This book touches on a life being raised up by a challenging event, getting a puppy! Now I've been there and I know training a tiny new addition on four legs has highs and lows but no way would I have taken it on at such a low web as this author did! A really good picture is painted of a life being rescued and dragged in to the light again, bringing a mother and son together with the odd laugh and cry along the way. Gentle but deep in so many ways!

What a lovely book. Very heartfelt and uplifting. As auntie to a young German pointer I could empathise and take comfort from the exploits of the young Flash. When we look at our pup and think a big mistake was made as he digs up the garden , chews arms and pulls hair I will try to think that Andrew went through the same emotions and yet had his life enriched ! We may have to try very hard!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

I always love a good dog story, so I was thrilled when I was accepted for this one on Netgalley. It's the story of Andrew and his first dog Flash, and what it's like for a man in his forties with a fear of wolves now owning his first puppy and all the delights that come with it. He has been withdrawn after the death of his partner Thom, who had also wanted to get a dog before becoming sick. Flash becomes Andrew's everything, and teaches him doggy life lessons along the way.

I did enjoy the story, although I didn't always like what I read (Flash eating cigarette butts and chocolate and Andrew's kind of like Eh) and all his babysitters. Anyway, I had to think this was the late 90's and early 2000's so between then and me now owning a dog was different. I admit to crying at the end (again, second book that's got me in a row) so you know what that means.

Another good dog story, I enjoyed it very much. Four stars.

This is the story of author Andrew Marshall and his collie cross dog called Flash. Andrew was left devastated after the loss of his partner Thom and decided to get his first-ever puppy, something he had dreamt of since a child.

Andrew had read the training manuals but had little hands-on experience of the chaos a new puppy can bring. However, Andrew soon learns that knowing the correct training techniques and putting them into practice are two very different things!

Life opened up for Andrew, neighbours he hardly knew stopped to fuss the puppy and everyone had well-meaning but conflicting advice on dog ownership. Andrew soon found out that training a boisterous and mischievous collie cross puppy was not going to be easy.

Andrew recalls his first weeks with Flash in minute detail, something I must admit has always passed me by in a sleep-deprived fog. If asked about my first weeks with a new pup I usually recall being permanently attached to a mop, with a croaky voice from repeating mostly ignored instructions, and worn out by the late nights and early mornings. Many times I have scared the neighbours by standing in the middle of my lawn in my pyjamas at 2am, repeating ‘be quick’ and nearly catching my death of cold. It was nice to be reminded by Andrew of some of the more humourous side of puppy ownership that I had long forgotten!

Sadly, Andrew also describes the devastation he felt at the end of Flash’s life, a raw and heartbreaking time for all dog lovers, By this time Andrew had a partner, Ignacio, who shared Andrew’s grief at the loss of Flash. I’m glad they went on to give a home to a new puppy together who they named Pumpkin.

At the end of the book, Andrew quotes one of my favourite poems by Rudyard Kipling. I actually wrote a blog post about the poem last year and it can be read here

I have talked at length about the loss of my own dog Alfie who we sadly lost very suddenly in 2017. It was the overwhelming feeling of emptiness and loneliness of losing Alfie which lead me to start writing this blog, and in fact, it is dedicated to his memory.

An insightful, funny often moving account of the relationship between a man and his dog.

I love reading books about animals so that's why this one caught my eye ... plus how could I resist the picture of the dog on the cover?

At the end of 1999, Andrew was a struggling 40ish journalist, grieving over the loss of his partner who had passed away almost three years prior. He was lonely and wanting to make some changes in his life. Growing up he was never allowed to have a dog so decided to get a finally get one. So he adopted a puppy and named him Flash. This is Andrew's diary of getting Flash and his life with him (travelling, training classes, interactions with his friends, etc.).

I thought this book was okay ... Flash sounded like an amazing dog and it's obvious they had a strong bond.

