Drinking with Miss Dutchie : a memoir

 by Ed Breslin. A Labrador retriever taught Breslin more about life than any teacher had a major success for a dog he got only to get his wife off his back about his drinking. City kid Breslin grew up thinking dogs were either threatening sidekicks for thugs or pampered rich people's pets until he met his country-house neighbor's Lab. When a litter of puppies was mentioned at a party, Breslin bought a black female, sight unseen, for his wife. He spent his first dog-owning night trying to calm the hysterical puppy, then fell in love with her. He'd been attending AA for a few years but was cynical about it. After bringing Miss Dutchie home, he began to understand and internalize AA's aphorisms. We'll love you until you love yourself worked both ways. He'd calm the puppy until she felt loved; in return, she'd provide the unconditional love he needed. When he realized even Dutchie judged him, rejecting him when he smoked or drank, he began straightening out. His hymn to Miss Dutchie is heartwarming and heartbreaking. --Booklist (Check Catalog)