy is she glad did. The bond that they formed was unbreakable and everlasting. They both learned from each other and they both needed each other.

This book reminds us of how special animals are and how their love can make all the difference in our lives. They can help us through emotional problems and keep our spirits up, no matter what is going on.

This book had me smiling at some parts and near tears at others. I think that every dog lover should read this book. I am very glad that I did.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

A sweet and poignant story that made smile and moved me.
i loved the relationship between Barby and Teddy, there's love and there's acceptance.
I love big dogs and can understand how hard can be to live with a wolfhound.
It's a bit repetitive at times but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It’s a cute story but the author repeated herself quite a lot. It’s nice that she takes care of so many animals.
I don’t know what I expected.

It's like Teddy and Barby were of one soul, they were so connected. Soul mate friends from the second they met. I love true animal stories and this one was exceptional, very poignant. Thank you so much for writing this book.

A woman in grief and an abused puppy rescue each other

This memoir is a bit slow and repetitive, but a heartwarming story of the healing relationship between people and dogs. The first half of the book focuses on the mystery of why Teddy can’t find a new home and includes some interesting information about fostering dogs. The second half of the book deals more with how Teddy helps Barby recover from trauma and grief to lead a more fulfilling life.

Animal lovers will likely appreciate this inspiring story. If you’re curious about animal sanctuaries, this book offers some insight into how they function. Also, sales of the author's books help support her animal sanctuary.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

This was such a sweet story, and I love even more that it is based on a real animal sanctuary.

I truly admire Barby Keel; she has such a kind heart and has built wonderful relationships, not only with those who work at the sanctuary, but with the animals she’s taken in too. That’s how I knew Teddy was in such good hands. This poor, traumatized puppy was quite a handful for Barby, and with little room for another dog in her already cramped caravan (she had four dogs already), she knew she had to find him a more stable forever home. But for one reason or another Teddy was always returned. He was too big, too boisterous…just too much for everyone else. Barby wasn’t deterred, though. She was determined to get to the bottom of what had caused Teddy so much trauma and to ensure that he had a long and happy life.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was so heart-warming and showed that the healing power of love goes both ways between dogs and their humans. I highly recommend this one for any animal lovers out there!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4031885268

Author Barby Keel runs an animal shelter for abandoned animals - dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, goats and at least one horse. Aided by dedicated volunteers, funded by donations, the shelter provides care and, most importantly, love for all animals in need. And then Teddy arrives.

Abused by a cruel owner during his early months and then dropped (literally) at the shelter’s gates in a cardboard box, Teddy is a large, gangly 10 month old Irish Wolfhound/Briard cross. He instantly bonds with Barby and, although she tries to have him adopted, he becomes her dog. Somehow, he misbehaves just enough for each prospective owner to be returned to the shelter and his treasured Barby. And it’s a good thing too, because when her beloved brother Peter is diagnosed with leukemia, Teddy is at her side (literally) during the illness.

The Puppy No One Wanted is about Barby and Teddy. It’s also about the love that people have for their pets, and vice versa, and how that love relaxes and calms them both. Barby Keel shows us how abuse can emotionally damage a dog and may make it difficult for him to find a new home with caring owners. But most of all she shows how the power of love can change both - the owner and the dog. This is a book every dog lover will want to read. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Barby Keel for this ARC.

What a beautiful love story. When a person loves an animal deemed unloveable, something magical happens. When you already have more than enough animals and accept a huge, clumsy puppy, that says a lot about the kind of person you are. Barby keel, who runs an animal sanctuary, tried to find a home for the clumsy puppy, but he was returned from more than one foster home. the stories were the same. He cant be housetrained. He is clumsy. He is too big. It seems no one wanted. It seems Teddy the smelly puppy was going to be homeless, unstill a spark lit inside Barby Keel. She decided to keep him at her animal sanctuary. They were both getting more than either could have bargained for. Could she figure out his house training problems? Would he learn what he needs to know in order to stay at the sanctuary? This is a true story of love, acceptance, and the willingness to learn.

A sweet story about a gentle giant wolfhound mix who finally found his forever home at Barby’s animal sanctuary and brought more joy and love to Barby and her volunteers than they gave-and they gave loads! Teddy is a large, clumsy dog with giant paws and is afraid of the dark. Several families tried to care for him but they weren’t a good fit until he came to stay at Barby’s sanctuary filled with kittens, goats, dogs, pigs & birds. Barby did her best to see that any animal in her area that was no longer wanted to able to be cared for was given a new chance at life and finding a forever home, but in Teddy’s case, he became her best friend and his forever home was right beside her.
As an animal lover, I enjoyed this story of hope and determination to give them the best life they could have.
Thanks to Seven Dials and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

This cover instantly drew me in as my best friend has the same "gentle giant breed" dog and color as is in this book.
Beyond that it was a truly touching and heartwarming story that I was enthralled with from the very beginning.
This is a novel that you do not want to miss.

I was given a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review.

I chose rating because it was well deserved I don't like the way animals are treated and I'm glad Barby kept Teddy he was everything to each other the last few pages when hec looked at her and died I had to sit in bathroom and cry in crying now wiring this I was there every step I loved him as if he was my own please keep writing I have read all of your books Barby and cried keep up the good work and all the motley crew

I don’t read many books that bring me to tears but this one did. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

This book is a Must Read for all animal lovers! It will break your heart yet give you hope. It's a wonderful read that is full of emotions. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Kensington Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Excellent story with great characters and loved how the animals were treated. However there is parts that will break your heart learning about what happen to the animals but the outcome is what brings it all together. Rescue animals are the most helpless because people tend to ignore it but we need to all try and help more.. this book may encourage you to go and help out or go an adopt and save one.

This is the 3rd book I have read my Barby Keel about rescuing animals of all kinds and another favorite. This time the story centers around a Wolfhound mix dog named puppy who is afraid of the dark and has a sad story of abandonment, I could never do this to any of my animals. Another dog that has a heartbreaking story but finds a home and love with Barby Keel at her animal sanctuary. This book tugs on all your heartstrings and makes you want to hold your own animals even closer. As a new veterinary assistant and animal lover, a highly recommended read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Barby Keel and Kensington Books Citadel for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/29/21

Barby Keel runs the Barby Keel Animal Shelter. In this story, her and her group of volunteers take in Teddy, a scruffy looking puppy who is left outside the gate and has definitely been traumatized. If you are an animal lover be sure and have your kleenex close by as you hear the story of Teddy and feel the frustration of trying to find him a forever home when each time he is brought back because of behavior problems. This story touched my heart as an animal lover and I could not put it down. Thank you very much Net Galley, Seven Dials and Barby Keel for an ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.

A dog named Teddy

An adorable story about a wolfhound mix named Teddy and how he found his forever home. This was a good read, I loved reading about the dog with the large paws and puppy energy that was afraid of the dark.

The story is about Teddy, but it is about the animal sanctuary that Barb ran and how her vision to care for animals became a reality. How she managed to run this sanctuary for all types of different animals , both well and sick with private funds. The small sanctuary that grew to thousands of animals. From dogs and cats to pigs, goats, birds and a horse. She made sure that no animal was turned away and that all were treated humanely. When they could be they were re homed. Funds were raised by fundraisers and private donations.

The sanctuary was run by herself and volunteers, both young and old and rich and poor. Everyone that wanted to help found a way to help these animals. I only wish there were more places like this for abandoned and unwanted animals.

This is the story of one woman , her dream and the dog that became her constant companion.
I loved the Characters, the story, and the idea behind it all.

Thanks so much to Barby Keel, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.