I'M NOT SINGLE, I HAVE A DOG

A woman recounts her adventures in love and dog ownership in this debut memoir.

Like many chronically single people, Hartzler found herself questioning her choices in matters of the heart. “The one thing I’ve never been confused about is my deep love of animals, dogs in particular,” writes the author in her preface. “That love started with my childhood dog, Siesta. An ugly mutt, Siesta taught me about unconditional love and acceptance.” Hartzler rescued her first dog as an adult, a German spitz mix named Blondie, following a breakup when she was 29 years old. “A rebound dog’s better than a rebound man,” she quipped at the time. For better or worse, the coming decades would see plenty more breakups, bad dates, and a few personal crises, but at least Hartzler had Blondie at home for support. After Blondie’s death at 19, the author—still looking for Mr. Right—struggled to move forward, especially as she was entering a time of life when loss and grief were becoming more routine experiences. With this memoir, Hartzler shares anecdotes from a lifetime of dating and dog ownership, both the times that men have let her down and the instances that her four-legged friends have picked her back up. The author’s prose is sharp and confessional, as here where she recounts hiking with her best (human) friend, Angel: “ ‘I think I’m an addict too,’ I said. The morning fog lifted to showcase the sweeping views from Catalina Island to the Santa Monica Mountains. ‘I’m addicted to people. In one of my Al-Anon meetings, a woman shared that being around needy people helped her ignore her own issues.’ ” Hartzler explores her history of codependency and attraction to bad men, which leads to several personal tragedies that she discusses with candor and regret. The book is an intriguing and moving window into the very real ways that canines can improve the lives of dog fans who need a bit of unconditional love in their days.

An affecting, canine-heavy account of disappointment and self-discovery.