The Dogs of Christmas

By: W. Bruce Cameron

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

While nursing a broken heart, Josh Michaels is outraged when a neighbor abandons his very pregnant dog, Lucy, at Josh's Colorado home. But Josh can't resist Lucy's soulful brown eyes, and though he's never had a dog before, he's determined to do the best he can for Lucy - and her soon-to-arrive, bound-to-be-adorable puppies. Soon in over his head, Josh calls the local animal shelter for help, and meets Kerri, a beautiful woman with a quick wit and a fierce love for animals. As Kerri teaches Josh how to care for Lucy's tiny puppies and gets them ready to be adopted through the shelter's "Dogs of Christmas" program, Josh surprises himself by falling for her. But he's fallen even harder for his new furry family, which has brought incredible joy into Josh's life.

He barely has time to sit down, between chasing after adventurous Sophie and brave Oliver, but when he does, his lap is quickly filled by the affectionate Lola. And Rufus and Cody's strong bond makes Josh wonder about his own relationships with his family. With Christmas and the adoption date looming, Josh finds himself wondering if he can separate himself from his beloved puppies. At odds with Kerri, Josh isn't willing to lose her, but doesn't know how to set things right. Can a surprise litter of Christmas puppies really change one man's life? W. Bruce Cameron's The Dogs of Christmas is a charming and heartwarming holiday tale that explores the power of love, trust, and a basket full of puppies.

An Audible for Dogs Pick: Make your dog's day. Cesar Millan shares how audiobooks can make dogs happier and calmer. Learn more.

©2013 W. Bruce Cameron (P)2013 Tantor

Amazing story

Would you listen to The Dogs of Christmas again? Why?

Bruce Cameron has done it again! He got me with A dogs purpose and a dogs journey. This one isn't written from the dogs point of view but it is amazing, especially if you are a dog lover. It made me laugh, warmed my heart, made my eyes get watery. When it was over with I was sad and i wanted more of this type of book!

Good Story for Teens or Young Adults

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would not recommend this book.I found the characterization quite superficial. Josh is 28 years old, going on 15. His first sight of Kerri, the shelter worker, is google-eyed facination...not even a hint of depth in character building here. The dogs of the title are really just an excuse, a vehicle, to what is essentially a story about boy loses girl, boy finds new girl, boy overcomes obstacles to new relationship. My emphasis is on boy, not man.And this boy, the main character, is a bit of a jerk.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

A more mature 28 year old, making decisions more consistent with adulthood would have made a more interesting character. And his friends....do all young people of that age refer to each other as "dude"? Josh and his friends become caricatures, not characters.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Kirby Heyborne?

Perhaps, but not likely.

Could you see The Dogs of Christmas being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Certainly I could. It is superficial enough for TV.

Good from start to finish

I often purchase books to sleep by! And this was such a purchase. Something to nod off to. But within moments I realized that I wanted to actually be fully engaged with this book. The story draws you in immediately and you are emotionally vested in Josh & the dog Lucy, that has been dumped on him, pregnant. This begins a process of drawing Josh out of himself & we begin to understand his wounds & foibles.
I think I identified strongly with this book as my husband died 4 months ago, leaving behind his guide dog. We have been trying to process our loss together and his dog still waits and watches for him. We are healing together & making our way. But much of the emotion of loss in the book ( on the dogs part), is real life stuff. People who don't believe dogs grieve, have never journeyed through loss with a dog. The book also gives me hope. Because it affirms, there is life after loss.

Too Cutsey.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on the friend. Some people like this style of writing. Too syrupy for me.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The God Virus.

Have you listened to any of Kirby Heyborne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't. The narrator was fine...it was the material he had to work with that bothered me.

Could you see The Dogs of Christmas being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Definitely! Hallmark and/or Lifetime is probably knocking at Cameron's door as we speak.

Any additional comments?

I am a dog lover and would be devastated if anything happened to my little furry pal...but I'm not into equating the value of dogs with the value of humans. Also, conveying human emotions to dogs, as if they processed information the same way we do (continuing to refer to the "babies and their Mommy" almost drove me over the edge.) Josh is not all that believeable a character, sounded as if he was emotionally about 10 years old). Also, I didn't understand Ryan's motivation in taking the dog and then desperately trying to find a placement for it. If he was just trying to get even with Lucy's owner why not take the dog and then dump it somewhere. The author is a good writer but this story is too sticky sweet for my taste. If your taste runs to the anthropomorphic then you will most likely enjoy this.

I LAUGHED, CRIED, GROANED, and CHEERED!

Any additional comments?

A friend's son was in the hospital whom she visited daily. The day I called her, she had started reading this story to him. Caught by the title - yes, as an animal lover who is always interested in how deeply we are connected to them - I asked her a bit about the story. She got as far as the hero, Josh, had just had a pregnant dog dumped on him by
a neighbor whose brother was in jail in Paris whom he HAD to rescue so he had no choice but to give Luce to Josh to take care of until he returned and "Honest!" he would call him as soon as he, the neighbor got back (!) leaving Josh yelling after him as he screeched out of Josh's driveway speeding away hollering he didn't know ANYTHING about dogs, when I knew this was a must-read book. My friend, said she would be willing to lend it in a few days when she finished reading it to her son. Welllll, I bought the audio version almost as soon as we hung up.

