elusivek | Book - A Dog Named Slugger

A Dog Named Slugger
Leigh Brill
Amazon Product Link

Product Description
The true life story of a dog who changed everything for one woman. For the first time in my life, I didn't need to pretend, I didn't need to be tough: I only needed to be honest. "I have cerebral palsy. I walk funny and my balance is bad. I fall a lot. My hands shake, too. That means I'm not so good at carrying things. And if I drop stuff, sometimes it's hard to just bend down and get it." I waited anxiously for the interviewer's response. She smiled. "It sounds like a service dog could be great for you." So began Leigh Brill's journey toward independence and confidence, all thanks to a trained companion dog named Slugger. The struggling college student and the Labrador with a "a coat like sunshine" and a tail that never stopped wagging became an instant team. Together, they transformed a challenge into a triumph. Together, they inspired and educated everyone they met. Now, Leigh honors her friend with the story of their life, together.

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I bought this book simply for the Dog factor. I was expecting this to be a normal non-fiction book, which, yes, this was a normal non-fiction book... but... I didn't quite like it. It felt a bit too childish for a non-fiction book. I didn't really like it when Brill recounted conversations. "Hi! This is Slugger!" All those recounted conversations started almost always with the mandatory "Hi!" which... I didn't really like...

But with that aside, this was a fun book. I've read quite a few dog books, and this is the first on working or service dogs. I am still mighty amazed at dogs that behave so well (I keep thinking back on my own dogs that while they are relatively well-behaved, they don't really know any tricks. At all.)

Quote of the book I liked best:

"A service dog is a dog."