Posted on January 17, 2012 by: WayCoolDogs

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This book took me into another world. I am a dog lover and dog author of children’s books. I know dogs and consider them to be wonderful. However, I had no idea, until I read this book, of the extraordinary world of living with multiple dogs, dogs who needed a home, dogs who had been abandoned, and how they lived together in a home filled with personalities, surprises, loyalty and love…and how rewarding this could be. Reading this book is a joyous, fascinating and touching experience.

Cayr Ariel Wulff’s debut book opens with her four-year-old self’s disheartening epiphany that she is lacking a tail.

An animal lover since birth, Wulff doesn’t allow this shortcoming to stop her from becoming enamored with pets of all shapes and sizes. Dogs, cats, a horse, and even a skunk make their way into Wulff’s life over the next twenty-odd years, and she takes us on a tour of what eventually amounts to a menagerie of rescues.Each of the twenty chapters pays homage to the story of a single creature.

Some find the author: Pluto, a big black sweetheart of a mutt, comes via a rescue organization, while Troll, a scruffy terrier mix, is discovered eating cat food outside Wulff’s house. Others she finds: Bumper the one-eyed, tilted-head dog happens to be out wandering the streets as Wulff drives by. Once taken in, the dogs’ personalities emerge. Dillon, an unwanted poodle/beagle, plays pack leader for sixteen years despite his small stature; Taco Belle, a chihuahua mix, snuggles with everyone.

Moody cats and belligerent dogs only seem to offer an irresistible challenge to Wulff and her unending supply of patience and hospitality. Despite occasional fights, bites, and scratches Wulff, assisted by her partner Dalene, makes the conglomeration of outcasts work and shows it’s worth every band-aid.

Her practice of never turning away an animal in need and always putting the dog or cat’s best interest first make her every animal adoption center’s dream come true. In fact she has become so close with Valley Save-A-Pet in Ohio that partial proceeds from the book are allotted to the organization.

Writing can provide a beautiful dynamic between a cathartic release and recorded longevity. Wulff plays this combination to the max. In her emotional trip down memory lane she gives everlasting life to each animal through the permanence of written words. Whatever Wulff lacked in way of a tail, she has definitely made up with her illuminating plethora of tales.

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Book review by, Robert J. McCarty of “Planet of the Dogs.”

 

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