Book Review: Pukka

While I was on vacation last week, I brought along lots of books to read, all dog-related (why would I want to read anything else?!). I rarely make the time to read when I'm home, although I do listen to audiobooks while I'm driving or sewing. But since not all books are available in audio format, it was a treat to choose from a wider selection.

Pukka: The Pup After Merle is mostly a picture book and reminded me of a dog blog. It was written by Ted Kerasote, who wrote Merle's Door, which I read several years ago, before getting a dog or raising a guide dog puppy was even a blip in my brain. (Click here for my review of Merle's Door.) So it felt full-circle to me, reading this book about Merle's successor.

Yellow lab mix Merle died in 2004, and it took 5 years for Ted to get another dog. Ted took over 14,000 photos of Pukka during their first year together, then selected 200 of them for this book.

Pukka reminded me so much of Cabana, which was nice since I was missing her while we were away. Early in the book, Pukka gets bitten by a neighbor's dog, right below his eye. It leaves a little scar that reminded me of the black pigment mark below Cabana's eye (her beauty mark).

While not the most substantive dog book on the market, it was really fun to read. I hope the author will publish a sequel so we can see Pukka when he's all grown up.

More book reviews to come!