The Teachings of Shirelle

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
...and I'm glad I did, because if you're a dog lover, which I am, it's a goody. Doug, the author, was blessed to have the love of his life, his dog Shirelle, share his life with him for over a decade -- what a lucky man. She was a handful at times, but also a constant source of joy and enlightenment to him. This book could've been subtitled, "Zen and the Art of Learning to Fully Live Life, as Taught by Your Pet." Less a straightforward story about Shirelle, and more about how Doug's life was changed by Shirelle's sharing it with him, it is told chronologically, but there are many side stories to illustrate his points. It was as if Shirelle was his life coach in many ways. The reader will laugh, cry, smile frequently, and most of all wish for a pet like this sweet and feisty pound pup, unless you already are fortunate enough to have one -- in which case, looking into its eyes from now on might take on a whole new depth of meaning for you. Well done.

This book just broke my heart. It's such a touching and funny story of a man and the dog he rescued as a pup right before she was doomed to be put down.

The story of their lives together is filled with fun, anger, love and many.. what the.. moments.

Shirelle was so funny and sweet and crazy all in one. She learns like they all do how to do things the right way and how to do what she wants. She was a great companion in therapy just by knowing what each patient needed from her. She was another brilliant soul and did nothing but give undying love to her person just like all wonderful doggers do.

This story is also sad, it just about killed me what she had to go through. It brought back sad, crying memories of what my own dog and son Dakota went through, but not as long and not as bad as Shirelle. Shirelle was a fighter until she couldn't fight any more.

I love how the author wrote out the different things he learned through Shirelle, to use in the real world.

God bless all of the wonderful dogs and any other animals in all of our lives that love us unconditionally. We are all given a privilege if we are allowed to love all of these wonderful animals.

Fin

*I would like to thank NETGALLEY and SMITH PUBLICITY for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1393702253 http://melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-teachings-of-shirelle-by-douglas.html

I'm going to admit I'm a sucker for a dog story. I love going to the park and talking to other dog owners about there dogs, I especially loved working at a vet clinic and hearing all these various stories from other good to bad and sometimes sad. My heart will always belong to paws. I thought this to be a many emotion level book, the writing might've needed a bit more focus so it wasn't so scattered brained at times but other then that I took it for just as it was a man talking about his lovely dog. Easily a 3.5 star read, it's a nice light read.

Really enjoyed this story of the life and wisdom of Shirelle. Although the language is a little big"flowery" for me at times, I think this novel will speak to many who share their lives with big hearted , maddening, canine friends. The author's view of Shirelle' s responses, especially her joyful impulsive behaviour is accurate and helpful, especially when thinking about similar experiences of one's own. The final section of the book is a reminder of the pain of loss and the real importance to seize the day!

What a loving story between a man & his dog. Do we ever stop to think about the lessons our dog can teach us. Do we realize why the dog in your life does some of the things he or she does? This is the love story of one man and one very special dog who meet at the pound. Just a really beautiful story.

I don't even know where to start - I feel like there is a big Shirelle shaped hole in my heart. I knew how the story was going to end from the very first turn of the page, but it is still a shock when it happens. I loved the list of 'teachings' from Shirelle and photographs at the end of the book - summed it all up. I would say that the book needs more focus on the life of Shirelle, as although I loved hearing about the authors life, some of it isn't totally relevant to the growth of Shirelle.

If you love dogs, this book will deliver a story that will have you shake your head in recognition, laugh at the relationship between the two, and cry as they go through their lows. Shirelle is a dog that has problems from the beginning. She is slated to be destroyed when the author finds her and from there begins a relationship that will impact not only Mr. Green's life, but also many others around him.

I was blown away at how fun and wonderful this story was. Shirelle reminded me of a dog I once has so it was even more personal to me than I would have once thought. I cried and laughed at the stories and the lessons she taught him. I received the ebook first and then was blessed by the publisher with the physical copy. If you are incline to purchase this book, buy the physical copy. The colored photos inside will make the book come alive even more and really make you connect with the characters.

Bring a tissue and wag a tail, this is a book that will definitely make you think.

