Pound for Pound: A Story
of One Woman’s Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life by Shannon Kopp (William
Morrow, 2015, 307 pages, $25.99)
A Second Book of the Year!
And
I can still say that because, although Pound
for Pound was published last year, it was in October of last year, therefore, less than a year ago, so, in the
same year, if you are splitting hairs..
A 24-Hour Book
As
our dear readers know, every once in a while there comes along a book so
memorable that one of the DogEvals reviewers stays up all night reading it, or,
if that is not possible, still manages to read it in 24 hours. Pound is such a book. It may just become
your best friend.
Immensely Readable
A
book you want to get back to. A book that, in its absence (like when you have
to eat lunch), you wonder what has happened in your absence.
At First, . . .
I
passed it by. I thought, “OK, a book about a woman who walks a shelter dog and consequently
loses weight.” Bor-ing!
Not
so. Pound is so much more than that.
And I got the plot wrong, too!
Two Ingredients
First
you have to have a good story, then you have to tell it well. Kopp succeeds on
both counts.
Exceptional Exception
I
generally want a dog book to be primarily about the dog, or at least for the
dog to have an equal share in the story. Pound
is an exception. I managed to remain mesmerized through the stellar then
disappointing childhood of the author, her college days, her sexy trip abroad, her
cross-country move, her bulimic years (a third of her life) and rehab and
meetings, and the loves of her life which include shelter dogs. Through it all,
she remains loved by her family, albeit a few thousand miles away.
Sheltering Love ("
The
life of a shelter dog is hard and not every dog survives it. Too hard for many
people, as well, to handle for long, if at all. So, the author is to be commended.
She worked at a wonderfully funded, innovative shelter for three years which
helped cement her sanity, before moving to a poorly funded shelter in a
different city - and a volunteer position.
Nevertheless,
Shannon Kopp. Is someone you are or someone you know or someone you really want
to know, thus compelling you to take this book with you and sneak in a short
chapter whenever you can. Pound is simply
that enthralling.
And through it all, the
lesson. . . .
Bulimia
and anorexia are diseases as Kopp explains quite well. We also learn how they
start, the justifications made, and the lifelong hardships for those who
recover.
By
examining her past life and the life of shelter dogs, Kopp comes to realize she
is most alive and in the ‘now’ when she is with the dogs, at the beach, looking
up at the tree tops or inhaling the breath of the earth (or a dog). Dogs relax
her. And her childhood dog has a major role in her life and that of her entire
family – quite a feat for such a little white dog named Sugar.
It
is hard to grow close to a shelter dog on a walk or a play session or even
huggy-time. To do this for several days only to one day find that dog’s kennel
empty is to visit the mountains and depths of emotions. Kopp tells us the
stories of a few dogs she feels she has failed but, in the end, it is important
to her to succeed with one such dog. And she does. That is the end of the book
but not the end of the story. The story will stay with you.
But, to be honest, . . .
I
just didn’t understand the difficulty a volunteer had in getting a dog out of one
shelter and into a home. And, an anecdote on one interesting page (192) was not
very clear in relating if a particular dog was a service dog, an emotional
support dog, or neither – but trying to be passed off as one (not always
housetrained in stores and sometimes subject to uncontrollable barking in
public).
Love is all there is. . .
.
What
is it about dogs that makes them forgive humans, if not the particular human
responsible for their being in the shelter and for the conditions there? How
can dogs who just love us teach us that love is all there every really is and
that even when the body is gone, the spirit can live on and be the impetus for
recovery. Dogs are truly man’s and woman’s best friend.
Populated
with family photos and professional shelter dog photos, Pound is a book worthy
of your time.
Next
time, when I see the Mark Bekoff has praised a book, I will look twice at it.
For Pound, I’m glad I did.
Famous Last Words
“Because
if I know anything at all, it’s that giving saves lives. Especially the
giver’s.” (p, 264)
Read More About It: Kopp also includes a short history of the pit bull around the world. Well worth reading.
Caveat: This book may be purchased at your book store or possibly checked out of a public library.
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