Customer Reviews

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I was hooked by the picture of Oogy on the cover. The story did not disappoint.

This is a noble dog, an inspirational dog. (As someone says to the author, "When was the last time you heard of a fighting dog who was inspirational?" I don't have the quote exactly right, but it's just what I was thinking while reading.) Oogy had a horrendous history - he was literally a throw-away dog when Larry Levin and his sons first met him. Somehow Oogy's spirit and love for all creatures survived an unthinkable ordeal and shone through to all who met him, even when he was close to death and in incredible pain. This is an amazing animal, and the narrative works best when Larry Levin makes the story about Oogy. Of course it is also about a family, but it is mostly about this amazing dog.

True animal lovers - vets, rescuers - recognize the special nature of this animal. People seeing him on the street are initially put off by his appearance but quickly won over by his personality.

The writing style is straightforward which works well with the compelling and emotional nature of the story. I cried early and often. It is a quick read but it will stay with me for a long, long time.

Minor quibble: it seemed that the author was way too hard on himself every time Oogy suffered some pain, and obsessed with making it up to Oogy for the unthinkable experiences of his early life. Mr. Levin is apparently an attorney with a very flexible schedule that allows him to spend a lot of time at home, and his bonding with Oogy is so complete that he occasionally seems to lose perspective.

Another quibble is the title. Everybody loves Oogy. That's the whole point.

I think the story works so well because this is basically a normal family whose lives are touched by an extraordinary dog. Oogy is the miracle. Very highly recommended.

I am so in love with Oogy after reading this book, I feel like he's MY dog, rather than the Levin's family member! After being used as a bait dog in a dog fighting ring outside Philadelphia, this sweet, loving, and near-death dog arrived at an animal hospital and basically began the fight for his life.

Larry Levin and his young twin sons went to the animal hospital for a difficult reason as well, being forced to put their elderly cat to sleep. As they were leaving Oogy had wriggled out of his cage and tackled one of the boys to the ground, covering the boy with kisses despite the painful injuries he was still suffering from. The Levins knew they had found a new family member!

Bringing Oogy home was not easy, as the poor pup was missing an ear and had a face full of scar tissue that required a lot of care, but the boys and their father were determined to make him fit into their family. What started as a tragedy became a beautiful ending, with a loyal, friendly, and happy dog taking the place of the beaten puppy that first arrived at that animal shelter.

If the sweet face on the cover doesn't first draw you in, the first few pages certainly will. Author Levin writes in a to-the-point, readable manner that will have you finishing the book in no time. I read it in one morning on the train to work! You'll want to keep turning the pages, as this little dog puts a huge smile on your face and inspires you to want to help other animals like him.

I have also rescued a dog that was deemed a "difficult breed" and have loved every second of being her person. Oogy's story just solidified my belief on rescuing dogs. I highly recommend this inspirational read!

I'm torn on how to rate this book. Oogy's story is gripping, the writing is not.

Oogy was just a puppy when he was used as bait for fighting dogs. Police rescued him, an amazing veterinarian staff saved his life, and the Levin family eventually adopted him. Larry Levin attempts to piece together Oogy's beginning, as well as tell us the tale of Oogy's life after adoption. However, his writing is sort of a mess, particularly in the first third of the book. At times it reads more like a personal memoir than the story of Oogy.

Levin's timeline is all over the place and his writing is often dry. For me, there were too many small, unnecessary details (such as the minutiae of cooking breakfast) and not enough of the details that make Oogy's tragic story a heartwarming tale of love and redemption.

I am sorely tempted to give the book 5 stars because any story about an abused dog finding a perfect family deserves high praise, but that would be a bit disingenuous on my part, so I give it about a 4.4 rating. I can't say I found the book to be a big tear jerker, books such as Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform, Found Dogs: Tales of Strays Who Landed on Their Feet are more the type that get me. This story does not wallow in the cruelness that happened to Oogy when he was a pup, rather it showers you with all the love he found when he was turned over to the animal hospital and then given to the Levins.

The story of Oogy is compelling and I truly think the Levins are wonderful people. The author and his 2 sons basically fell in love with Oogy at first sight. I have to admire someone who can just give in to that feeling with such utter ease, with no doubts and no internal debate about whether it is right or not. He saw Oogy with all his physical faults, but just knew he had to have him regardless. The stars aligned for the Levins that day when their paths crossed with Oogy. Huge kudos also go to the animal hospital and the woman who fought to save him in the first place.

There is a bit of background story about the Levins and their 2 sons, but it is interesting and leads up to Oogy's adoption. I read the book in one day, but in recalling it in my head, the time line gets a little jumbled. I think in the story the author jumps around to different events, such as near the end of the book he talks about a trainer he brought in when Oogy was younger. It kind of seemed like that was added as an afterthought, when it could have been placed early in the book. I do like stories to follow a sort of chronological time line and there aren't many dates or ages given for Oogy that help me to place how old he is during the story. That is just a little pickiness on my part though.

