My goodness, this book packs a real emotional punch!

From the back blurb alone I knew that this book was going to be a hard yet deeply heart-wrenching book to read, yet I was pulled towards it and compelled to read it something which I am so pleased I did., this book will stay with me for a very long time.

It's not just that it's a deeply emotional story of love and loss, but it touched my heart especially as we lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's and in the same year I lost my beloved old dog, and I am a carer for my ailing parents and an animal lover - especially dogs this book brought all the emotions flooding in.

The author has done an incredible job at portraying so much grief and love and loss into the story, the characters a beautifully written and realistic , you feel everything you can relate to so much of what the characters are going through and that alone makes this book incredibly special.

It's not easy, it's hard and heat-breaking but it's well worth every tear you will shed as you read.

This is a heartfelt book from Rebecca Warner who is telling the story of a full-time caregiver, Rachel, providing all-the-stops-pulled-out care to a parent fading from Alzheimer's disease. Although the reader can surmise the outcome, the author tenderly takes you through the last few month's of Joe's life. Paralleling Joe's end of life, we also follow Nick the black lab dog. Joe and Nick reach a truce and become good companions during the story. The depths of love, thoughtfulness and action on the part of Rachel and her amazing husband, David, are inspiring. She doesn't shy from the hard parts and is sure to include those in this book about challenging elder care.

I knew this would be an emotional journey when I opened the book and found myself living with Rachel, her husband, father, and dog. The author does a wonderful job of allowing you to experience the positive and negative aspects of being a caregiver to an aging parent with serious health issues. As a North Carolina native, I could visualize the setting as the author described life in the NC mountains.

Rachel’s willingness to provide her dad with the best care available in a facility was impressive. But when finances become an issue, her dedication is even more amazing when she moves him into her home. I was so impressed that she and her husband, David, were willing to sacrifice so much to provide the care her father needed. I never felt that she was whining or playing the “woe is me” card. And kudos to her for calling her sisters out on their behavior and lack of involvement in their father’s life.

And then you factor in Nick, her labrador retriever. What a precious four-legged fur baby. His heart was huge and he was a humble and loyal dog. The relationship that eventually develops between Nick and Rachel’s father, Joe, is touching.

As you experience the similarities of an aging parent and aging dog, your heart will fill and the tears will flow. The author draws a beautiful picture of relationships, love, physical illnesses, the ache of loss, and the tenderness of caring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Hey folks, daddy Steve here with some doggiebook talk. As I said yesterday, I’m a little behind with my reporting as I’ve recently finished reading two and listening to another doggiebook. First of the three is My Dad My Dog by Rebecca Warner.

Wow, that was one touching book. The whole thing about caring for an older parent who’s going into dementia while at the same time seeing your old dog go, that was something special. There were a few tears shed but not always sad ones. Some were happy, sentimental tears because of the beauty of the bond I could see happening between her dad and her dog.

It’s a work of fiction based on the author’s own dealing with her parent. You get the feeling she knows what she’s talking about, that she’s lived through the whole tough situation.

Another recommended read, although keep the tissues close by. 😉

Huge thanks to NetGalley who provided a free eBook advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. This is as honest as it gets...

#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks
#MyDadMyDog #NetGalley

I received this book "My Dad My Dog" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book deals with a very difficult subject matter. I did find the book interesting and looked forward to see how the lab would play into the story. It was hard to read at times because I felt it was a bit repetitive. Overall okay.

Warning: Make sure you have a box of tissues by your chair when you start reading this book.

An excellent heart warming / tugging story of one woman's journey with her aging father at the same time her much loved lab is getting old. As her father's age related illnesses advance, she will share her home becoming his principal caregiver. This emotional decision is complicated by her father's reaction to her pet. Time seems to pass quickly when all you want it to do is slow down as she learns to slowly say goodbye. It was very hard to finish this book through the tears.

Rebecca Warner, the author of “My Dad My Dog” has written a poignant, memorable, thought-provoking, story that pulls at one’s heartstrings. The genres for this book are life fiction, domestic fiction, family life fiction, and animal fiction. The feel to this is almost a memoir or an autobiographical novel, although it is dubbed fiction. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past only when it pertains to the characters or events. The themes that surround the story are Alzheimer's, aging, dignity, the importance of family, friends, support, love, and hope.

