Calling all dog lovers!
I have been so lucky with my dog that I haven't had to experience one of my beloved pets crossing the rainbow bridge, but that is what this book is about.
I was nervous to start this book because it's written through a dogs point of view, because the last one I read (Downward Dog) didn't capture a dogs voice the way I wanted it to. But this one did! Lucky, who we soon learn to love as Monk, is thrown into this world by his birth momma with one other brother. But for some reason, only Lucky has to go away to be adopted. He is fearful to be on his own so soon; he wanted to stay with his mom and brother, not sit in a cage with taunting pug Walter and wait to be adopted.
But that's how he met her.
His Luv.
His one true human love.
He had never experienced love the way he got to with Beth. She picked him out, took him home, and gave him a life that he wasn't ready to give up. He got to stay through happiness, sadness, relationships, and babies. He had the life every dog dreams of having..
Until one day, he realized he needed to sleep cuddled up to his Luv. He needed to be near her, but he wasn't sure why.
That night, he had a very vivid dream where his birth momma was in Luv's house telling him to come along, he had something new to experience...Eternity.
Eternity was great! He got to become a part of the Group of Six, pups who lived together and worked to make a life for themselves in Eternity. Thanks to Monk, the little group of six become rather famous. He had finally found another home, a home without his Luv. But he thought of her every day, painted pictures of her, told everyone about her, but still cried himself to sleep because he would never see his Luv again.
Now that he was situated in his new life, his dear friend Mollie went missing.
He couldn't imagine she would leave without saying goodbye....
But soon he knew, that wasn't the case.

Can't say much more without ruining the book but it is fantastic!
If you love dogs and worry about life without them, this book is definitely the book for you.
It pulls together love and loss.
It makes you realize that the universe has a plan.
You just have to trust it.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Dog Ear Publishing for sending me an advanced copy!

The premise of Where The Dogs Go was so interesting to me, see I work with dogs and cats everyday. I'm proud to be a Veterinary Technician, so needless to say animals are a true passion of mine. So when I happened across this book I thought hmmmm...interesting concept but it will probably bring me to tears multiple times.

Everyone can always use a good cry fest now and then, so I figured what the heck, right? I was not only happily surprised while reading this book to make it through with very little tears, but I also had multiple moments where I laughed out loud and had tears of joy. That’s right folks joy!

This book is perfect for any dog lover, or really anyone who has wondered where do the dogs go after their lives are over here on Earth? The rainbow bridge has never had a face like this book paints it. Now I understand that this book is a work of fiction, but I would love to believe that my personal dogs and some of my awesome patients over the years who have passed have gotten to experience the same things as in this book. If it were true, my heart and soul would explode with joy.

This book starts out with the birth of the main character a Lhasa Apso named Lucky. He and his brother were happy to be learning life from their mother Ginger. She was a great mom and prepared them for their futures. They learned that they were essentially “doggie royalty” and were destined to be worshiped by all. They were also expected to stay strong, to react calmly, and to be wise and kind. The puppies also learned that when they were big and strong enough puppies as cute and special as them were put up for adoption so that another human family could find the joy and happiness of having their own puppy to love.

When that day came, to worsen already bad news, Lucky was devastated to find out that his brother got to stay with his mom. He was sent to a rescue facility. He didn't know what to do, but cry. So cry he did! He was taunted and teased by the other dogs about his looks and his tongue which always hung out the side of his mouth. Lucky endured multiple days in a cage waiting. He tried to impress anyone and everyone who walked by to no avail.

Then it happened, just as his wise mother has said it would. A beautiful blond woman locked eyes with him, Lucky’s heart was filled with a fullness it had never known before. She wanted him, adopted him, and gave him a forever home and a new name!

Lucky became Monk and was thrilled to be in his new home, with his new person, his Luv. Everything she did was magic in his eyes. He lived for her and loved to see her happy. This touching story evolves through many changes in the lives of owner and dog. Dating, marriage, children, growing old, and then finally death. All of these subjects are handled with love and tact. When Monk enters heaven is when the real story takes off.

See, in heaven all dogs get to pick jobs that are suited to them. They are fully trained to do those jobs well and they get to coexist with other dogs in an utopian like world.

I won't ruin this book for anyone, but the author’s ideas of what happens afterward are simply worth reading. I couldn't help but wonder what jobs my dogs would have picked. I think Ella, my diva German Shorthaired Pointer would have been a supermodel. Marvin, my loving and loyal mutt would definitely been a policeman. He guarded the family and other dogs in life, he would have naturally chose to do that in heaven as well, I'm sure.

The ending! While I saw the ending coming, I still was ultimately extremely satisfied with how the story evolved. I felt like this story was a great mixture of storytelling and heart string tugging with the perfect amount of content and imagination. I feel like other readers will enjoy Monk’s journey as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dog Ear Publishing, and the author herself, for allowing me access to this gem in exchange for my honest review. Where The Dogs Go is Janell Martin’s first published book. I will for sure keep her on my list of authors to watch in the future, from one dog lover to another - great story!

The title is appropriate, as the book tells the author's version of what dogs are thinking, & where they go after they die. It's told in a pretty simple format, almost too simple for this reader. I really felt like I had to keep plodding thru this book, & didn't really buy into the author's idea of what happens when a pet 'crosses the rainbow bridge'. I really love dogs, & I think that's what kept me going thru this read. It did end up having a nice, kind of surprising ending....but it just wasn't enough to bring up my overall rating of the book. I'm glad it was a short, quick read. The author herself, sounds like she may have an interesting story in her blog that she writes about at the end of the book....that might turn out to be more entertaining!
I did get this e-galley from NetGalley, in return for my own honest review. All opinions are my own.

Very cute story that will make you smile, and maybe even shed a few tears. Great for when you want a quick read, that is very heartfelt.

Really cute book told in part by the dog and the love between the dog and his humans. This was a feel good quick read. Such a sweet story and I can't help but hope my dog loves me like this dog loves luv. I smiled the whole day after reading this book. It's an A++

This is a cute story about the love between a dog and his humans. It goes through the life of a dog and it's an interesting perspective. This was a short fast read and it is DOG-tastic!