book about a dog called Lucky

Yesterday I saw a new book called 'Lucky for Me'. It had a photo of a dog who looked like Penny and seemed as if it might be a fun read so I bought it - intending to add it to my 'to be read 'pile. In other words I thought I'd get around to it one day.

Then I dipped into it... and hours later I was finished! I laughed out loud at parts of the story of how a hard-drinking journalist fell in love with a 'seafaring, cat-hating, tree-climbing' terrier. What I loved about this book is that the guy was able to express the love that many of us feel for a dog and our realisation that our traditional distinction between humans and the rest of the animal world might have to be rethought.

It was also a lesson to me to 'lighten up' in my interactions with Penny. The couple in the story decide they won't be 'disciplining' the rescue dog they adopt, they will be loving him. He continues to be an independent and free-thinking animal who brings surprises and sometimes worry into their lives because he never conforms entirely to our human society.

Another thing I liked about this book was that it is actually the story of the dog. Some supposed dog stories I've read are really a biography of the author with a dog thrown in for colour. This one isn't like that.

It's by an Australian journalist and has a definite Australian colour to it - readers from other continents might find that an extra feature. I scanned Amazon in the UK and in the US but it wasn't listed. That sometimes happens with Australian books. The title of the book above has a link to the Australian publisher and the reader reviews give more reactions than mine to this enjoyable book.