To Absent Friends: A Collection of Stories of the Dogs We Miss

Rating:
Summary: A Delight for Dog Lovers
Review: Those of us who have ever loved a dog will be deeply moved by this collection of stories. The authors range from dog trainers to owners of a beloved household pet, but each writer captured something of the gift dogs give their human companions. My only complaint with the book was with the occasional typographical errors that the publisher should have caught. The book was most impressive in every other respect. It tugged at my heart strings, and I am sure that other readers will share my feelings.

Rating:
Summary: Keep a box of Kleenex handy!
Review: Yes, it's THAT Jameson Parker, the blond brother from TV's "Simon and Simon" PI show. He left show biz to become a writer, and is apparently doing a darn good job.

This is a collection of stories, essays, and poems about dealing with the grief of losing a beloved dog. Included are familiar names - like James Herriott, John Updike, and James Thurber - from familiar books, and unfamiliar pieces, originally published in newspapers and foreign books. Parker himself even has a short piece, a very touching one on the pet-owner's most difficult decision: euthanasia.

Let me warn you, you probably won't be able to read more than one or two of these pieces at a time. I found myself in tears, time after time. But the writing is good, and not all of the stories are complete tearjerkers.