If you love dogs (or just love animals), “Three Wild Dogs (and the truth)” by Markus Zusak will go right for your heart! It is a memoir of his family’s life with three pound-rescued dogs and also their two cats. The writing is funny, honest and sometimes heartbreaking. Zusak gives insight into his life as an author, which I found very interesting. (If you haven’t read Zusak’s “The Book Thief” . . . check it out sometime, as it is a classic!)
Reuben, Archer and Frosty are three rather large dogs that Marcus and Mika Zusak adopt from the pound – thankfully not all at the same time! They love their dogs immensely, but much chaos comes along with pet-ownership . . . some stories are laugh-out-loud hilarious, some are a little gruesome, and some brought me to tears. These dogs are crazy and lovable – but also mischievous and occasionally badly behaved. (There is some language – which is usually the result of Zusak’s anger or frustration with the dogs’ antics.) I loved the honesty in this memoir. It was a quick read – only a tad over 200 pages – and it had me laughing many times, as well as crying when a pet had reached the end of his life.
I’m SO glad I checked out “Three Wild Dogs”! Zusak was able to find the humor in even the most challenging circumstances, as he dealt with daily life with his strong-willed pets. His story showed how much love the pets gave to the family. I think this book will get many reads from our library patrons! (The audiobook is read by Markus Zusak and reviewers give it high praise also.)
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