Book Review: Secret Service Dogs

Secret Service Dogs: The Heroes Who Protect the President of the United States, by Maria Goodavage (Dutton/Penguin Random House, 2016, 306pp HC, $28)

There are two kinds of non-fiction books: those that read like novels and those that read like reports. I much prefer the former* but some readers prefer the latter (easier to write) and there are certain times that the latter 'fits the bill' better. 

Secret Service Dogs is a report-like book. Author Maria Goodavage turned a report into a lengthy book: often you will see a generalization followed by the rest of the paragraph containing a scenario that illustrates the generalization. And to break this mold, towards the back of the book you will find a couple of chapters devoted to one particular dog each. And finally, to the finality of dogs. And when a Secret Service dog passes away, it is not unusual for the captain to give the eulogy.

Training

The dogs and their handlers train and train and train (one theme). "Did you know [dog's name] was a water dog?"

"A water dog? I thought he was a German shepherd."

"No, he was a water dog. You could turn him on and you could turn him off just as easily." (p. 60)

The Job: "Worthy of Trust and Confidence" (motto) 

Basically the primary job of the Secret Service (and their dogs) is to protect the President and to do so takes a lot of training - and a good dog. Then, an exceptional bond between the dog and handler. They must trust each other and be together 24/7. (Plus, a dog will perform more than 7,000 vehicle searches in a year.) More than one agent has turned down a promotion to stay working with his dog.

*Even though I am not a fan of Goodavage's writing style, would I read another of her books? Probably! And here are more war dog books:

War Dogs

Dogs of War

Books by Maria Goodavage

Soldier Dogs - The Untold Stories of America's Canine Heroes 

Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca 

(Secret Service Dogs)

Lucca The War Dog

Doctor Dogs: How Our Best Friends are Becoming Our Best Medicine 

Book Review: Counting Miracles (an older dog plays a minor role)

Counting Miracles, by Nicolas Sparks (Random House. Penguin, 2024, $30, 350pp HB)

If an author has written 23 novels, 11 of which have been made into movies, you know he has to be a good writer with a huge following. Perhaps you have even read one of his books, or more than one. Counting Miracles is his latest and I have to tell you, I got lost counting!

Sparks writes about the common man (and woman) and the meaning of life - what brings people together and keeps them together and, of course, about love. And children.

Each book is unique and memorable. Counting Miracles tells of a soldier, who is good at heart and travels the country touching base with the families of his fallen soldiers when an auto accident strands him in a mid-sized North Carolina town for an indeterminate length of time where he meets a woman and her two kids. Kaitlyn is a veterinarian - need I say more to whet your interest?

Interspersed with the story of Kaitlyn and Tanner, is the dog story of an elderly man living in the country: he has lost the love of his life along with his four children. He begins to teach Kaitlyn's son how to carve wood animals but along the way we learn about his life and what is important.

Chapters alternate seamlessly and eventually come together in a way I did not expect but have come to realize it is the only way to show love and caring and never giving up. A long book that reminds one of a family saga, Counting Miracles is so worth the read, another candidate for Book of the Year.

Book Review: Birdie and Harlow (dog memoir)

Birdie and Harlow: Life, Loss and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (. . . Until I Did), by Taylor Wolfe (HarperOne, 272pp,  $28.99, 2023)

A Charming and at Times, Hilarious Read!

Another candidate for Book of the Year, Birdie and Harlow is an experience for dog people, particularly those who appreciate a stand-up comedian turned author (this book will leave you in stitches).

With only a slightly unusual front cover, it was the title that hooked me: birdie & harlow: Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (. . . Until I Did).

Although some readers do not like books in which the dog talks, that is not me and the dog in this book does talk, understatedly. But, who is the dog? Is it Birdie or Harlow? And is the other, the author? 

On the back cover we see a heart-dog and a baby: what is a baby doing in the picture? Does the title give a clue?

And, most importantly to kids the world over, does the dog die? (If so, many people will not want to read this book.)

The rest of this review reveals the answers to the questions above, so read on only if you dare.

Trainer Baby?

Is a dog merely a trainer baby or a part of the family in his own right? Harlow has lived with the author since before her marriage and well before her pregnancy and the birth of Birdie (daughter).

Although the chapters jumped around, we appreciated the town and date listings for each as well as the end of chapter ditties like Things Not To Say to Someone After A Miscarriage (a list) and Things to Say (one thing - I am here for you.) The pages devoted to pregnancies and the worries about taking care of a little one can be skipped if the reader samples those pages.

And yes, parts of birdie & harlow are excellent candidates for Best Book!

Book Review: Sergeant Rex (military working dog, dog-human bond)

Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and his Military Working Dog, by Mike Dowling (Atria Books, 2012, $26, 304 pp) 

A breath-taking book, Sergeant Rex will keep you reading from author Mike Dowling's deployment to why he joined the Marines, back to this K9 team in Iraq and again to his growing up in California - switches that are seamless and just right.

While deployed, a handler and his dog go everywhere together: to the chow hall even. They are never separated so the bond between them only strengthens as it must in order for trust to develop and for the team to be ready to go on a moment's notice. And to survive.

What is a Marine? Who is a Marine?

They say when you process out of the Army (or Air Force or . . .) that you are a civilian but that "once a Marine, always a Marine." A marine is an infantryman first and always. Sergeant Rex (the book) gives the beginning of the Rifleman's Creed as well as the entire (anonymous) poem "Guardians of the Night." Known as the toughest of the military branches, the Marines are a step above all the rest and Dowling makes that evident. Dowling, however, signed up almost on the spur of the moment and joined the Marines not knowing what his job would be. Luck would have it that he was in the right place at the right time and intelligent enough to be selected as an MP with the specialty of dog handler.

