Someone To Look Up To: a dog's search for love and understanding

'Nobody writes dog stories better.' Karen Charlton, author of The Detective Lavender Mysteries

 

'Enchanting, moving, well-constructed, informative without being heavy. There should be a book like this for every breed.' Michel Hasbrouck, international dog trainer and author of Gentle Dog Training

 

'I've never read anything like it. Very entertaining.' Dr Florence Guérin, dog breeder and Crufts winner with her O Nut Glen Irish terriers 

 

'Should be required reading for dog lovers everywhere!' Mark Fine, The Zebra Affaire

 

'Jean Gill has captured the innermost thoughts of this magnificent animal.' Les Ingham, Pyr International

 

'This book makes you feel, respect, cherish, accept and fight for the treasures of life. It almost makes me wish dogs could read it too,' Anita Kovacevik, The Threshold

 

'Funny, touching, heartfelt and memorable, this is one of those books that should have a 'must read' tag on its cover. All in all, it is a good entertaining book with a great message.' MWB Review

 

'The way Jean Gill speaks for the dogs, in beautiful writing with illuminating narrative and dialogue, I felt like I understood everything the dogs were thinking/saying to each other. I recognized so much of these dogs' behaviors in my own dog, which was touching. I truly recommend this beautiful and thoroughly entertaining book!' Ulla Hakanson, The Price of Silence

 

'Thank you for the wonderful experience of being in a dog's head. I've often wondered what a dog's world was all about. Now I know.' Claire Stibbe, The 9th Hour

I've always loved dogs and as well as observing my own Pyrenean Mountain dogs, I've read thousands of true stories from dog-owners, many of whom need help. I read the Pyrenean rescue forums and one particular dog's story touched me so deeply that I couldn't put him out of mind. This dog was the basis for the story of Sirius but I included true stories of other dogs, both funny and sad. Everything in this book is true but it didn't all happen to one dog. My own male Betel provided some of the stories, and that's his beautiful face on the book jacket. My female, Blanche, injected a lot of her character into Sirius' sister, Snow. 

I really hope that the story will touch people, as I was touched, and that it will also make them think. I was lucky enough to work with top French dog-trainer, Michel Hasbrouck, after I translated his bestseller into English as 'Gentle Dog Training'. From him, I learned so much about how we accidentally train dogs to behave 'badly' and I thought it would be interesting to show this from a dog's viewpoint. By the end of four months writing this book, I was a dog, and if any of my readers feel the same way, then I think I've succeeded.