Flawed Dogs, by Berkeley Breathed

Flawed Dogs, by Berkeley Breathed (Philomel/Penguin, 2009, middle grade, 240pp).

Holly and Sam. An orphaned girl who's never been loved, and a small pure-bred dachshund puppy, who's escaped from his airplane crate and found happiness in her arms.

Cassius. A nasty piece of work under his beautifully trimmed poodle fur. He wants to be the only top show dog in the house, and he'll do anything to oust Sam. Even framing him for child endangerment.

Cassius' evil plot works, and Sam spends several years of misery away from Holly, including a hellish stint of being tortured in a science lab (which mercifully happens off-stage).

Now Sam, scarred and with a soup-ladle tied on in place of his missing leg, and a bunch of misfit canine companions are going to take on the Westminster Dog Show, and strike a blow for flawed dogs everywhere. And bring Cassius down.

This is a story that will hit the hearts of dog lovers hard. Sam is such a good little dog, and he suffers so much. So be warned, young dog lover readers! You'll be rooting for him, aching for him (perhaps even shedding a tear), and finally cheering as, at last, he gets a happy ending.

It's not for the faint of heart, and indeed, I found it rather uncomfortable reading. But there is humor (of a somewhat farcical variety), to lighten the story (this is the wonderfully absurd Berkeley Breathed, of Opus fame, after all), and, as I said, we get a happy ending.


From the Flawed Dogs Website: "Flawed Dogs" was inspired by the staggering pet overpopulation problem, highlighting it with a bit of humor. But the underlying message is clear: millions of healthy, adoptable pets languish and die in our animal shelters every year. National figures indicate that about half of all shelter pets must be euthanized for want of loving homes."From the Flawed Dogs website:"Flawed Dogs" was inspired by the staggering pet overpopulation problem, highlighting it with a bit of humor. But the underlying message is clear: millions of healthy, adoptable pets languish and die in our animal shelters every year. National figures indicate that about half of all shelter pets must be euthanized for want of loving homes.