- “Excellent read! Even if you have never had a dog you can’t help but appreciate this hysterically true story that also is a really good dog training manual for anyone who rescues/adopts an adult shelter dog… especially a so-called ‘psycho’ like Dakota!
Sharon Delarose uses a witty descriptive style and like how she trained Dakota to stay by her side, you don’t want to leave her side in anticipation of what is going to happen next… and her ultimate success in creating her Best Friend!” — Manse Creek (Amazon review) - “I have had dogs my whole life, most have come to me as if they were soul mates until one dog ate my couch and turned it into a million balls of foam and other dog deposits. This book is the story of one caring, patient owner’s efforts to tame a doggy hurricane. Unlike how to books that are bland and boring, the author shares her personal experience in both learning by trial and error and applying the principles dog trainers must learn. In the process, an out of control dog becomes her best friend. Walt Disney said, ‘I would rather entertain with the hopes of educating then educate with the hopes of entertaining.’ This author has taken Walt Disney’s approach. If you are planning to add a ‘Best Friend’ to your home, this book is a guide to making that friendship become a reality. Get it!” — JBASAL (Amazon review)
- “I purchased this book to help me in the process of training my Dalmatian puppy who could be very strong willed at times. This book covers all the angles, very informative and helpful. If you have a strong willed best friend or just need helpful training tips! The writer is adorable and she has some wonderful stories to tell about her four legged best friends, you laugh with her and learn from her! I could not put this book down and finished it in one day which is very unusual for me. This book will teach you everything you need to know to make your bad dog your best friend. LOVED IT!!!!!” — 4fus1on (Amazon review)
- “Bad Dog to Best Friend is the author’s personal journey of rehabilitating a ‘used’ dog with issues named Dakota. The family chose to adopt Dakota in the hopes that she would perk up their aging dog and help ease the pain of her all too eventual passing. Their first dog arrived already trained and perfect and they were naively expecting the same easy transition when they brought Dakota home. Boy, were they ever wrong.
Dakota was a dog abandoned numerous times and they soon discovered why. She had no house manners, was a submissions pee-er, had separation anxiety, chewed, bullied and was an all-around menace in a doggie suit. I felt bad reading these early chapters both for the family and for their elderly dog. Unlike most people in the general population, they chose to keep Dakota and help her through trial and error and various methods. I have to give them a lot of credit for this. They make some mistakes and are a little clueless in the beginning but their heart was always in the right place.
This book isn’t really a hard core training book (if that’s what you’re after) but more of a journal of Dakota’s trials and tribulations interspersed with stories about her naughty deeds and the ways they worked through them. Though it suffers from repetitiveness, is a little unpolished and a few chapters, notably the one devoted to ‘almost’ meeting Victoria Stillwell, should’ve been culled and/or reorganized to improve the flow of the book, the memoir felt extremely honest to me and I enjoyed reading about Dakota and watching her slowly blossom into a loving member of the family.” — BarkLessWagMore (Amazon review)
- “Great book!! Fast reading. Takes you into the life of a real person and their dogs. Anyone who has ever adopted a dog or owns a dog should read this book. Even if your pet is not a challenge, you can learn how to keep them a model citizen. I read the book in 1 1/2 days cause I could not put it down. Join me and learn more about how to live happily ever after with your four legged friends.” — EvelynZ (Amazon review)
*** If you found Dakota’s story helpful and want to share it with your dog-challenged friends, you can give them a paperback version which is perfect as a gift! Or you can simply steer them toward the Kindle version which is only $2.99. If the happy ending for this two-time shelter dog moved you enough to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or somewhere, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I truly am grateful, and I hope with all my heart that Dakota’s story can make a difference for other shelter dogs or problem dogs whose families are considering giving them up. ***
Chapter list from Bad Dog to Best Friend
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| Paperback $9.95 |
Kindle $2.99 |
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