Title: Spots and All My Dogs
Author: Leonard W Lindros Jr.
Publisher: Author Reputation Press, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-64961-267-0
Pages: 113
Genre: Animals
Reviewed by: Allison Walker

Read Book Review

Anyone who has ever loved a dog knows the eternal place they claim in your heart, and the lasting memories they leave you with. In his book Spots and All My Dogs, author and dog lover Leonard W Lindros, Jr. shares stories about the many dogs he loved in his life and the wonderful years they gave to him and his family. As any dog lover can attest to, dogs are a part of the family and, despite the heartache their passing leaves behind, the joy and laughter they give is worth everything.

An impressive assortment of dogs grace the pages of Spots and All My Dogs, from rescue dogs to designer dogs, and purebreds to accidental litters. Lindros shares a little information about each breed of dog he knows, remarking the family Labs were known for their kindness while the herding dogs for their remarkable intelligence. Despite the shenanigans many of them are inclined to, Lindros finds something to love and adore in each. For example, his daughter’s Border Collie, Cavan, is an incurable door-dasher but also amazes the entire family when the city-slicker dog proves she has the guts to herd sheep. Lindros recalls a time when his daughter’s family was visiting and Cavan slipped out the front door and sprinted straight for the highway. Half the family ran out onto the highway to stop traffic while Lindros and his son-in-law attempted to tackle Cavan, who was having the time of her life. Cavan redeemed her folly later in the visit when she was taken to a sheep farm and instinctively herded the bleating animals about their pen. The entire family watched in awe.

Part of loving dogs is losing them and Lindros bravely shares the story of Niki, the German Shepherd and Malamute mix who was his children’s self-assigned protector when they were young. While Lindros had already felt the passing of his own childhood dog, Spots, he was spared much of the pain by being away at college. Niki is the first dog he has to make the decision to put to sleep. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog will cry along with Lindros when he holds Niki’s head in his lap and asks the veterinarian to put his old dog out of his cancer-born misery.

While the stories are heartwarming, there isn’t a particular amount of excitement or intrigue to them. Spots and All My Dogs is rich emotionally, but there is no adventure beyond the mischief dogs are wont to get into. If what readers want is a gateway to reminisce over memories of their own dogs, Spots and All My Dogs will open the floodgates and serve heartily.

Spots and All My Dogs is a loving memorial to these family and treating like-family dogs. Lindros includes not only his dogs but also his “granddogs” and several neighborhood dog whom he felt a connection to; which imparts just how truly these dogs are considered valued members of the family. The stories share Lindros’ deep affection for these dogs and, as for the dogs, their shenanigans may just prompt a snort of laughter from readers. Read “Spots and All My Dogs” with your own four-legged family member by your side, and don’t forget to give them a pat and a “good boy.”