The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 57

EDITOR'S CHOICE | BOOKS, DVDs AND MORE Books, Banter and Barks APDT members invited to join Facebook page discussion on dog behavior and training Interested in books about dog behavior and in conversations with the authors? Ever wanted to talk with an author about their research and sources? APDT member Patricia Tirrell has just created a new group on Facebook, “Books, Banter, and Barks,” where you can read books and have discussions with the authors and other members. The group is located at: https://www.facebook. com/groups/BooksBanterandBarks/ and select the “join” option. Be sure to answer the three questions asked of each prospective member. If you have any questions, please contact Pat at [email protected]. Below is a schedule of the books to be discussed for 2020: Date Author Title July 1-15 Risë VanFleet and Animal Assisted Play Therapy – A Specialized Look Tracie J. Faa-Thompson Aug. 1-15 Niki Tudge Pet Training and Behavior Consulting: A Model for Raising the Bar to Protect Professionals, Pets and Their People vision. I also felt an intense connection to the author, Sia Ryan, who uses her own geriatric pet’s life (and passing) experiences to prepare the reader for senior, geriatric, and end of life care. No matter if you are a dog trainer investigating new approaches for senior pet clients or if you recommend this book to client who is a guardian of a senior pet, this read promises to teach any old dog (or dog trainer!) new and beneficial tricks. — Heather Blakeman, CPDT-KA Lily and the Octopus Written by Steven Rowley Published by Simon & Schuster, published 2016; 336 pages. Currently is being developed as a feature film by Amazon Studios. Where to purchase: Amazon $28.99 hardcover, $11.89 paperback, $12.99 Kindle; Target.com $11.98 paperback; Walmart.com $13.07 paperback; Barnes and Noble, $16.99 paperback, $9.99 Nook I found this book quite by accident. During some involuntary downtime caused by COVID-19, I had been googling debut novels about dogs to get some advice and insight into the process and Steven Rowley’s debut book “Lily and the Octopus” came up. I missed reading this book back in 2016, but heard Amazon Studios had picked up the rights to publish a film version, so I took the opportunity to peruse it. “Lily and the Octopus” is as much about grief as it is about love. The main character, Ted, is faced with his beloved Dachshund’s brain tumor, which he calls the octopus. It takes on a life – and voice – of its own throughout this heart-breaking debut novel. Ted brings Lily home as a puppy and develops a relationship with her that proves to be the one constant in his life. His visits with his therapist are dysfunctional and he’s recovering from a breakup of a long-term relationship with an emotionally unavailable partner. While Ted does have a nurturing longdistance relationship with his mother and sister, he’s mostly a loner and a doting dog dad who struggles with self-acceptance. The highlights of his weekends are spent on date-nights with Lily, whose voice is characterized by both sage wisdom and by child-like wonder. We come to know Lily mainly through Ted’s memories and how Ted reveals her thoughts and intentions to us. A conversation they have about their options for dealing with her cancer is both poignant and a revelatory and just one of many examples of keen character development. Ted tends to be somewhat fragile, but he finds strength in the process of grieving, and Rowley takes us through all its stages - from denial to acceptance - with warmth and depth. The courage Ted may lack with regard to addressing his only-human shortcomings, he more than makes up for in his valiance and bravery when faced with Lily’s prognosis. Rowley juxtaposes the growth of his love for Lily through flashbacks with the growth of the octopus and the swell of his simultaneous grief. The penultimate scenes push the octopus metaphor a bit too far, though, and for a spell it feels like we’re reading a different book, but the imagery and climax of Ted’s grief are thereby rendered unmistakable and raw. I like books with tidy endings, and for me this book has that. Definitely a must-read for anyone who’s loved and lost a dog. — Rachel Brix, CPDT-KA The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 55