Dogs of Dreamtime

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUN 13, 2005

Clearly besotted by her dogs, Shanley, managing partner of a marketing and communications firm, recounts her relationship with three of them. Though she swore to remain dogless after her beloved Sheltie, Kiera, died, Shanley dreamed about an Australian shepherd puppy. Convinced that the puppy was Kiera reincarnated, and over the objections of her long-suffering husband, Andrew, she found the new Kiera of her dreams and adopted her along with Molly, a deaf merle. The author details how Andrew came around and describes the joy the animals' antics gave her young daughter. Along the way, she provides an informative and touching description of how she learned to train the deaf Molly. Unfortunately, dominance was a problem between the two dogs, and she had to find Molly a new home. Later, Shanley took in Magic, an English shepherd mix with whom she felt a kind of mystical bond when she saw his picture on the Internet. But Magic became violent and had to be put to sleep. The author's subsequent depression led to a trip to Montana, where communing with open spaces renewed her spirit and restored her equilibrium. Dog lovers will enjoy this tale and share Shanley's passion for her dogs.