Book Review: Bones Would Rain from the Sky

Before I start my book review, I wanted to share that Tabi, the dog we fostered last weekend, got adopted today!! The shelter training director texted me this afternoon and gave me the good news, saying Tabi got a wonderful family. I don't know why, but I felt EXTRA happy about it. Maybe I had some guilt inside because I actually didn't feel much for Tabi. I liked her and thought she was a very nice dog, but I didn't feel a connection. I suppose it's good because I don't necessarily want feel like keeping every single dog that crosses our threshold. Yes, that's a very good thing, indeed. Still, I felt that Tabi deserved a good life, and I guess I felt guilty for not wanting to provide that for her personally. Hence, my relief and joy about her adoption today.


Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier has to be my all-time favorite dog book. It was beautifully written, and the information in it was so different from other dog books. Sometimes, you read a dog book and think, "I've read all this before in other dog books." I didn't feel that way at all this time.

The book is about having a relationship with your dog, not just training your dog by following some prescribed method or another. It's about taking the time to figure out what your dog needs and learning to communicate with each other. There are many examples in the book about dogs that had issues and who were brought to the author for help. Her approach was always positive, sincere, and thoughtful. She encourages readers to listen to our gut instinct. If it doesn't feel right to treat your dog in a certain way, don't do it. Many times, we get so much conflicting information from the "experts" and wonder who is right, who to listen to. Usually, we know inside what the right thing is, if we'd take the time to figure it out.

One of the most important points I got from this book is that being a dog lover should make you a better person. Sometimes, we can become "crazy dog people" who only care about dogs, while forgetting to be patient with the goofy kid at the grocery store or cursing behind the back of a mean boss or retreating from a difficult family member. If we can show kindness and patience to our dogs, we can extend the same kindness and patience to the people around us. We can learn from our dogs how to be more joyful, more forgiving, more loving.