Fetching Dylan: A True Tale of Canine Domestication in Leaps and Bounds

by Stephen Foster

Skittish man meets skittish dog- again-in the hilarious and heartwarming sequel to the acclaimed Walking Ollie.

Just when he thought it was safe to walk in the park again, novelist and reluctant dog owner Stephen Foster had the crazy notion that skittish-but-now-functioning puppy Ollie (introduced in Foster's Walking Ollie ) could use a playmate. Enter Dylan, another quirky pup with a thing against humans. This delightful and witty story is a treat for dog lovers, fans of literate British humor, and anyone who can relate to the neurotic misanthrope at the end of a difficult dog's leash.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2009

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of two books about the author's dogs, both of whom are certifiably insane (though I think that describes all sighthounds). This selection focuses more on Dylan, the author's second dog, but it also contains a lot more stories about the author's friends and his outside life. Near the beginning, there's a classic episode involving a breeder that ALL dog breeders ought to have to read (because the woman is C R A Z Y), and the perfect explanation of the greyhound "look": Dylan is out running and the author needs to go home. Foster calls out Dylan's name. Dylan sees him, lifts an eyebrow, and deliberately turns his back and trots away. The fried along on the walk says, "Well, that was a pretty clear 'F**k you,' wasn't it?"

The end of this book is sad - doubly so because my family and I went through exactly the same thing with one of our dogs.

The writing isn't brilliant, but it's fun and quick to read and real and heartfelt, and those are all adjectives for a good book.

[Cynthia]

A very quick read about the process of adding a second dog to a man's family - which included a rescue dog named Ollie who had issues of his own. It is a true story and takes place in England. If you like dogs you might find it interesting - it helped put the couple of problems we have with Rumpole (our Mini Schnauser) in perspective as I wouldn't have wanted to have either of his two animals. I must admit, when Ollie succumbed to bone cancer at age 6 at the end of the book I did cry

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I like this better than Walking Ollie. It was an extremely quick read. If you have a dog, I don't see how you could not enjoy Mr. Foster's take living with his dogs.

[Ken Ficara · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://steelbrassnwood.livejournal.co...

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dylan is a less obnoxious dog than Ollie, and this is a generally better book all around, if still not all that compelling.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

A companion book to "Walking Ollie" that chronicles adding a second dog to a household.