The Dog Who Danced

Description

When Justine Meade is persuaded to go cross country to be with her estranged family as her father dies, she reluctantly hitches a ride with Artie Schmidt, a local trucker, so that she can take her beloved Shetland Sheepdog, Mack, with her. When Arties abandons her at a rest stop, and unwittingly takes the dog, Justine sets off on a quest to find her best friend. Along the way she comes to terms with other abandonments in her life.

Ed and Alice Parmalee have suffered their own tragedy, and it has made them strangers to one another. When they find Mack, he helps them to heal their own relationship.

Prologue

Nothing was ever handed to me. My old man taught me the value of never expecting kindness. My step-mother taught me that the only way you get to be first in life is to stand alone. I’ve managed. I’ve never gone hungry, or worn anything I was ashamed of because it was threadbare, at least not since I left home at seventeen and a half. I’ve never sold myself in order to eat; I’ve met women like that. It’s true I’ve had living arrangements that might be looked at as nearly that bad, but that’s only if you’re looking in. I have done some things I’m not proud of, but each one was the result of wanting something I was willing to make a hard choice to get. And, yes, I’ve made those ‘bad’ choices along the way. Even if you don’t grow up with religion, you still know right from wrong, and the difference between good and not so good.

My name is Justine Meade and in my forty-three years there have only been a handful of people that I have loved. No, that’s an exaggeration. Two. Two that I lost because of stupidity and selfishness. One was my son. The other was my dog.

Expected out in March 2012.

www.susanwilsonwrites.com

Review By Pamela S. Hogle

I am usually skeptical of books where the author speaks in the dog's voice, but from its title, The Dog Who Danced, by Susan Wilson already had points in its favor. A book called The Dog THAT Danced might have languished, unread, on the shelf. And Wilson seems to get it. The dog, Mack / Buddy, is a Sheltie with a strong personality and viewpoint all his own. He's believable. The  human characters are real, too. 

During a cross-country drive, Mack gets separated from Justine, his person. The two have a very strong bond and are talented Canine Freestyle dancers. Their relationship is well-developed, explained well, and rings true. Mack is found by a couple, Alice and Ed, who have never quite gotten over the loss of their teenage daughter. Their initial hesitancy to get attached, and their growing, separate relationships with the dog, whom they call Buddy, also ring true. These are real people. They have all made poor decisions, lived with their mistakes and their regrets, and are trying in their oh-so-human way to move on and do better.

Mack / Buddy helps Ed and Alice work through their grief and anger with one another and move into a new beginning. He helps Justine cope with her dysfunctional family --- her estranged son, her cold and selfish stepmother, her dying father. But he remains a real dog, though perhaps a better-behaved dog than most. His doggy thoughts and wants are plausible; he doesn't have the cloying or idealized character of so many human-voiced dogs.

While there are certainly elements of the story and details that seem contrived, and it is a lightweight read, The Dog Who Danced is enjoyable and fun. I don't want to give too much away, but I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to dog lovers and "non-dog" people alike.