Dowling with his best-of-the-best canines takes us through their training stateside and on to several months as an indispensable team in 2004: always the 'point man' (and dog) though the dog's nose does most of the work. You will learn more about that incredible canine nose and how Rex gives an alert when he has found an IED (improvised explosive device) of some sort, or a cache of weapons.

This reviewer can vouch for the reality of Dowling's account although she was in Afghanistan: daily life is much the same - even the weather. The reader understands how heat can sap one to need water poured over an over-heated Marine.

Dowling and Rex became favorites of their base - favorites with the Marines, that is. Not with the Iraqis. The team was so successful in saving lives by identifying buried weapons caches and IEDs that they went on most of the missions during their half-year tour. And the author does not spare the danger or the near misses or even the close explosions from RPGs or mortars. And fear is constant. And packs of wild dogs, too!

The Bond

Dowling and Rex become as close as two beings can ever become. I love how the author put words into Rex' mouth that so succinctly described what the dog (and presumably a person) was thinking. And Rex was even funny sometimes but the take-away lesson is how well they did their job: both were asked time and time again to go outside the wire on missions because the other units knew that they would be better protected with Rex leading the way.

What's Missing

I would have included a map and perhaps a short glossary (even I was not sure of the word, kit. I assumed it meant equipment.) And I would have capitalized Marine. This reviewer is also a dog trainer and was disappointed in how the dogs were trained, using traditional methods along with positive-reinforcement (the former is not necessary) but such a mixed method can be successful with rock-steady confident dogs. And finally, the reader will wonder what happens to the duo after the book ends. . . .

However, all in all, a very, very good book!

And did you know that a MWD (military working dog) is always of a higher rank than his handler?

Book Review: No Ordinary Assignment (war correspondent, the Arab world, woman freelance journalist) (OT)

 No Ordinary Assignment: A Memoir, by Jane Ferguson (Mariner Books, 2023, 336pp, $29.99)

No Ordinary Assignment may also be a candidate for Best Book of the Year, even though it came out in 2023 rather than 2025. It is spell-binding, a book you can't put down. The only drawback is the lack of a map, since not every reader is intimately familiar with the Arab world.

This is Her Story

Feel free to skip the first (or more) chapters about the author's childhood though the early chapters do explain how she feels, even later in life. Author Jane Ferguson had always wanted to be a war correspondent so she made it happen.

She tells of the difference between ". . . visiting a country and living in it, one reason why journalists must have at some point lived in the regions they report on." (p.198) Ferguson learned Arabic in just four months: a difficult language for native English speakers.

Most often a free-lance journalist, Ferguson does at times write for the Washington Post and other notable organizations since she is willing to go behind the lines for a story.  She also becomes a TV reporter.

Primarily she lives a life (to us) of adventure - and danger, going into hot spots without  a weapon but taking a recorder. She lives with just what she can carry but takes breaks in international cities like Beirut.

And after years of doing what she loves, Ferguson begins to wonder if she makes a difference, something we all grapple with at times.

"I was finally able to cry, releasing the sorrow I had stuffed down while I was out reporting. Here was the reason I did this work. Women like Adiba were teaching me in a subtle way how to find a place for myself in journalism, engrossed in real stories with real people.

"I didn't know how I was going to navigate the industry or build a career doing this but this was the work I needed to do. This was the only kind of journalist I wanted to be." (p. 245) 

Writing Style

Being from the UK perhaps may explain some voluminous sentences this reviewer got lost in but to balance it off were the cliffhangers at the end of chapters and the humor infused without. Oh, and the dreams we all have of 'doing the world.'

Book Review: Athena, The Anxious Shepherd (German Shepherd Dog, children's book)

Athena, The Anxious Shepherd, by Judy Nole and Chloe Renee (BookBaby, $25, 2025, baby to 10 years, 36pp)

Would you believe the dog on the cover is a German Shepherd Dog? He is so cute!

The cover tells it all in a picture of an anxious pup, though there should also be a photo on the back cover of the dog smiling, happy and relaxed. 

Athena is a bit shy in new places and when new people reach out to pet her. just like many other dogs - and kids, too. Nevertheless, she makes a best friend, Lincoln the Golden Retriever, at dog school and even meets another German Shepherd Dog. Her teacher understands her anxiety and tells her person to work on that over the week until the next session. So, Athena and her person go places and do things.

 But more than that, Athena's person learns to read her body language and can recognize when anxiety is about to rear its head so they can skedaddle on out of there. Athena learns her person will always look out for her but does she make enough progress during the week to stay in the same class as her new friends at school? You will have to read the book to find out!

Book Review: Athena's Special Valentine (children's book about a dog)

Athena's Special Valentine, by Judy Nole and Chloe Renee (BookBaby, 36pp, 2025, ages 3-12, $25.65HB)

With an imaginative dog on the cover - Athena - and a coloring page of the front cover inside, Athena's Special Valentine sparks an interest from the beginning. What could that special valentine be? Candy? Flowers? A friend?

A happy happy book, even though Athena has to have a bath and, later, a bow - with almost funny-looking dogs (Athena's bestie, Lincoln, looks like a golden retriever with short legs) or maybe they are all all-American hounds.

The entire day, Valentine's Day, is special with special friends and play dates in the dog park and even going out to dinner - and most of all, a gift and some huggies.

Athena learns what really makes a special day special and passes on her happiness to the young reader who can chat about what dogs like and what kids like on special days. Of course, there is even a "This book belongs to. . . . " page to color plus it is autographed by both authors!

Although Athena's Special Valentine was written first, the real first book in the series will be reviewed next: Athena, the anxious shepherd. Perhaps more holiday themed books will follow.