Comet's Tale: How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life [Hardcover]

Steven Wolf (Author), Lynette Padwa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2012

Comet’s Tale is a story about a friendship between two former winners, both a little down on their luck, who together stage a remarkable comeback. A former hard-driving attorney, Steven Wolf has reluctantly left his job and family and moved to Arizona for its warm winter climate. There he is drawn to a local group that rescues abused racing greyhounds. Although he can barely take care of himself because of a spinal condition, Wolf adopts Comet, an elegant cinnamon-striped racer. Or does Comet adopt Wolf?  

In Comet’s Tale we follow their funny and moving journey as Wolf teaches Comet to be a service dog. With her boundless enthusiasm and regal manners, Comet attracts new friends to Wolf’s isolated world. And finally, she plays a crucial role in restoring his health, saving his marriage, and broadening his definition of success.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hudson News Best Books of 2012

(Hudson News)

Shelf Awareness’s Top Ten Best of 2012 for nonfiction

(Shelf Awareness)

“Both honest and heartwarming, and a wonderful salute to the power of man’s best friend.”

(Booklist)

Review

“Absolutely delightful! A very good book about a human whose life is transformed by a greyhound. Makes me want to adopt a greyhound right away!” —Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Dogs Never Lie About Love

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (October 9, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616200456
• ISBN-13: 978-1616200459
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a two-some that was meant to be October 17, 2012

By Bibliophile By the Sea TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I'm always a sucker for spirited animal stories so Comet's Tale seemed to be a good choice. It's a story about a physically broken man and an abused greyhound.

The author, Steven Wolf, a once physically active former attorney, had no choice but to retire early at the age of 42, when he was stricken with a debilitating spinal condition. Upon the suggestion someone he meets, he decides to adopt a retired racing dog who like many dogs of this breed, had been confined to a cage all of his life. The sad eyes of one particular greyhound, made the decision easy for him. Comet, was the former racing dog, and little did the author realize at the time, both desperately needed each other for different reasons.

Once adopted, Comet, the shy, mistrustful dog had to learn the very basics of what most dogs learn as puppies. Wolf had the patience necessary to teach Comet that not every human is to be feared and that there is a better world outside of the confines of a cage. As if the two were meant to be together, Wolf's health condition soon takes a downhill turn after adopting Comet. Before long the author soon needs more help with very basic tasks that many of us take for granted. It is at this point when Comet is taught to perform certain tasks, like those performed by other service dogs. Before long Comet becomes a valuable and necessary part of his daily life -- it's a touching experience to read about.

It's one of those stories where some unexpected misfortune strikes, and a decision must be made. We can either be depressed and grumble about the "lemons of life", or act to make the best of the situation and enjoy the "lemonade" instead.... The author is a sympathetic individual, who was forced to move to the West (AZ) because of his health issues, while his family remained on the East Coast for work and school. I liked reading all the details the author shared about the greyhound breed, even the sad details about life as a racing dog.

I was happy I had a chance to read this story, it was a nice break for all the fiction I've been reading, and it made me appreciate my health as well as my relationship with my pets all the more. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Book About Greyhounds, Rescue, Service Dogs, Living with Pain... October 22, 2012

By Michelle R

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I think I'd like to do this by listing the topics dealt with in order to give readers a feel for this book.

Greyhounds: Readers will emerge from this book with a good idea of the breed. Many people assume these to by hyper and aloof dogs, and the author explains that this is not the case. As an owner of a greyhound, I found this book to be an accurate portrayal of the breed, even though Comet had some additional traits that made her a perhaps better service dog than your average Greyhound. Bottom line: These are lovable couch potatoes, the laziest breed of all, with an almost zen like calm, and soulful "ancient" eyes.

Greyhound Rescue: Time is given to the importance of, and need for, Greyhound Rescue. These dogs have large litters and tracks only have an interest in the fastest of these dogs, and the ones that can be fast with the least fuss and care. Lots more greyhounds than will race, cheaper to get a new dog to run than to care for injured dogs. Many of these dogs die for no other reason than they're surplus -- young, healthy dogs.

The Bond Between Dog and Human: The reason that Comet was clearly such a natural service dog for the author is that she loved him, connected to him, intuited what he needed from her. She had patience for the author, because he needed her to be patient. She, in one story, made it clear that she would stand between him and harm.

Chronic Pain and Illness: The author spares little in sharing the issues involved in his degenerative back issues, and search for something that would alleviate the pain, and restore to him an engaged life....

The Stress that Illness Puts on a Family: The author, Steven Wolf, had to make a choice for the good of his health to live separate from his wife and children for a good portion of the year. Much time is spent dealing with this -- how the long time apart from his daughters, who were on the verge of womanhood, alienated them, made him feel like a stranger in their lives. Also discussed is how his inability to let others in on his pain, trying to handle it all alone, drove his marriage to the brink.

I recommend this read, and was thrilled to read at the end that the author is giving Comet a wonderful and spoiled retirement. Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Algonquin! October 4, 2012

By NC

Format:Hardcover

I loved the story of this very special dog. The author is very self deprecating. He had a lot of problems to overcome. Comet had the patience of a saint and led him toward a better life. We have a lot of rescue greyhounds in our area. I will definitely buy this for my library. Thank you Algonquin for sharing this title with me in advance so that I could consider it for the library collection.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Comet's Tale February 2, 2013

By D. Hoffman

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a "greyhound mom," I really wanted to love this story. I did love Comet, her greyhound antics, and, well, her very "greyhound-ness." I can't say I had warm and fuzzy feelings for most of the human characters in the book, however. Steven Wolfe is lucky to have been adopted and adored by Comet. I think he understands what an exceptional blessing she was in his life. I never got the feeling that the rest of his family valued Comet, and her contributions to Stephen's well-being. Frankly, the words self-indulgent, spoiled, and just a bit too "me-centered" came to mind more often than not while reading the book. Comet, with her pure greyhound soul, gave her all for Stephen in such a selfless and loving way. Would that the humans in this story had had just a little more heart, and a little more hound in them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!!!! December 8, 2012

By Donna L. Supinger

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book to read because I have Greyhounds and thought it would be a. Nice little story. Boy was I wrong! This is a fabulous book! I've been riveted to it since I started. I open it to read in the evening and can't put it down till 2 or 3 in the morning. It's about a very special Greyhound to be sure but its also a very raw, very real story about life. Best book I've read in years. Really needs to be made into an audio book for those who read as they drive.