REVIEW: THE TEACHINGS OF SHIRELLE by Douglas Green

I, literally, read every dog book I can. Among these I have certain personal favorites. THE TEACHINGS OF SHIRELLE has become one. Not only do adorable dogs [I know, redundancy] populate this wonderful memoir plus spiritual legacy, but author Douglas Green clearly resonates as I do with the canine species. No dog lover or human-owned-by-dog should miss out on the wonderful THE TEACHINGS OF SHIRELLE.

Beautiful story!

I don’t generally like memoirs or autobiography-like books so I tend to avoid them. But this one was about the lessons a dog can teach us so I was very willing to read it.

When I first started reading it, I quickly became annoyed by the ignorance the author was showing towards dog behaviour and dog training. I stopped reading it and continued the next day. Then I realised, during this short break that I took from the book, that I was reading it all wrong!

I was paying way too much attention to what is proper training and not to what the story was about. I was using, as Shirelle tought me later, my brain to read this book while I should have been using my heart. Why does it matter if Shirelle was not the best behaving dog on the planet? Why does it matter that she most of the times was annoying? What matters is that this dog was the perfect companion for this author. And he was so amazed by what Shirelle had to teach him that he wanted to share the teachings of Shirelle with us.

I especially appreciated the honesty of the author in this memoir. He is not ashamed to share some very personal moments of failure and he remained sincere throughout the story. This is not a fictional story; there is no perfect bittersweet ending. But I do appreciate the imperfections because life is not perfect.

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed was the true love and companionship that Green expressed to us, the readers, about his dog. It makes me very happy when people get to experience this level of connection with another animal and are not ashamed to share it with others. Green is not afraid to explain that Shirelle was one of the most important things in his life.

"You see, here’s the bitter fact about dogs. We can trust them in ways we can’t trust other people, because we know they can’t lie. And they love and trust us equally, because they don’t understand that we can."

I liked the philosophies that the author was sharing throughout the book, even if I didn’t agree with all of them. You can’t always agree with everything after all. But some quotes are very powerful. Even if you want, you can’t lie to dogs. Dogs are instinctual and they have a really powerful instinct. They see right through us, they know how we feel even when we don’t.

"How would it feel to be passionate about everything? To, instead of sighing, “I haven’t accomplished anything today,” exult, “There’s so much I want to do!”"

Living in the moment! A very big lesson.
I didn’t expect to like this memoir so much. If you like dogs or if you are thinking about getting a dog or if you have a dog that is a knucklehead (like most of them are) read this book. Even if you start reading The Teachings of Shirelle: Life Lessons from a Divine Knucklehead with your brain like I did, Shirelle will definitely show you how to continue with your heart.

Here is a direct link to my review for this title. Thank you for allowing me to review it.
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Reviews/Diana-Coyle-reviews-The-Teachings-Of-Shirelle-by-Douglas-Green Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews - Book Reviewer

The Teachings of Shirelle is a love letter to a furbaby. Green's adoration of his beloved Shirelle is evident in every word. Unfortunately, the "lessons" part of the book is obscured beneath the flowery praise of Shirelle in all of her imperfections. In a world increasingly drawn to lists, the title may have been more evident had the lessons been spelled out more clearly, perhaps as chapter headings. Also, the author has a tedency to write in hyperbole (perhaps a result of his drama background), which makes the book slow to read at times. Still, The Teachings of Shirelle is a nod to anyone who has ever loved a pet--especially an unexpected pet.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc!

The cover is beautiful, of the author's dog, Shirelle, who he fondly calls various names such as "my little girl"; "my angel"; and, of course, "Knucklehead." Very rarely do you come across a man who loves his dog as much as Doug loved Shirelle. It is an amazing tribute to a well-loved mutt.

Shirelle's story is magical and mystical. You'll see what I mean when you read it. She comes across as being a brat, but she is such a lover. She understood things that human wording could not form. Again, you'll see what I mean when you read this book. The relationship between this man and this dog is just precious, and it's wonderful to be on the outside looking in as you see their life together.

I could have done without all the philosophy and dream bits, and the writing is not stellar, but still, the author is to be admired for the loving home that he made for Shirelle. She sounds like one heck of a companion.

**crossposted to goodreads**