Customer Reviews

A New Leash on Life

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Emily Charmichael, the name is enough to get my attention. She always delivers a great story with fun leading ladies. There is always a curve or two in every chapter when you least expect it.
RIVERFARM GAL

Independent and single Jane Connor loved the simple joy of competing in competitions with her four legged friends so when she was approached to be filmed for a documentary about life in the dog show circuit, she quickly turned it down.
All that changed though when her home and business got burned to the ground in an Arizona fire that left Jane with nothing. She reluctantly contacted Angela, the film maker and agreed to be taped over the course of the summer with her dog Shadow while they competed for the grand prize of $100,000 which would be more than enough to rebuild her life.
Cole Forrest along with his 8 year old daughter Teri, and his talented little papillon Dobby also are on the same dog circuit for the summer. Cole lost his wife two years ago to cancer and is spending the summer trying to reconnect with his daughter while touring with Dobby.
Jane and Cole have an instant attraction to each other but they have many hurdles that must be overcome before they can come together and admit their true feelings for each other.
A New Leash On Life is a fun easy to read book about love and taking chances on a new life when you least expect it. I am actually surprised that more people have not read and reviewed this book.

Dog show trainer Jane Connor has had a successful career until a wildfire destroyed her Arizona home. Since she failed to pay her biannual insurance bill as the envelop slipped under her car seat, a stunned Jane feels like stupid burnt toast when she learns she has nothing though she rescued all her canine pals and is a bit of a heroine in the Flagstaff area.

Needing income, Jane accepts an offer from producer Angela Gardner of Rising Star Production to star with her dog Shadow in a documentary film on canine agility competitions. The only problem with the job is sharing the traveling RV with several people. First there is bubbles (as she classifies the enthusiastic over everything Angela) who can drive the self deprecating Jane to lunacy with her energy that would wear out the bunny. Then there is handsome rival widower Cole Forest (and his nasty, at least to Jane, daughter).

Though lacking some of the bite from tales like GONE TO THE DOGS, etc.), A NEW LEASH ON LIFE is an amusing road show that looks deeply into the lives of people and canines involved in agility competitions. Dog aficionados will appreciate the deep look at those DIAMOND IN THE RUFF competitors as their owners ready them for the shows. Teri is filled with angst and is a vulnerable child rarely seen so sensitively written in literature. Though Jane's self-censuring becomes an irritating bark, fans will enjoy who let the dogs out escapades.

Harriet Klausner

As someone who has shown dogs in AKC conformation shows for over 14 years, I was offended by the author's obvious distain for the sport. It is the typical "performance only exhibitor" attitude, which is that conformation showing is nothing more than a "beauty contest". This attitude is ignorant and shows a total lack of understanding of the purpose of conformations shows and how they are actually judged.
Another thing I found annoying was the author's unending, over the top gushing over the Golden Retreiver breed (a breed I personally loath). As with any breed, Golden Retreivers are NOT the perfect dog breed, and are certainly NOT the right breed for everyone. There is no perfect breed, or breed that suits everyones's needs, tastes or lifestyles. To read this book one would think that Golden Retrievers were perfect,and no other breeds exist. The constant portrayal of this breed as a breed that can do no wrong got old very fast. Even though other breeds were mentioned, their positive attributes were certainly not mentioned in such detail. A little more honest, open minded, and educated view of the breeds, and of all types of dog show competitions would be very much appreciated.
To give credit, the story line was interesting and the writing style was both descriptive and entertaining.