Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I came upon this book as a NetGalley “listen now” audiobook. This book was originally published in 2015, but I don’t think it ever got any hype, but I’m glad it crossed my path! It is a beautiful and relatable story of the many lessons the author, Douglas Green, learned from his beloved, late dog, Shirelle.

I would recommend this book to anyone that’s loved and learned from a pet and to any non-pet folks who wants to understand people who love their pets. I found so much of this book to be relatable to the love I feel for my pets - present and past 🥲

Green did an excellent job narrating the audiobook and I loved the sound effects he used.

Great book. The story of Shirelle made me feel somewhat sad in some moments, but the lessons were very insightful. I haven't had many pets, but I have known some similarly silly and excited/eccentric animals, of whom this reminded me, and I miss hanging out with them.

I found it quite funny that profanity in the audiobook from NetGalley was hidden with barks instead of a traditional 'bleep.' I'm not sure whether the flow is similar in other formats, but I found the narrative very well-paced, either way. I understood fairly well how the narrator and various people/animals in his life went about their day-to-day activities, and the sense of tension/emotion was very strong, throughout.

Thank you to Mindbuck Media Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Ok so this is a cute book about a dog and what her human learns about life through her. It's autobiographical that way. I did find it funny that the cuss words were barked out, not bleeped out, but a dog bark sound instead. Silly. Also, not sure how I feel about the gong in between sections. Why was that necessary? It was getting really annoying by the end. The dog sounds absolutely gorgeous and wonderful though.  I enjoyed the poems in the book, especially the poem about dog fur everywhere. Having gone through our own dog tumor situation, I definitely felt for the dog and her owner. Some of the book turned into a psychology/sociology lesson. But overall it was a cute book about the impact this dog had on her owner. Pets are very special.

I enjoyed this account of the narrator’s life filled with anecdotes about his dog and the lessons the narrator learned as he coexisted with Shirelle for twelve years.

I loved that Green's boneheaded shelter dog sounds a lot like my boneheaded shelter dog. Whenever he (the narrator is the author) would recount a story about his dog, I pictured my dog doing the exact same thing, so the content is very relatable to anyone who has owned a strong-willed female dog (I don't know if being a rescue is a prerequisite). The author made so many…I don’t know if pop culture references is the right word. He quoted books, movies, and song lyrics, some beyond my time, but most were within my repertoire, which made me feel pretty cultured, to know and understand his references. I also loved the lessons listed at the end that recapped everything Shirelle taught the author. It was a nice way to review all the good that came out of their time together because I was distraught as the book came to a close. This was an enjoyable, though understandably, emotional read. It inspired me to give my dog more pets since she's now a decade old. It also provided some food for thought: How can I live my life more fully?

I listened to this memoir narrated by the author, Douglas Green. There are some cute stories about Green’s relationships with his dogs, mostly Shirelle, who he lived with for 12 years. I also enjoyed the occasional poem, and the descriptions of the play Green directed. Some of the stories were hard to listen to though; they’re certainly not all happy. The author also gets pretty woo-woo towards the end, so brace yourself for that if you don’t share his New Age beliefs.

I’ve read quite a few books in this genre, and for me, this one was just ok. I found stories such as Starter Dog by Rona Maynard and Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry more moving.

The audiobook production was good, and the author did a fine job with narration. His narration was well-paced and easy to understand, and he conveyed the mood and emotions of each scene effectively. I enjoyed the included music and sound effects, including the gong between stories.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I loved listening to this fun and humorous but real tale of the bond between a dog and his owner. I’ve only recently become a dog owner and this was a heartwarming listen! The narration was on point. I would recommend this for anyone that loves dogs!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mindbuck Media Audio for the opportunity to listen to The Teachings of Shirelle in exchange for my honest review!

