About the book Dog Crazy

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 10, 2015)

The USA Today bestselling author of How to Eat a Cupcake and All the Summer Girls returns with an unforgettably poignant and funny tale of love and loss, confronting our fears, and moving on . . . with the help of a poodle, a mutt, and a Basset retriever named Seymour.

As a pet bereavement counselor, Maggie Brennan uses a combination of empathy, insight, and humor to help patients cope with the anguish of losing their beloved four-legged friends. Though she has a gift for guiding others through difficult situations, Maggie has major troubles of her own that threaten the success of her counseling practice and her volunteer work with a dog rescue organization.

Everything changes when a distraught woman shows up at Maggie’s office and claims that her dog has been stolen. Searching the streets of San Francisco for the missing pooch, Maggie finds herself entangled in a mystery that forces her to finally face her biggest fear-and to open her heart to new love.

Packed with deep emotion and charming surprises, Dog Crazy is a bighearted and entertaining story that skillfully captures the bonds of love, the pain of separation, and the power of our dogs to heal us.

Buy, read, and discuss Dog Crazy

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About the author, Meg Donohue

Meg Donohue is the author of How to Eat a Cupcake. She has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and a BA in comparative literature from Dartmouth College. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she now lives in San Francisco with her husband, their two young daughters, and their dog.

Connect with Meg:

Website |  Facebook | Twitter.

My Thoughts

From the moment I saw the cover art – lab puppies – it was a foregone conclusion that I was going to read this book. What was less a ‘given’ was that I would love it as much as I did, but…I did. So there’s that.

I was hooked from the opening chapter when a woman is described as having ‘hidden in her bedrooom for two days’ after her loyal dog died. “That could be me,” I thought, and indeed, that was me several years ago, first when I had to watch my chihuahua succumb to a heart murmur, and a few years later, when we had to put our staffie/jrt mix down. As a child-free couple, our dogs are our children, so this book resonated with me on many levels.

I could even understand lead character Maggie’s fear of leaving her house, as I tend to have hermitish cycles in my own life. Oh, I’m not agoraphobic, like Maggie is, but I certainly understand the deep-seated psychological need to be safe and secure.

Author Meg Donohue has spun a fantastic tale, a fast read that is never boring and never feels too light, but zips along just the same. Her characters, despite the almost absurd situation: a therapist who is clearly in need of therapy herself, helping people cope with the loss of their furry friends, and still mourning her own, feel like real people (though, honestly, the San Francisco setting only helps this), and their stories are compelling.

Do not fear that because it deals with dead pets, Dog Crazy is a sad book. It’s not. Yes, there are bits that are poignant, but there are also parts that are hilarious, and what’s even better is that the hilarity comes organically, from the things life hands us every day, and never feels contrived.

In short, Dog Crazy is a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a few hours on a rainy day, with a pot of coffee or tea nearby, and, ideally, a dog (or cat) to cuddle while you read it.

Goes well with a grande flat white and a butter croissant.