A Dog of Many Names

An eye-opening tale of a dog’s resilience upon abandonment and her journey of survival on the streets, flitting from human to human. I cried and fumed and cried some more. This was such a heart breaking tale of how careless, disrespectful and utterly ridiculous humans can be to animals. I highly recommend this to everyone just so we can get a different perspective of life and how we can be better people.

3.5/5 Stars A Dog of Many Names by Douglas Green
Narrated by Kelly McNair
Run Time: 4 hrs and 17 mins
Summary:
A fictional account of the fears developed by a female rescue German shepherd mix.

Additional Comments:
• Narration is 4, story is 3.
• Performance took a little getting used to because the narrator’s voice was a tad higher pitched than I find soothing and easy to listen to, but she did a nice job overall with the story she was given.
• The perspective narration (story not performance) was inconsistent. For example, it would say something like “the poking place” and then two paragraphs later be like “the veterinarian.” Or like “the hairy-faced man” and “kitchen.” I get it, but the level of sophistication kept jumping around like one of those beans.
• The story started out with the family, stayed with them for a while then switched over to the dog’s perspective and stayed there.
• Content warning: It’s clean-ish, but there was at least one scene description of dogs doing it I definitely could have done without. Some violence. A few scattered curse words
• Overall equal parts charming and annoying.

Conclusion:
If you want to hear a rambling tale about a dog, go for it. It’s like the gritty opposite version of homeward bound. Or the dog version of the foster kid’s crappy life journey to the loving forever home.
*I received a free copy of the audiobook. I have chosen to leave a review. All thoughts are my own.

Ahh, this was a tough one to listen to. This is a fictional account of what one dog goes through in her life on the path to finding her forever home, told from her perspective. The author bases his assumptions on his own rescue dog, though in the end says that he "bought" her from a couple? Anyway, this fictional dog goes through multiple homes, each lacking to some degree, and survives on her own for a time before being rescued.

I'm not sure who the intended audience is. Backyard breeders who are producing puppies to make a buck? Irresponsible owners? Abusive owners? Those working in rescue? While I won't say this is a bad book, it's not one I would recommend either. Those of us who work or volunteer with rescues don't need more sad tales and the others, I'm not sure this would hit home enough to change their ways (not that I think they'd actually read it). So yes, this pulls at the heartstrings, but I can't think of one person I'd recommend this to.

Thanks to Mindbuck Media Audio, Author's Republic, Circuit Breaker Books and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my review.

A dog of many names
By Douglas Green
The reality of the book is a sad story of human greed, abandonment, neglect, and evil. A young dog who was reluctantly taken by her family to be abandoned by the side of the road. Her struggles and triumphs as she tried to live in the ugly reality of the human world. Aspca would appreciate the confidence of this story and the reminder of the commitment to animals we have.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book, it seemed to have The Call of the Wild vibes. It's a story of the life of a dog.

A puppy is born in a home. As the runt of the litter, she spends her days there loving and being loved until she is dumped in the forest because the family cannot afford her upkeep.

From then on, it is a constant battle for survival for Rascal. She learns a lot of things in the forest. She learns to hunt for food, to hide in plain sight, and to attack when troubled.

She is adopted by different people at different stages of her life and given different names. She is scared and untrusting of people. Will she ever get her forever home?

The story, narrated from the dog's POV (third person), is heartbreaking and heartening in equal measure. For every bad incident, there are things that make you believe in humanity. Above all, the story talks about the resilience of a dog.

I liked this book but not only because I love dogs. It was a good book if only a bit short. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

4 stars.

This book shattered my heart into smithereens... The story of an abandoned dog in search of her name and her human...

The people the author created in this book, seen through the eyes of the dog, are forged from the depths of human depravity. And it is truly tragic that this world is filled with so many such people, with little humanity.

The dog in this book... I love her... She's everything beautiful, and brave... resilient, a survivor...

As a dog parent, with an avid interest in the biosociopsychology of dogs, I was quite fascinated with the author's insight about dogs (though some of the thoughts the author attributed to her were a little far fetched)...

This story also touched my heart, because... it is the story of every stray / streetie in India... adopted as a cute puppy, abandoned when they stopped being so cute... it is the story of every illegally bred runt, or over-bred female dog... it just might be the story of my puppy...

I choked up when I heard the author's note... that this was meant to be his dog's fictional biography before she came to him; because like my Batty her black-box before the author adopted her could only be guessed at...

Douglas, I'm so glad Aria found her name, and found you, her human... I'm so glad Aria found love, and care, and acceptance...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a dog’s struggle for survival. My heart broke a little each time she lost a home and had to figure out how to survive in her new situation. This story also demonstrates how important patience and loving care is needed while rehabilitating and gaining the trust of a rescue dog.

I listened to the audible version of A Dog of Many Names. This was a story about a dog's struggle to find its forever home. There were times in the book that I nearly stopped and walked away from it altogether because the content was upsetting as an animal lover. And if triggers for animal abuse and neglect are an issue for you be warned that this story does contain both. I am, however, glad that I stuck with it despite how distressing it was at points because it was a lovely story overall. If you are a dog lover expect tears, expect anger and expect to be heavily invested in the struggles of this dog.

4 1/2 stars for me. It was a tough read at times for me because it hurt my heart but I would recommend this to anyone who can handle the emotional journey and who loves dogs.

Trigger warning for animal cruelty.

I received this audible book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.


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While I am typically fine with reading a story that does not end happily I have an issue reading anything where the ending is bad for the animal. Be assured this story has a happy ending. But, it is an emotional journey getting there.

This book is the perfect example of why humans do not deserve dogs. There were so many times in listening to this that I wanted to climb through my phone and punch whatever human in the face. That said, it demonstrates really well why and how dogs are so unconditionally loving and just you know, the best.

This story made me think of The Miraculous Journey Edward Tulane except this dog, unlike the bunny, didn’t end up back where he started and THANKFULLY.
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Rascal is the runt of the litter beginning life as an underdog. Yet she is living a good life with the daughter of the family who bred her. That is until Rascal’s love and devotion is discarded after the mother loses her job. This incident puts the family into a financial crisis. The mood turns bitter and resentful toward innocent Rascal whom they can no longer afford to keep. And the truth is… they never really wanted her in the first place. The family just throws her away like a bag of garbage. They drive her out into the country and abandon her on the roadside, pouring out a bit of dry food on the ground. Rascal has nothing but a few pieces of kibble to help her survive a life in the wild for which she is unfamiliar and unprepared.
Abandoned and alone, Rascal must learn to fend for herself and embark on a harsh and dangerous journey through the rough terrain in the mountain wilderness of Northern California. Along the way, she is taken in by new families and strangers and is given many different names. But she needs a forever home. Will she ever settle with one family and one name?

This is a bittersweet and courageous story of survival, seen through the eyes of a scared and desperate dog who just wants to love, be loved, and if she could express it to be given one last name.

Narrator was very good for this story.

This was a neat audiobook for kids wise beyond their years. As a kid, I would've loved this. With the wear and tear of adulthood, it made me cry a few times. The narration was great.

A Dog of Many Names by Douglas Green pulled me in with its cover. As an owner of German Shepherd Dogs for 30+ years, I was enticed to read the blurb, and then listen to the book. I am so thankful to #NetGalley and #Mindbuck Media Audio for allowing me to listen. This is an incredible book of one dog's story. I loved how the author wrote the story from the dog's perspective. Unfortunately she had some horrible experiences. That sweet pup went from loving home to abandonment, physical abuse, to doing whatever it took to survive. Finding a forever home was an emotional journey. Kelly McNair performed the book beautifully. She expressed the right emotions for the story. This book really packs a punch.

I want to start off by thanking the publisher for giving me an audiobook arc of this book through NetGalley. This book was something I wasn’t expecting. in all honesty, I didn’t realize how dark this book was going to get. <spoiler> There were more happy moments in the beginning of the book but many sad moments where the main character, the dog, suffers later. The book was a good reminder of the cruelty and severe situations many dogs and animals face on a daily basis. There were moments of hope though which helped us move forward from the bad times. </spoiler> Overall, this story portrayed a more realistic story of a dog’s journey throughout life and i would keep in mind that this story can get dark before reading it.

I knew going in that parts of this book would disturb me because I am such a dog mom, but I winced through the hard parts and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story of this brave pup.

I love this story because it reaches into your heartstrings and hopefully will make you feel for the dog with the hardships she faces. Everybody should think twice before hitting a dog, dumping a dog on the back roads because they are an inconvenience. My dachshund is a rescue baby, found in the side of the road with her one live brother and several other siblings that already passed. This story spreads that awareness and I love it for that.

Highly recommend this book to anybody whether you are a dog lover or not. It teaches compassion and a fabulous read!

Thanks to netgalley and circuit breakers books for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very hard and gut wrenching book to listen to! I struggled with rating it because of the pain it caused me, just thinking of all of the trials that this amazing dog went through. I decided that even though it was tough to hear, it was still a very well written book! I have dreamed for so many years of owning a German Shepherd but my health is too poor! There were so many parts of this book that made me cry and others that helped soothe my aches. This is truly an outstanding dog that weathered many storms in her life.
I definitely have a deeper appreciation for those that rescue and take care of all animals! Thank you!
I'd also like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and Dreamscape media for this ARC audiobook for my honest and voluntary review.

A Dog Of Many Names by Douglas Green is a pull all the heartstrings story of a sweet German Shepherd puppy who is abandoned on the side of the road. As she tries to process what she did wrong, who will feed her, how she will survive her inner animal survival instincts take over and she hunts, runs and hides.

Passionately narrated by actress Kelly McNair, the author has pieced together the journey his own rescue might have taken confronting the worst and best of humanity. Dog lovers will cry and rejoice but the ones who should listen, the abusers, will never hear nor feel the love of these precious beings.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#netgalley A dog of many names by Douglas Green publication date 06 July 2020 Like all stories with dogs in this made me cry, it was absolutely heartbreaking the abuse that humans inflict on animals makes me so angry and sad at the same time. If you are a dog lover you will hate and love this story. 5/5 stars

Story about dog always end me with ugly tears, but luckily this one is happy tears. Rascal the pup must experience unfortunate life when it is breeder get bad luck. My heart break and healing with Rascal's journey to find and learn new trust. It is a short read, but full of meaning. Animal isnt thing you can declutter when you dont want it anymore.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with such heartwarming story.

I am at around a 3.15-3.35 for this one because there are a few elements of animal abuse that obviously I did not care for. I probably would not have chosen to read this one if I had known that going in. However, I stuck with it because I just knew there had to be some good to come out of it.

Sweet, little runt of the litter, Rascal, is the only puppy left at the breeder, so they decide to keep her. Once excited to have a companion, the daughter, Angela, soon grows up and starts ignoring this poor puppy. The mother takes her on a car ride, that she gets so excited for, to only be left on the side of the road to fend for herself. It was a hard listen when this sweet baby realizes that she was abandoned and didn't know where to go.

She stays with a few different families, gets a few different names and eventually she gets her happily ever after.
I must say I did have a frown on my face for most of the story ~ heartwarming it definitely is not.
I am glad I listened to the author's note where he explains his journey with rescuing from the shelter.
It was a quick listen and the narration was alright.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Mindbuck Media Audio and the author for the audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 4

A bit sad, inspiring and it touched my heart.

If you are a dog lover, as I am, parts of this story will break your heart but it was ultimately a great story of the determination to survive despite the odds. “The Dog” was known by many names and found herself in good and bad situations. I’m not sure if I’d have wanted to read this story when I was young. It doesn’t have a sad ending but parts of it were difficult enough for me to experience that I’m not sure I’d want to read it to a tender-hearted child.

Kelly McNair did a fantastic job performing this very touching story. At times I really felt like I was the Dog, living and experiencing all of the good and bad things that happened to her.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

What an amazing book. It was brilliant to read a book from a dogs point of view and was a real roller coaster of a book. I just couldn't put this book down. I listened to the audiobook. I thought the narrator did an excellent job at bringing the story to life and brought through such an amazing sense of atmosphere and tension. You will definitely got through a wide range of emotions while reading this book. Trigger warning there are some very sad times in this book so have the tissues at the ready. I loved the ending of this book it made the story feel so complete and was a really nice way to end such a roller coaster ride. I felt very satisfied reading this book it truly I'd an amazing piece of writing. This fantastic story that is aimed at a young adult audience will be perfect for reader aged 14 to adult. The atmosphere and tension in this book just swept me away and I became very quickly engrossed in the story.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for creating such an amazing book from a very unique angle. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this amazing author. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/a-dog-of-many-names-by-douglas-green-mindbuck-media-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365 or lady Reading365 or ladyc reading

"She realized that no longer would she rather die. Now, she'd rather live. If she didn't run away right now she'd risk being hit again or being caressed. She'd risk being grabbed and thrown or hugged. She"d risk being hated or loved. Being abandoned or protected. Having to let someone in or fight someone who wanted to kill her. Life meant wanting to live and wanting to live meant....

Terrified, she carefully stepped out from the bushes."

I felt that quote in my soul.... Personally.

This is a quick read about a dog's journey from home to home and inbetween; the good the bad and the ugly that she encountered, and her resolve and strength throughout.

I enjoyed the read especially the ending. There are parts of the story that may make some people uncomfortable and I wouldn't recommend it for young children but older children and adults would enjoy.

I am reviewing the audiobook. I received a copy through NetGalley but this is my totally honest review. Not necessarily unbiased (I am an animal rescuer)but honest. I hated this book. And I loved this book. I hated what this poor dog went through, the horrible way she was treated by the people she met. She thought she had a wonderful home but when economic difficulties hit they took her far from home and abandoned her to survive on her own. My anger and hatred was really strong there! Others tried to help her but she always ended up alone, fearful, hungry, injured. I have seen dogs like her. I have worked with dogs like her. I have adopted dogs like her. The author’s note at the end demonstrates the bond that can exist between man and dog when you are willing to work at it and the fulfillment one can get from animal rescue. Working with shy and fearful dogs and watching them come out of their shells is rewarding beyond belief. A Dog Of Many Names is based on the author’s rescue dog. Thank you Douglas Green for giving her a chance. Kelly McNair did an excellent job narrating this book told largely from the dog’s viewpoint. I loved the book! It left me feeling hope for at least part of humanity.

Thank you Netgalley for the free listen. This audiobook was great to listen to. I thought the narrator’s voice was soothing and made me enjoy it even more. This reminded me of Homeward Bound a bit. I’m a sucker for anything having to do with Animals. This book was heartbreaking to listen to and it tugged at my heartstrings. 3/5

This was a cute and touching story to listen to. The narrator did an amazing job with this story. I even shed a few tears.