Welcome to the mostly true memoir of Quincy, an Irish soft-coated wheaten terrier. Read about Quincy’s life as he describes his time with his dog mom and his puppy siblings and feel the mixture of concern and excitement as they all go to their forever homes with their new pet parents. Quincy tells us his thoughts as he moved to New Jersey with his new parents, Diane and John, and then describes the adventures he experiences with his humans until his parents bring home a tiny wheaten terrier puppy named Duffy. Through Quincy’s eyes, we watch as Duffy grows up and becomes a partner in Quincy’s escapades. Together they travel from the sea to the mountains, the absolute best of buddies, until their world is upended by a little girl wheaten terrier named Kitty. Quincy talks about how Kitty changed their routines and has taken his spot on the bed, but the affection between Quincy and Kitty becomes evident over time. When Alvin joins the family, the dynamic changes again; but as usual, Quincy guides the youngster as he joins the pack and learns the rules of the household. Throughout the book, Quincy shares perspective on his journey, and along the way, he provides some tips and ideas that are right for raising any dog.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and to be completely honest I was pleasantly surprised by it. Was it perfect? No, but very few debut titles are. When I started I was a little worried as this isn’t my usual type of book, but Quincy and his family stole my heart. As a dog mom I loved to see the relationships between all of the pets and I loved that I felt like I learned something about raising a dog. I got this book right around when I adopted my own puppy and needed the advice, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a puppy.

So I’ll reiterate that this book was not perfect, but it was a truly enjoyable ride. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves animals, is thinking about getting a pet, or is just starting their pet journey. I also have to give credit to the illustrator, Wendy Carty. I loved getting little peeks of the story and getting to see what everything might have looked like in the authors mind while she were writing. Diane McHutchison wrote a lovely book and I am very excited to see what else she has in store.

Rating