Anyone who's resisting adopting a dog might well be swayed by reading Dog Crazy. In her third novel, Meg Donohue (How to Eat a Cupcake) presents a strong case for the power of canine companionship as protagonist Maggie Brennan learns the best friendships involve dogs and the humans at the ends of their leashes.
Making a fresh start in San Francisco after a lifetime in Philadelphia and the end of a stale relationship, Maggie arrives with her beloved 13-year-old retriever, Toby. She settles into a new apartment and her new career, in private practice as a pet bereavement counselor. But when Toby dies suddenly, Maggie not only can't counsel herself but also develops agoraphobia and acrophobia, trapping her among the San Francisco hills. (Fifty hills, she learns!) Patients come to her, fortunately, and when thoughtful Henry hires Maggie to help his younger, teenaged sister, Anya, recover from her dog Billy's disappearance, Maggie is forced to take small steps away from her own fears.
Escorted by neighboring ginger-haired poodle Giselle, Maggie and Anya search for Billy. A motley cast of homeless pups from SuperMutt Rescue, a volunteer group that Maggie can't resist serving, are the delightful supporting characters in this sure-to-end-well read. Anya's older brothers, Maggie's college-chum landlady and even the city itself nudge Maggie toward independence. Before long, she realizes that she might have found her own "forever home," for who can resist a city where love comes looking for lost companions? --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco