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You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
Audiobook5 hours

You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness

Written by Julie Klam

Narrated by Karen White

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Julie Klam was thirty, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love.

You Had Me at Woof is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions. From Otto, Julie realized what it might feel like to find "the one." She learned to share her home, her heart, and her limited resources with another, and she found an authentic friend in the process. But that was just the beginning. Over the years her brood has grown to one husband, one daughter, and several Boston terriers. And although she had much to learn about how to care for them-walks at 2 a.m., vet visits, behavior problems-she was surprised and delighted to find that her dogs had more wisdom to convey to her than she had ever dreamed. And caring for them has made her a better person-and completely and utterly opened her heart.

Riotously funny and unexpectedly poignant, You Had Me at Woof recounts the hidden surprises, pleasures, and revelations of letting any mutt, beagle, terrier, or bulldog go charging through your world.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 28, 2010
ISBN9781400186914
You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness

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Reviews for You Had Me at Woof

Rating: 3.6116071339285716 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

112 ratings18 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A true dog lovers life, comical and heartbreaking. I loved it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I’m a proud Boston owner, and it made my heart melt to hear such warm, and yes even at times sad, stories. I recommend for any dog lover!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One look at the cover and having rescued a few dogs myself, I began Woof.Heartwarming, amusing, heartfelt memoir....4*
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn't intend to read this one so soon on the heels of Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel, but a hold at the library came in sooner than expected, so I needed to get on with it before it expired. Klam is a dog lover through and through, but I didn't quite connect with her story as much as I hoped I would. Perhaps because she lives on the Upper West Side of New York City, perhaps because her dog breed of choice is the Boston Terrier, one of those bulgy-eyed, snub-nosed dogs (see the book cover) that aren't my favorite canine type, and perhaps because her doggy relationships seemed quite a bit more chaotic and involved way more biting than I would personally tolerate.Still, her stories of working with a rescue group for Boston Terriers was quite moving and she had some insightful things to say about letting the search for a perfect "furever" home gets in the way of finding a good fit between animal and human. Klam writes with a great deal of humor but can also deliver a straight line when the situation requires. Overall, a good book that fell short of the "drowning into a puddle of cuteness while reading" standard that I hold for all books about dogs.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even if you don't own a dog, but you are owned by a cat..... it is still an enjoyable book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    nonfiction/memoir. One woman's experiences as a dog owner and rescue group/foster volunteer.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    *Warning* May lead to endless hours on PetFinder.com.This is a wonderful telling of a woman and her love of dogs. That love carries her from her childhood home to being a young adult and taking on the responsibility of her first rescue. And as we all know, they choose us! An apartment of her own, a dog, a man her loves her, a bigger apartment, becoming a volunteer for rescues, and including her husband and daughter in that world. I think it sounds perfect!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Julie Klam was thirty, living alone, and convinced she'd never find True Love. She decided she needed a dog in her life, did careful breed research, and decided on a Boston terrier. Then she made an hours-long drive to Pennsylvania to adopt Otto, in part because his picture matched a dog's face she'd seen in a dream.

    She thought she was just adopting a pet, to meet her own needs and have the company of a dog again. In fact, she had just taken the first step on the road to a life of dog rescue.

    It didn't happen overnight. At first, Julie just enjoys Otto. She's got a lot of other things to worry about, such as finding a way to make a living that is satisfying, financially adequate, and doesn't force her to spend too many hours away from Otto. Toward that end, she takes a class in Animal Communication (the mystical kind.) It proves to be an entertaining experience that appeals to her sense of the ridiculous, and in the end she concludes that if it is not a complete fraud, she at least does not have any special talent in that regard.

    Gradually, though, she finds herself visiting the website of the rescue group that connected her with Otto. As she meets her future husband, has a child, and begins her career as a writer, she also starts to arrange transportation for rescued dogs and do home visits to potential adopters and potential foster homes. She and her husband do some fostering themselves, though since they tend to end up with the more difficult dogs, it proves stressful for them, their daughter, and their own dog.

    Klam writes about the frustrating experience of pulling dogs, Boston mixes, from the home of a nice, charming, dog-loving man who has both financial and emotional problems. There's both heartbreak and success here, and it's a moving story. At one point, Klam is the only person available to pull an elderly female Boston mix from the city pound, where her owner has surrendered her and where she'd be unlikely to survive if not pulled immediately.

    There are a lot of wonderful dog stories here, interwoven with the story of Julie Klam's life, and the lessons in love and happiness that she, her husband, and their daughter learn from the dogs.

    Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I wanted to like this book as I am a dog lover but I just couldn't handle it. The author is a little too neurotic for me and I didn't care too much for the reader.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was an utterly charming and laugh-out-loud-funny read. I am a Boston Terrier mommy; perhaps I found it particularly humorous because I am so charmed by the breed. I think that this is a book for all dog lovers despite how "Boston focused" it is. It will also appeal to animal lover's in general as Julie Klam's overall message is that companion animals can be very important in our lives and can help us work through our larger life issues, such as grief, loss, depression, sadness, lonliness, etc. I am not completely sold on the format- the organization of the chapters just doesn't flow well- but each chapter could stand alone as a short story, so that is the way that I read it- one chapter at a time, cuddled with my reading buddy, Punky.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Julie Klam's delightful memoir of raising Boston Terriers and working for a Boston rescue society was a fun and quick read. As an owner of 2 Bostons, I was particularly drawn to this book and it provided an interesting take on the world of pet rescue, of which I had known very little prior to reading this book. Although some of the stories were sad, others were heartwarming and funny as Julie, her husband, and daughter became variously attached to or horrified by their fostered rescue dogs. I particularly appreciated the real life candor that Julie displayed regarding the ethics behind dog placement and the profit-driven world of vet medicine.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a fast and throughly enjoyable read about a girl and her dogs. As a fellow dog-lover, I loved every minute of it and it tugged at my heartstrings. This story once again shows a pet bringing out the best in a person and helping her to grow into a woman, wife and mother. I devoured it and can recommend it to anyone who's life has been touched by the love of a dog.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    The title was the best part. I couldn't finish the first disk.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very funny story about learning to love dogs and oneself. I laughed out loud many times. Love the front cover!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Quite an honest look at how we love our dogs and how that changes us. Aside from the emotional aspects that all dogs lovers will enjoy reading, there is the humorous component of this book that keeps the pages turning.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a great book if you are a dog lover or an animal lover of any kind I highly recommend it! One part that cracked me up was; when they had found a dog with a tracker and called the owner and the woman asked “Can you mail him?” I about fell out of my chair! Too Funny!The grief chapter was the hardest one to get through if you’ve ever lost a pet this chapter may be hard for you but it is a very touching chapter and leaves you feeling good.I enjoyed when she explained what makes a dog person and how to find the right kind of dog for someone. There was definitely some giggle worthy moments in this book especially if you have ever had a puppy or an old dog.I highly recommend this book it’s a fun read I would definitely read more by this author!I listened to this on audio and Karen White does a Great job at the narration!4 ½ Stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Julie Klam’s memoir of how dogs changed her life was sweet and entertaining. Klam relates her foibles as a first-time dog owner, trying to raise a puppy and an infant, and the heartbreak of losing a dog that you love with all your heart. Klam also details her extensive work with rescue organizations and the joys and pains that come along with the work.I love to read memoirs but they are so hard to review! This book was funny and heartwarming. It was also sad and heartbreaking. I enjoyed Klam’s writing style and the way her story unfolded.I would definitely recommend this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If the cover alone doesn't inspire you to read this book, you probably don't belong to that elite and sometimes maligned group of people known collectively as “dog lovers.” If you dip into the first few pages, you'll see what you are missing. This memoir of a dog rescuer who never intended to be one is funny, touching, and ultimately satisfying.The author, who lives in a Manhattan apartment, stumbled into rescuing Boston terriers and dogs masquerading as Boston terriers. As all who have ever worked with dogs in need, she made plenty of mistakes but gave plenty of love. She had successes and failures. She shares the frustration of not being able to help some dogs as well as the frustration and anger of the people who damage these dogs so severely. And she tells her story, and the stories of the dogs, with humor and heart.I read an uncorrected proof so these quotes may have changed in the published edition:Mattie was a wonderful aunt, but at this moment her concern was not for me. What concerned Mattie...was that I'd get this dog and not treat it well and then she'd stop liking me.About a doggie daycare center that wasn't so good, she writes:I was infused with guilt, and I wasn't about to leave him there again. Plus, he stunk like a mall pet store.How do you go from a person who spends hundreds of dollars at posh Manhattan pet shops on clothes and grooming items to a person who leaves a dog at a shelter?A puppy that chewed on things and wasn't housebroken? Why didn't you put it on a chain gang? It was mind-boggling....The author also writes about the difficulties of finding the right home for a dog, and how much instincts enter into the decisions, about the death of dogs and mourning them. The book is funny and serious and will have animal lovers and especially those who have worked in rescuing them nodding their heads in agreement and understanding.[End of the book review but the beginning of a minor soapbox: If you are considering getting an animal, do your research. Don't buy from a backyard breeder or a pet store that gets its dogs from a puppy mill, hell on earth for dogs. Do consider adopting a rescued dog. If the dog is older, know that he has been abandoned for good or bad reasons and is going to need some time and patience to settle in. If you adopt a puppy, know that he is going to find your favorite, most expensive pair of shoes to chew and he is going to leave unpleasant puddles and piles of varying viscosity on your best rugs. It is your job to gently train him to be the wonderful dog that he can be. And consider adopting a mutt. If you need to call him a “designer dog,” go for it, but plain, old mutts make some of the best dogs in the world. Just ask my Maggie Mae who is snoozing with her head on my foot even as I type. End of rant.]An advanced copy of this book was provided to me by a representative of the publisher for review. She is a dog lover, thought I would enjoy the book, and she was right.