This book is a must for dog lovers everywhere, and if you don't like dogs you will probably hate it. However, this is an amazing dog, as he appears to have found time to sit down and relate his life story to Roy Hattersley. It's a pity he couldn't find the time to write it himself but I suppose if you are famous for killing one of the Queens geese, life can get very hectic as the Press pursue you round London. I quietly enjoyed this book. It is not uproariously funny, but gently amusing. Mr. Hattersley is referred to as 'the Man at the end of the lead'. They have a lovelhate relationship. Buster normally wins any arguments. Some of the descriptions that we do to entertain dogs makes you pause for thought. For instance, he writes 'When the Man got home last night, and went into one of those strange routines that make me doubt his sanity. Tired though I was, I tried to gratify his whim. The usual ritual involves an oddly shaped piece of red rubber which he calls a bone ? though it does not resemble any bones I have chewed. For reasons I cannot imagine, he enjoys throwing it to the far end of the hall. Crying 'Fetch it! …Usually, I humour him by behaving like a Retriever but he throws the bone down the hall again and expects me to go through the whole routine once more. He assumes that I pander to his strange tastes because I get a biscuit as a reward …In fact, it is my contribution to Care in the Community.'
This book is well worth borrowing.
Happy Reading, the Bradworthy Book Reviewer