Oogy: A Dog Only a Family Could Love - Larry Levin (Audio)

ATTENTION!  ATTENTION!  Oogy goes not die in this book!

Isn't that the first thing you think when you see a book with an animal on its cover?  Me too, and I generally avoid them like the plague.  I don't need that kind of crying in my life.  But this story is a happy one, so the only tears you will shed are tears of joy.

Synopsis:  This is the tale of the luckiest and the happiest doggie on earth, Oogy.  Oogy was used as a bait dog for a dog-fighting ring, and was discovered in an alley with one side of his face ripped apart.  Police officers brought him to a veterinary hospital, where it's big-hearted employees made it their mission to save him. 

Larry Levin was in the right place at the right time, when he visited the hospital to put a beloved old pet cat to sleep.  While they were there, he and his twin sons took one look at the dog and knew they were meant to adopt him.  They nursed Oogy through countless surgeries to repair his face, and gave him all of the love he had been missing in the first few months of his life.  Despite all of the abuses he suffered, he never showed any signs of aggression, and proved to be a faithful, gentle and loving dog for Levin's family.

Levin not only tells us the story of Oogy's life, but the tale of Levin and his wife's inability to have children, and their adoption of their twin boys.  Levin finds serendipity in these two stories, and the miracle of having their sons and the dog in his life.  This is one of those rare stories that leave you with a smile on your face.

My thoughts:  It is hard for me to find fault in a story about a poor, pathetic, wounded doggy who was nursed back to health and brings joy to the lives he comes in contact with.  It is a precious story, and one that will do your heart good.

I can't say that the book is exceptionally-written, but it is from the heart.  There is a tendency for Levin to go into too much detail with regards to his daily schedule and his family's challenges, but I understand that there was a point in the telling of his story. 

Bottom line, this is a story that is clean and uplifting, one that anyone in the family would appreciate, especially animal-lovers that cherish their pets unconditionally, no matter what their appearance and no matter what the sacrifice.

A quick word of thanks to Heather (Raging Bibliomania) for loaning me this audio. 

A word about the audio production:  Joe Barrett was our reader for this short, 5-disc audio book.  I've never experienced his work before, but he has narrated some respectable novels, such as The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Prayer For Owen Meany.  His voice was pleasant and easy to listen to.

3.5 out of 5 stars