Breslin calls this a memoir, and indeed it is, but it's also much more than that. This is a meditation on grief, alcoholism, loss, destructive behavior and the author's love for his wife, along with occasional rants about things he finds unconscionably stupid and, most of all, his inordinate love for the dog who helped transform his life.
When Breslin, a former book editor and publisher, bought the puppy--telling himself it was for his wife, Lynn--at first it seemed he had made a huge mistake. The black Lab pup was a squealer, a screamer, a climber; in short, a terrified, almost feral animal. Within 36 hours, Breslin had fallen in love with Miss Dutchie and she had calmed down--a little. The household of three settled in to walks around Central Park, clandestine swims in forbidden spots, trips to the Hudson Valley from Manhattan, in-house games and a routine that worked for all of them. Miss Dutchie was one lucky dog, but she had her own ideas about acceptable behavior.
Miss Dutchie left the room every time Breslin lit a cigarette and showed her contempt for his drinking--she would have nothing to do with him when he was on a bender. Ed had tried Alcoholics Anonymous and decided it was for wimps, people who wanted a bunch of platitudes and another addiction--AA itself--to substitute for plain, old-fashioned drinking. Not for him. He could beat it on his own, or, better yet, try controlled drinking. "Alcoholics are wired wrong. We go in the wrong emotional and intellectual direction all the time."
He finally gave AA a fair try and worked the program successfully. Miss Dutchie stood by him when he grieved the death of friends and couldn't drink to dull the pain. She was at his side when his novel was rejected, repeatedly. For the last several years of her life, Ed Breslin was the companion his faithful dog deserved.
The memoir is full of wisdom gleaned from many years of living, loving Lynn, reading, writing and thinking, time spent in analysis and what he learned from Miss Dutchie about how to behave in the world. Breslin's description of having to part with his pet to stop her suffering is, as you might imagine, heartbreaking.
Yes, there was eventually another dog--Sadie--a mixed breed from a shelter. She and her sibs had been left by the highway to die. At first, Sadie was so cowed and frightened, Ed and Lynn hardly knew what to make of her. They just kept loving her, cuddling her, reassuring her, and she came around, as a well-treated dog will. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, any one of us could do worse than to come back as a dog in the Breslin household.--Valerie Ryan