Bark, Bark – This Is My Life and Yours Too

Presented in an atypical way, this is an uncomplicated philosophy fable, written by a dog with a gentle heart and a human voice. As this puppy develops into an older and well-adjusted dog, we find this is remarkably similar to the way in which we too need to grow into confident and effective adults. Our dog tells his story from before his birth and throughout his life until after he dies. While he grows from a puppy to an adult dog, he is helped in his development by the simple philosophical guidance of his owner’s friend.

As his life continues, he experiences many joyful and wonderful times, but also some that are arduous and sorrowful; yet as each year passes, he finds out how to cope with these setbacks more easily. He lets us know how he learns good behaviour and how to live contentedly with his family. He comes to understand the appropriate way of approaching other dogs and other people, and finds that this makes life happier, not just for himself but for those around him.

We come to see that the problems he meets in life are remarkably similar to our own problems, as we too have to learn how to cope with “triumphs and disasters” and need to build up our inner strength and wisdom to do that. Come with him on his life’s journey and realise – perhaps with some astonishment – that this is your personal life journey too.

Patricia Young has always been fascinated with how people think, feel and behave. She attended a three-year clinical theology training and later carried out a personality research project involving 3,000 members of Mensa. She is a conference speaker and has given conferences around the country.

Both her book, Understanding Your Personality, and her personality questionnaire, developed from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, have been widely used in education, counselling and medical work.

Patricia is a Francophile and enjoys speaking French. She also has an interest in creating Zentangle designs and abstract art.

Customer Reviews

5.0

2 reviews

Will Davidson

I wasn’t sure when I began reading this book, but then I realised that although the book is based on a real dog (one the size of a bear judging by the photos), it is not meant to be scientifically accurate.
Reading the story of this large but vulnerable creature, whose life was short in comparison to a human, I was left with a strong sense of his life being meaningful, even though his time on Earth was short. I found it both touching and reassuring.
As the dog’s life unfolds, each incident is used as an opportunity to reflect on simple life learnings that appear to apply just as much to humans as to dogs.
I’m an adult, and enjoyed this easy-to-read book, but the accessible style of writing means that it could also be enjoyed by younger people, I’d guess from about 10 years old, particularly if they like animals. It is a quick and easy read, and may be a comfort for someone who has lost a loved animal (or human).
Hiroko

It's written with lots of love. It attracts readers because it's written in such sweet, gentle, simple and uncomplicated ways. It touches our hearts because it deals with what we all face in life--love, rejection, separation, loneliness, illness and death.

I loved it and cried at the end.

Write a Review

5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star

Your post will be reviewed and published soon. Multiple reviews on one book from the same IP address will be deleted.