I found the author kind of mopey and desperate for love, though. As such, I find it ironic that on his website he calls himself "the U.K.'s best-known marital therapist". When Flash was older, he was prepared to leave Flash with various people so he could spend a month in Edinburgh with his new partner. A couple nights here and there are fine but month is a long time to be away. I didn't find his new partner overly likable or sympathetic when Flash was nearing the end.

I found it odd that as strict as he was about training Flash (they went through training together), he allowed his dog to eat as much garbage as he did ... cigarette butts, cigar butts, plastic food wrappers. poop, etc.

Growing up, he had a fear of wolves and I found he spent a lot of time going on about this. So glad he finally overcame it.

I know the copy I read was not the final version. But Andrew is a journalist and an author and there were an amazing amount of typos and grammatical errors.

I would like to thank RedDoor Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Power Of Dog’ written by Andrew Marshall, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Andrew Marshall is suffering from depression following the death of his partner Thom. He remembers that as a child he was afraid of wolves yet desperately wanted his parents to get him a dog. With the desire to change his life for the better, and after a great deal of thought and advice obtained from dog books, he goes to visit the remaining two from a litter of cross-bred Border Collie/Brittany Spaniel puppies and instantly falls in love the male puppy who he names Flash.
This novel is an amusing account of the ups and downs of training a lively and intelligent puppy, the mischief Flash gets into, and the love he gives and receives from his canine friend. We also learn about Andrew’s family and childhood, the death of Thom, and his new love Ignacio.
Parts of the novel made me laugh out loud but parts made me cry and I was grateful for the box of tissues close to hand. ‘The Power Of Dog’ has been well-written with compassion and thoughtfulness, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I stumbled upon this on NetGalley and decided to read it mainly because, as a fairly new dog-owner, I love hearing about how other people cope with the challenges of puppydom.

Andrew Marshall is a relationship counsellor and self-help author who has written lots of books called things like I Love You But You Always Put Me Last, and My Husband Doesn't Love Me and He's Texting Someone Else.

I haven’t read any of these - it’s not really my thing - and I haven’t read his columns in the Daily Mail, because that’s not my thing either. However I don’t mean to sound dismissive because Andrew is clearly a very experienced counsellor whose books have certainly helped many people (and might even help me if I read them, because I’m hardly a shining beacon of relationship perfection).

Anyway, after yearning for a puppy as a child, Andrew finally took the plunge in the wake of the death of his long term partner, Thom. After a fair bit of research he came home with Flash, a collie/spaniel cross, and embarked on a new life as a dog owner. Flash sounded delightful, although I couldn’t help mentally singing “Aaah-aaah! Saviour of the universe!” every so often after reading his name.

I’m no expert in dogmanship (though I may have just invented a new word), but it seems like Andrew did a good job as a dog dad, though there were some things I didn’t agree with. I know plenty of people do it but I’m not a fan of leaving a young puppy, just separated from his mother, alone all night to cry and whine. That seems cruel to me. And this could be just me, but I thought Andrew might be a bit too blasé about allowing Flash to eat stuff (cigarette ends, for instance). Most importantly, though they clearly developed a lovely bond, helping Andrew deal with various challenges in his life - including his bereavement, his relationships and, rather unusually, facing up to a longstanding childhood fear of wolves.

An enjoyable read which is really quite touching in parts, especially at the end.

I like the concept of this book, and do believe that dogs have a way of healing and giving comfort in many ways. Trouble was I struggled to get into this book.Tried a few times and just couldn't seem to stay interested in the characters at the beginning, which was setting up the premise. Might just be me, so I would still recommend this book. Just wasn't for me.

I rarely read memoirs and to be honest it was the cover image of the dog that caught my attention. Having recently acquired a furry ‘niece’ and presently toying with the idea of dog ownership, I really enjoyed the story of Andrew and Flash.. Obviously it’s a story of a man and his puppy but it’s about love and relationships. Maybe I need to follow Mr Marshall’s example and set my New Year’s resolution as ‘to become a dog owner’ . His story definitely inspires me to make the commitment.