A Dog Named Slugger - Leigh Brill

Goodreads Summary: The true life story of a dog who changed everything for one woman. For the first time in my life, I didn't need to pretend, I didn't need to be tough: I only needed to be honest. "I have cerebral palsy. I walk funny and my balance is bad. I fall a lot. My hands shake, too. That means I'm not so good at carrying things. And if I drop stuff, sometimes it's hard to just bend down and get it." I waited anxiously for the interviewer's response. She smiled. "It sounds like a service dog could be great for you." So began Leigh Brill's journey toward independence and confidence, all thanks to a trained companion dog named Slugger. The struggling college student and the Labrador with a "a coat like sunshine" and a tail that never stopped wagging became an instant team. Together, they transformed a challenge into a triumph. Together, they inspired and educated everyone they met. Now, Leigh honors her friend with the story of their life, together.


Why I Read This Book: I found this one on Kobo for free, and since I'm a sucker for books about animals, and had nothing new to read I downloaded it.


Review: This book very quickly made it on to my 'Favorites' list. As I mentioned above, I'm a sucker for anything about animals, and this book made me cry several times. I have to say it wasn't the most amazingly written book, but at the same time it was. It felt like I was sitting with Brill and she was telling me the story of her life over tea rather than on paper. There were times when the main story would break for flashbacks of her earlier years, and when it got back to the story it would take me a few minutes to remember what we were talking about. Also, there was some issues in the book that didn't seem to get resolved, but I would suspect that maybe that's because their outcomes are yet to happen in her life.


This book was extremely touching, and really made me appreciate the amazing abilities dogs have. If you are looking for an amazing read, this probably isn't it, but if you are looking for an emotional, touching story about a real lady with real stories, definitely read this one.


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