Book Review: You Had Me at Woof

Twitter-length review:

This is the book I hoped to write one day. But it’s better. Read it.

Full-length review:

Several people told me I just had to read You Had Me at Woof. With a jam-packed schedule, I didn’t think I’d have time. Needless to say, I made time and finished it in a few sittings.

Author Julie Klam recounts her experiences as a volunteer and foster with the Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue. She begins with the story of the adoption of her first rescue, Otto. (It’s one of those “Who rescued whom?” situations—like those car magnets say.)

With a humorous tone throughout, Julie details how she has saved numerous Boston Terriers from New York City shelters and otherwise inadequate living situations. From her first foster experience to her failed foster experiences, her stories validate what I’ve come to understand in animal rescue. There are no predictable endings.

Julie writes about meeting transports at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. She writes about the heartbreak of fostering a dog you really want to keep, but know you can’t. She writes about the lessons these amazing creatures have taught her. When I put the book down, I knew I had met a kindred spirit.

In writing the book, she has let people into the world of rescue and shared what it means to fight for the literal underdog.