The author must know the setting, Colorado (Evergreen, SW of Denver) well, as he described the weather changes and the natural beauty well and simply but very effectively. The hero is a computer geek, and a good program (?) designer who is able to work at home. He loves a sense of place, and tradition, but, as the story opens, is,
due to family trauma, clinging to them a little bit too strongly, and is in danger of wrapping himself up in memories of the good times to not deal with the pain of their loss, and keep himself away from new and stretching experiences. Of course, enter stage left, a strong wake-up call: an irresponsible neighbor dramatically creates a situation where Josh HAS to take care of something which he knows nothing about: a beautiful,
loving, but very pregnant dog. As soon as he accepts the situation, you find out how caring and careful he is in a difficult situation: he talks to her, the dog, tries to find out what she needs, and care for her properly. Soon, you love him because you realize he is trying to do his best, and is a very caring person. He meets the vet, and then Carrie from the nearby animal shelter, and gets grooved in pretty quickly. In a very funny scene, he is on a conference call, when Luce starts exhibiting the symptoms the vet said indicate imminent delivery of the pups. "I've got an emergency!" he yells and drops the call, even though it might have poor consequences for his project, scoops up Lucy/Luce and is off to the vet.

The balance of the story was a roller coaster ride for me, laughing, crying, groaning at some of his mistakes, getting tense (uh oh, here's trouble) when he is very attracted to Carrie, from the animal shelter, and feeling deeply understood as this author describes
how dogs look, act and feel as they interact with humans. It is not wimpy or boring; Josh has his whole outlook and emotional needs challenged in a very short period of time,
and that's the goodness of it - how he does come through them, whether family, helpful friends, his old girlfriend who just left him 6 months ago, and whom he is still grieving,
dealing with the agonies of a new and demanding relationship,and going from dog and puppy caretaker to dog and puppy adopter when he realizes how healing their acceptance and unconditional love means to his well being.

The author manages to neatly wrap up all these challenges, when you might be despairing that Josh will not learn from them in time. He does, and, it's a Merry Christmas!

By the way, I found the narrator very good. He got all the intonations of the women right,
and seamlessly went from one person to the next to narration again. I thought he really understood the people and the situations in which they found themselves.

A Feel Good Christmas Story

Would you listen to The Dogs of Christmas again? Why?

Probably not. . The first 'read' was enough. Cried and laughed in all the right places.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucy. . .she sounds very much like my dog, accepting what comes her way and delirously happy when I return home.

Any additional comments?

While this is not Shakespeare --- it was a very nice pre-Christmas story to listen to while I sew! Plot might seem implausible to some but it isn't implausibe to any one who has experienced loses/trauma.Happy Holidays!!

It's a relationship you never lose.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to dog lovers, those who never have owned a dog and virtually everyone everywhere. Dogs teach us about what really matters in life. A dog's love bypasses the everyday minutiae and gets down to what really matters. Past relationships that didn't work out, those who left us before it was time and those who we can still let know we really love them unconditionally. Anyone who has ever owned a dog will know I am not spoiling the book. My Sheltie, Maggie, was taken from me 2 years ago and I am just now at the point where I know I need a dog in my life again. I am ready to give all the love that is spilling out of the seams of my heart in need of a dog to love forever how long that may be. Dogs don't talk in words but innately know how to express their feelings in many ways and this book expresses life with a dog who is also the best thing that ever happened in your life.

What other book might you compare The Dogs of Christmas to and why?

This dog seems similar to "Good Dog - The story of Orson - the dog who changed my life" by Jon Katz. And yet they are expressed in a very different manner, so you don't say haven't I read this story before? I didn't think that until this question was asked.

What does Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does any excellent job expressing the many emotions the main character goes through without revealing the end.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I have never been a big fan of books made into movies. The casting is so important, This book would be marketed as a story for everyone regardless of age, gender or present or past circumstances in life.

Any additional comments?

I have not read any other books by W. Bruce Cameron. I think I have met an author who knows how to speak to my emotions and intellect.

Just What I Needed!

I loved this book! Yes, I have many dogs. Yes, it is difficult when you find them an "only dog" or perhaps 2 dog home. It's been a rough few days, but this book put a smile on my face and a "song in my heart". Dogs do have a way of working themselves into our hearts and our souls. Thank you for writing this delightful story! Highly recommended to anyone who loves dogs!

Dogs of Christmas

Absolutely loved this book! I always enjoy M Cameron’s books. Great story, heartwarming, and full of love.

Enjoyable

This book was enjoyable and a heart warming holiday story. if you enjoy holiday books or have a dog listen to it, it will definitely be worth your time.