My Life in Dog Years

Paulsen, G. (1998).  My life in dog years.  New York:  Yearling.

How many of you are dog lovers?  If you're not, don't worry.  You will still enjoy this book.  This book is the story of Gary Paulsen's life through the dogs he has owned.  Each dog corresponds to a different part of his life.  For example, Caesar the Great Dane came into his life after he was married and was living in a very small house.  Quincy represents his interest in the Iditarod.  The settings vary with each dog because how the dog was acquired and what Paulsen gains from this dog directly relate to the setting.

I have owned many dogs, and each have held a special memory for me.  I can relate so much to Paulsen's description of each dog and the role it played in his life.  Each chapter is a different memoir about a dog.  However, through these memoirs the reader learns a lot about Paulsen as a man and his life.  Each memoir contains vocabulary that is connected to that dog.  For example, "gripping" is mentioned and defined in the chapter on Josh because this is a specialized term for this breed of dog.

Big Question:  What pet has meant a lot to you and why?