The Second Chance Dog

A Love Story

By: Jon Katz

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

I had no idea that Frieda would enter my life and alter it in the most profound way, but that' s one of the beautiful things about animals. They change you, and you almost never see it coming.

In 2007, a few years after purchasing Bedlam Farm in upstate New York, Jon Katz met Maria Wulf, a quiet, sensitive artist hoping to rekindle her creative spark. Jon, like her, was introspective yet restless, a writer struggling to find his purpose. He felt a connection with her immediately, but a formidable obstacle stood in the way: Maria' s dog, Frieda. A rottweiler-shepherd mix who had been abandoned by her previous owner in the Adirondacks, where she lived in the wild for several years, Frieda was ferociously protective and barely tamed. She roared and charged at almost anyone who came near. But to Maria, Frieda was sweet and loyal, her beloved guard dog and devoted friend. And so Jon quickly realized that to win over Maria, he' d have to gain Frieda' s affection as well.

While he and Maria grew closer, Jon was having a tougher time charming Frieda to his side. Even after many days spent on Bedlam Farm, Frieda still lunged at the other animals, ran off into the woods, and would not let Jon come near her, even to hook on her leash. Yet armed with a singular determination, unlimited patience, and five hundred dollars' worth of beef jerky, Jon refused to give up on Frieda - or on his chance with Maria. Written with stunning emotional clarity and full of warm yet practical wisdom, The Second-Chance Dog is a testament to how animals can make us better people, and how it' s never too late to find love.

©2013 Jon Katz (P)2013 Recorded Books

The Second Chance Dog

I loved listening to this book! The miles of my ten hour drive flew by, unnoticed, because I was so captivated!!

Very enjoyable

The beginning was different but as the story progressed I really became involved and enjoyed it a lot. Can't say more than that.

Another wonderful story from Katz, but....

Tom (narrator) made Maria sound like a whiny wallflower and I suspect that she is NOT. Katz's approach to solving dog problems is spot on...and he applies it well to people, too. Best read from Katz since The New Work of Dogs.

Writer with 'pray' drive.

Nice presumed true story. A bit repetitive in style. As semi-prof dog trainer I must point out much of what was called prey drive was actually defense drive (attcking fence tormenters, etc.) Prey drive is chasing runaways, no threat to dog itself.

Even better than Saving Simon

Many reviewers complain about how Kat's personal life is the main subject and the animals are secondary. This is true, however, most exaggerate the percentage of love story vs. animals. I just listened to it, so it's fresh in my mind. The book is about 60% Katz's love life/midlife crisis and 40% animals. If that would bother you, then skip this one. I find Katz to be an odd duck, so I enjoy reading about his life. Without spoiling the story, I'll just say there's a particularly entertaining trip to the Alamo.

Frieda's backstory is both heartbreaking and inspiring. If you're a dog lover, she will leap out of the book and steal your heart. If you've ever felt misguided, lost, and misunderstood, then you'll relate to Frieda. Katz is a complicated and somewhat troubled man, which bleeds through in his earlier work. This story isn't like that. It's short, sweet, and to the point with few contradictions and less pontificating. Katz sets out to accomplish (spoilers) and does an excellent job. In my opinion, this is his best book.

The narrator Katz chose for his books does a good enough job. He choked up and nearly cried during one of the sad parts in Dog Days. He also choked up in the opening chapter of Saving Simon. His emotional performance in those parts almost made me cry and I'm no crier. My only complaint is that he mispronounces words that most people can pronounce properly. I would like to think that a professional narrator would be superior at pronunciation and would put in the effort to look words up if he was unsure.