The author comes across as a very easy going, humorous person. That is fortunate for Oogy because his behavior in the early years is not something that everyone could have withstood. Sleeping on the dining room table. Barking at you while you eat. Needless to say Oogy is a bit spoiled, and as a big fan of the Dog Whisperer, that can cause some issues. Oogy was definitely not an aggressive dog, but he seemed to think he was on equal footing with all the humans there. He seemed to do what he wanted to do when he wanted to. But you know what, it works for them, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In all, it is a good book. I have read numerous animals stories (Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale, Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat and Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat), and while this one kept me reading and in love with Oogy, it didn't have quite the polish of these other books. Hmm, maybe that is how Oogy would have wanted it though.

I love dogs. And, I love books about dogs. I also love words and authors who use them well. This author is just not a writer, so the story is almost tiresome. ("I put my coffee in the microwave for 50 seconds." Really?) I kept thinking that the story about the dog or the kids would have some sort of climax, a crisis with a resolution, but nope. (The torn ACL didn't constitute a real crisis, as that sort of thing is pretty routine for a dog owner). By the time I was two thirds of the way through the book, I realized that essentially the whole story had been told, and really is told on the inside cover. Why didn't this author find a writer or editor to help him out a bit?

This book has a wonderful hero in Oogy... his story is compelling and I cared about him from the first page of the book. My problem with the book was the lack of depth I felt from the author as he was telling the story. I read page after page of his feelings of love for the dog and kids. I read about what happened to Oogy and it was terrible. I would have liked a bit more detail in his feelings about this. Obviously he is distraught, but it seems very glossed-over. In trying to be positive, motivating and up-beat, he loses something essential to the story: emotional honesty. Sometimes the author got bogged down in his feelings of love, the dog's feelings of love and everybody else's feelings of love and the story stalls.. Othertimes, it seemed he may have been projecting a bit too much. For example, when Oogy did not want to go in his crate the first day, maybe it was because he was caged and abused at his first home, not because he loved his new family so much after one day that he had separation anxiety. Hearing other possible explanations for things other than his incredible love would have been nice once in a while.
I also wondered about some stories or anecdotes that didn't seem to go anywhere. For example, when one of the boys was upset on the way home from school, it appeared like the author (Dad) asked him a random question about adoption then made a joke about it to avoid talking about what was upsetting the child. Hopefully this is not what actually happened. I would have liked to have read about some honest emotion there rather than feel like something real was covered up and hear how much they all love one another. Yes, we know.

I am sickened and saddened by the fact that anyone could ever hurt an animal like they hurt Oogy. It is unbelievable he survived at all or that he still has such a beautiful, sweet nature. With that being said, I did not find this book to be well written or the story line to be very good. I agree when someone brings a pet into their lives, they should be responsible for their happiness, comfort and health. However, Mr. Levin's tale doesn't really describe a dog that is particularly smart or obedient or special in any way. In fact, he makes Oogy sound like he is very destructive and out of control when he doesn't get his way. Why would anyone let a dog tear up their furniture or personal belongings just because he had such a miserable start in life? This book is more about the man and how he feels about adopting an injured dog than it is about the dog or anything the dog has done that is so wonderful or extraordinary in any way other than surviving such a horrible experience. I mean, seriously, who lets their dog sleep on the dining room table? Not a great book or a good read.

I admit that I love books where a dog overcomes incredible odds and gets a happy ending. And that is exactly what you'll find in this book.

Oogy tells the tale of a very special dog - as a puppy, Oogy was used as a bait dog (a dog used to train fighting dogs). Left for dead, he somehow gets saved by a wonderful vet and staff at a clinic where the author and his family are clients. They meet Oogy and it's basically love at first sight - even with a lopsided face, this family recognized a special dog.

Even though this dog has no reason to trust humans, Oogy bears no ill will - he adores his family and they adore him. The author's love for his dog is obvious. And along with the tale of adopting Oogy, the author also relates about the adoption of his sons.

The author's style is very casual - you feel like he's sitting there next to you telling you about Oogy. Unlike Marley and Me where the book goes into depth of the almost day-to-day life with Marley, this is more of an overview and talks about some specific incidents of life with Oogy. Though I found some slow parts, it's a quick read and I finished the book in an evening.

The thought of what this dog went through as a bait dog brought tears to my eyes. But overall, it's a positive book that tells the story of a special dog who overcame incredible brutality and the special family who saw beyond his looks and his breed and adopted a fabulous dog.

A great book for those who love dogs but I'm sure any lover of dog breeds who are used for fighting will really love this book.

I received this book as a gift and was looking forward to reading it. Upon starting, I thought the author would never get to Oogy. Rather, he just slogged on and on about daily life.

Oogy is obviously a wonderful dog, but he would have been better served with more discipline. Even previously abused dogs need discipline. Letting a dog destroy one's home is not necessary. Jumping up on the dining room table while they are eating and then Levine seems surprised that the guests never returned?

Oogy would also have been better served had Mr. Levine used a ghost writer. There seemed to be no point to the book, no conclusion.

I read this book in two days and love the story of Oogy, but had a hard time with the writing style. Too wordy (an attempt to make a long story short?) I didn't need to know that the clothes Larry put in the dryer came from the washing machine that he had started earlier. Nor did I care that the bacon had to cook in the microwave for 2 minutes... I got very irritated with the writing style, but I read the entire book because I fell in love with Oogy. Overall, I would recommend this book, but be ready to be annoyed!