I am both a dog lover and was involved in the care-taking of a family member that had Alzheimer’s, and I found that this story was well written, in a positive way. There is some humor, and the author has made this story intriguing. I appreciate that the author showed dignity, understanding, acceptance, and honesty.

Rachel Morgan has taken her father who has Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s disease out of a lovely assisted living home when she realizes that they can no longer afford the fees. Rachel and her husband are trying hard to make ends meet, and the two of them and their older Black Lab are committed to doing what it takes to help her father adjust to their home setting. This involves many hours of personal care-taking which is physically and emotionally difficult.

What surprises Rachel the most is her Dad’s negative reaction to her beloved dog. As her father and dog slowly adjust to one another Rachel notices some interesting observations. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking story for other readers.

A very heart touching story. Well written plot about a daughter coping with her father’s Alzheimer’s and her aging pet. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I received a free electronic ARC of this awesome memoir from Netgalley, Rebecca Warner, and Black Rose Publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read My Dad My Dog of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Rebecca Warner writes a story filled with heart and soul and shares with us some of the doubts and unanswered questions those of us blessed with the job of seeing our elder folk off to their next level of their soul's existence.

The hardest thing I have ever done is assisting family members to say goodbye to this world and hello to the next. Rebecca Warner finds a way to answer all those questions you are plagued with when in that circumstance, gives us permission to have doubts, and helps us through those so hard days where every minute brings another decision to be made, and another occasion to doubt your instincts. It is a leaden weight to carry on your heart but at the same time, you know you are being blessed with this burden of goodbyes. Rebecca Warner helps us put these feelings into balance. My next trip down this road will be much easier trod. Thank you, Rebecca.

This is a hard one to review. I have to admire Rachal’s story since it is based upon Rebecca’s personal experience of caretaking for her mother and father. I have also personally experienced the decline of my mother’s health over a very short time but the exhaustion, responsibility, loss and pain you feel during this is so real. There are several things I liked, the developing relationship between Nick and Joe was great to watch, a dog or a cat pick up on the health of their human.
The problem I had with this book is Rachel, some of the time I felt sorry for her, but other times I just rolled my eyes when she dwelled on her wealthy life before. She did go above and beyond in her care for her mother and father, much more than her sisters but it appeared she had the availability to do so whereas they were working full time. (Same scenario in my family) Not counting those moments of woe be to me and the windfall of her husband falling into $10,000 a month (which in a normal world probably wouldn’t have happened) this a heartfelt story.
She was blessed to have had the opportunity to spend that time with her mother and father, her other family members lost, a regret they will live with forever.
I want to thank Black Rose Writing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest unbiased opinion. This is a 4-star review. Heartfelt based upon a true story.

This is a beautiful, well depicted story about family, love,. friendship, grief, and acceptance.
The patriarch of the family, now needs complete care due to Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease and is Rachel's father.
Not only is this not easy for dad, Joe, but it is devastating and exhausting for Rachel who becomes his primary caregiver in her home with her husband, and their beloved lab, Nick..
"Caregiving isn't just about taking care of physical needs. It's also about uplifting a person who, day by day, is becoming more helpless."

As a Geriatric nurse and also a family caregiver, this book is spot-on!
The feelings of overwhelming anxiety, fear, compassion, anger and true love come through each page!
It is definitely a must read for everyone, since we all know someone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a touching book this is. As a dog lover and having family members who had Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, I really had a lot of emotions while reading this. It may be fiction (although Joe and Nick were real) but it easily could be about a lot of caregivers and the stresses they face. What a wonderful story.

Maybe it’s the stage of life I am in with my own parents, but I could not stop reading this beautifully written book. I am also a “lab lover” and could see and feel all the scenes as described. What a beautiful memorial to the authors dad and her beloved lab. Anyone who is or has struggled to care for an aging parent, especially with dementia, will find themselves in this book. So much love she has for her father and her dog and how she watches them both age with health decline at the same time. The day her father comes to live with her he wants the dog gone. The transformation is a story all of itself. I gave me tears but also so many smiles. Highly recommend this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

A powerful tribute to the contribution which animals make to human well-being. Yes, there is pathos here, but the biggest message is one of love and the Joy of friendship which transcends species. An interesting perspective of a very difficult time.