As someone who also has a dog with the nickname “knucklehead” and loves memoirs that features dogs, I knew I had to read this book.
I have been a dog owner for the past 25 years and can relate to a lot of what the author talks about in this book. The bond you create with your dog and the love is unconditional. I know there are people that say, “it’s just a dog” but there are many more of us who consider our dogs (or any pet) part of our family. They bring us joy and fill us with grief as well. I think Douglas Green did an amazing job of bringing us along on his journey with Shirelle.

I listened to the audiobook, and the author did a fabulous job with the narration. I have a major complaint though. There was a loud gong sound effect in the book that was not only unnecessary but very jarring.

The Teachings of Shirelle
By: Douglas Green

What a sweet book. Dog lovers should read this book. Others should too, but definitely dog lovers. It captures the essence of the pure love of the relationship between a dog and its human. It reminded me much of Lessons with Lucy By Dave Barry, but it was different enough to make it worth the read. I loved the little poems about various dog things. They were endearing and made me smile.

I chose the audiobook because I wanted to hear the voice of the author, who narrated it. That made it special also, as did the occasional woof. I want to take a look at the digital book also because it has photos.
The only thing I could have done without was the bell that chimed at various points throughout - alot! I'm not sure of the point. Was it to emphasis an important point? If so, it is unnecessary. The points are obvious without a chime. Was it intended to be like a dog training technique? Pavlovian? In any event, it was unnecessary and distracting and retracted from an otherwise lovely book.
I still gave it 5 stars. I need to check out @askshirelle now. Sweet girl.

I thought I would really love this book but unfortunately it was like I was reading two different stories. There were insights and wonderful memories/stories about Shirelle and the author and then there were mindless ramblings. Shirelle seemed to be a truly incredible dog and she shared a very special bond with the author. Seek these gems in the book and you'll be happy.

I thought that the book was beautifuly narrated and at times I thought I was experiencing being there in the moment. As the book spanned a course of time, there were many experiences of ups and downs throughout the book. I think the author was able to keep up with the highs and lows of his experience with Shirelle. I will admit that I was not sure that I could listen to the book as I am still trying to deal with the loss of my sweet baby pup, but I thought I would give it a try.
At times I wondered who was Douglas calling the knucklehead as I was thinking that it was really not Shirelle. I do not wish to give out spoilers, but I think in the end, the lessons that Douglas learned showed that the Knucklehead was really his muse. I did have to laugh when I would hear about some of Shirelle's antics, but that is what made her Shirelle. One moment I would be smiling and the next I would be crying, and then I would be happy and hopeful and pulling for Shirelle! I think that I related to the music that was mentioned in the book as I would nod my head and think I know that song and of course, one of my earliest memories of groups was the Shirelles so I was on board for everything in the book.
Again, I do not wish to give away any spoilers. After finishing "The Teachings of Shirelle" I realized how much I learned from my own sweet pup in just a short five years. The story is about love that was true and real and as with most things in life, sometimes life hurts.
In reading "The Teachings of Shirelle" there could be a beautiful lesson for all of us about selfless love.
One of the songs the group the Shirelle's would sing was "will you love me tomorrow" As was said in the book. "I will always love you"

This was adorable. I don't really have any negatives for this book. A read that is life lessons from a simple-minded dog and I have nothing but positives to say.

I read that the author, Douglas Green, is a psychotherapist and specializes in helping kids and teens. This absolutely makes sense that he wrote this book, as if it was a wonderful dog teaching us how to live a beautiful life. I love that the author learned so much, and shared with us as the readers, all these life lessons from the simple mentality of a loved puppers.

I also read that the author manages a website AskShirelle.com, which gives advice from the viewpoint of the pup. After checking it out, I absolutely love what the author has done. What an incredible way for kids, teens and their parents to get advice and a different perspective. Such a wonderful gift.

This book is exactly what it was advertised to being. Life teachings from a knucklehead mutt. Stories of what happened in the authors life, and the dog’s perspective of the lesson. A little unconventional, but I would recommend this book to any animal lover.

Thank you @NetGalley for the read. All the emotions and I loved it!

Wow. I really didn't like this one. At about 70% finished, I put it aside for weeks - and it blocked me from reading anything. I was listening to the audiobook. The dog story isn't bad, but whoever thought that the cowbell clang was a GOOD idea between vignettes within a chapter needs to be fired. It is so jarring and unnecessary!! This sound made me angry!!

I really wasn't interested in the author's life story of poor choices, bad romances, searching for jobs, and deaths and illnesses of friends and family. The author is the narrator. I think he needs to hire another narrator and use no bells.

If you are interested in this book, please don't get the audiobook.

There is a section in the middle that gave me high anxiety. Then, the last hour plus made me cry in mutual grief and grief for my former dog. Finally, at the end, he summarizes all the lessons he learned from Shirelle, and it came off like preaching. Yuck.

Alas.. Thank you to Netgalley, Mindbuck Media Audio, and Douglas Green for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley for the audio version of the book "The Teachings of Shirelle". I love that the author is also the narrator of the book it always adds so much more to hear their inflections. I could relate to much of this book. Having had a dog that was my Shirelle, I could relate to his emotions and actions. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a furry friend.

A lighthearted and warm book on the importance of canine friendship. A little reminiscent of Marley & Me and A Street Cat Named Bob in the best possible ways, The Teachings of Shirelle engenders lessons about canine and animal friendships with humans that can be imparted into real life. An absolutely delightful book to listen to.

The Teachings of Shirelle is a really beautiful and poignant tale about how profound a bond with a pet can truly be for us. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator had a very smooth voice that was easy to listen to. This story went by fast. I loved hearing about Shirelle and found the origin of her name very interesting. I laughed and I cried. As a lifelong pet lover, I found the author's love for Shirelle to be very relatable. In my house, we refer to our pets as people. Our animal friends and family members truly do have so much to teach us, and this story highlights that. Highly recommend to any dog lovers.

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.