If you have the opportunity to read or listen to this book, do it. If you’re a pet person, you’ll love every second of it, even though there will absolutely be some tears. If you aren’t, you will be when you’re finished. There is something that the reciprocal unconditional love of a dog (or your species of brings to us. This is about life, trying to figure out all out, good times and bad all with and through the love of a really good dog. And they’re all good dogs! Douglas takes us through his journey with Shirelle, the “bestest” girl. How his life was shaped with her from the beginning of their relationship and for the rest of her life and beyond. I thought about the two dogs I have spent years with and are gone and their impact on me and those who knew them and now with my newest rescue I look forward to every adventure with her. What they give us, bring to our lives is incalculable. We are everything to them, and they to us. Shirelle was his dog, but most of us have been down a very similar road and fallen head over heels and been forever impacted by the loving fur balls that come into our lives. Yes, so clearly I am a dog parent who would go to the end of the world for mine. My dog is my Shirelle. I wish for everyone to have the experience. It is life changing in the most incredible ways. And loving a dog doesn’t mean being a dog parent. There is fostering, making pals with a neighborhood pup, walking dogs at a shelter, donating time or treats and more. The friendships you’ll make, the empty space in your heart will be filled and life will just be better with them in it. This book exemplifies why even when we willingly go in knowing we will outlive them. They are gone, but the love stays with us forever. There is nothing better.

This is a typical book about a beloved pet, which is what makes it so relatable. Everything from choosing her name to learning her quirks reminded me of my own experiences with different pets, the similarities and the differences. Of course I loved Shirelle, because I got to know her. We don't get enough time with our beloved companions.
The best part of listening to the audiobook was that it was read by the author, and it felt natural and authentic. The chimes between sections were annoying, especially when the sections were short. The other problem was that there weren't any pictures; she was so beautiful.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I really loved how the author narrated this book so you as the listener could feel what he was conveying through his tone and emotion. I think that it is great he was able to have such an amazing connection with Shirelle. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity. Always a sucker for a dog book, that you get caught up in the cute, laughable moments and sometimes miss the lesson. The story is about a rescue dog named Shirelle aka Knucklehead. Shirelle's story is magical and mystical as each dog's story is with the quirks and love that they give to the owners. We can learn so much for our canine companions, and this book shows us the truth of this statement. If you enjoy books about People's Best Friend pick this one up and enjoy.

So I just listened to The Teachings of Shirelle by Douglas Green.
I have never owned a dog. I am into people, not pets. Still, after reading this book I can say that the right dog can be just what you need to fill your life with love and make it full. Highly recommend it especially to those who, like myself, want to understand dog lovers.
It's a very heartwarming story of a relationship that affected not only one man and his dog, but also a large group of people who ever met Shirelle.
Shirelle's philosophy sounds silly, but sometimes using a dog is the best way to convey some useful concepts or meditations.

When it comes to the audiobook, it's interesting to have some audio special effects included. The gong sound is a nice touch, I just wish it was not as loud.

I love memoirs about dogs, that's what drew me to this read in the first place, I tend to be something of a sucker for them and for the most part I wasn't disappointed.

I enjoyed this read, at times it even had me sniffling and wiping away a stray tear or two.
The author did a good job of narrating and I really enjoyed his poems. Here is a person who knows what it is to call a pet family, to understand that they're so much more than 'just a dog'. Anyone who's ever felt this with a pet will immediately feel seen and relate to this book. Over all it's a heartfelt, emotional tale and it's left me feeling a little more curious and open and minded but for the most part I'm just here for the dog love and it's got that in spades.

While I didn't always agree with Green, and there are things he does that my own life time with dogs caused me to shudder at, I appericated how open and honest he was in sharing his mistakes and the way he learned from them. I think my single biggest take away will be his comment about acknowledging a loved one's voice though I could tweak his ear for rubbing his dog's nose in her urine, but as I said, he lived and learned.

I have two main critiques and they both relate to how this book translates into an audio format.
I'd have loved to see the pictures, a downloadable attachment, like fantasy books have with their maps would have been nice in that regard.
Also, I didn't like the chime in between essays, actually I hated them. They were startling and horrible to listen to. I understand that given the format of this book something was needed to indicate where one piece ended and another began but that chime, as an audible experience, was awful, I couldn't stand it. The two little pieces of 'stage play' format didn't translate to audio particularly well either. Additional sounds or narrators would have helped there but they're not terrible.