Dr. Jessica Vogelsang's memoir begins with a dedication, "To the misfits, the miscreants... and socially inept, and the dogs who love them" and ends with a promise, "I can honor [my dogs] by striving just a little more to live like they did: with joy, unabashed and open, reminding myself and others that our flaws do not make us less, but ever more worthy of being loved just the way we are."
The opening scene introduces the titular Kevin, a dear friend of the author from college who has recently died at the age of 40. The memoir then flashes back 30 years and is organized into three parts according to the family dog at the time: Vogelsang's childhood Lhasa apso, Taffy ("one of those sweet fuzzy faces people found irresistible--and the temperament of a senior with a bad prostate"), the first retriever welcomed into her adult life, Emmett (who "seemed to view himself as a Dickensian ragamuffin, a street urchin who needed to rely on his street smarts for survival"), and the Lab, Kekoa ("She lived in a constant state of extreme remorse, when she was perfectly content"). Each dog provides quiet wisdom and support as Dr. Vogelsang navigates the trials of adolescence, the challenges of vet school, the angst of postpartum depression and eventually the loss of Kevin (comforted by the thought that all of her past dogs are in the same place as her friend). The many humorous stories of Dr. Vogelsang's patients and their guardians ensure that laughs far outweigh the tears. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics