Fixing Freddie

I finished this book a couple of days ago - it seems like I finish all of my books at the same time... I usually start two or three books at once, then get a hankering for something different, and the next thing I know I'm reading 5 different books which all seem to finish at the same time. :-)

I only write about the ones worth writing about. I think I've mentioned before about my attraction to read trashy romance novels and those are not really worth writing about because there isn't anything original about them. :-) :-)

So, this time I want to talk about Fixing Freddie: A true story about a boy, a single mom, and a very bad beagle who saved them by Paula Munier. I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVED this book!!! You know me, there is always something that I have to say about a book - predictable story line, weak characters... yaada, yaada, yaada. But I didn't find anything wrong with this book! I think to start with, it is a true story and written from personal experiences. Sure, I'm sure there are lots of single moms that can relate to this story, but this story is told so well!!! What makes this as unique as the lives and individuals in this book is the way the stories are told. Paula has a way of using her past to help make her point in the present day of the book. I think I enjoyed the way she wrote about her past as I did when she was writing about all of the problems she was going through with Freddie.

I also fell in love with Paula's parents - the way they used dogs and fish to describe how to describe a proper man to bring into her life. Then, the way that they would use dogs and fish to compare to her friend, Joel, that they wished for her to eventually marry. It takes me back to when my own mom wished for one of my best friends to fall in love with my sister. :-) :-) She would actually encourage her to invite him over to dinner because 1) I know that she loved to feed him and 2) she hoped that Nick would eventually fall in love more than her talents in cooking. :-) Well, that never happened, so I can see where Paula's parents' hopes were for her. :-) :-)

Freddie, Freddie, Freddie... he was an absolute little bugger. 1.21 giggawatts of puppy without a way to release all of that puppy energy in the proper way. I can see where Paula's frustration with Freddie is coming from because I'm suffering the same right now with my dog, Doc. Too much energy, not having enough energy myself to help her wear down some of that energy, not enough toys in the world to keep her busy and my poor backyard!!! Doc's about 1 year and a half now and not slowing down at all. She's a really smart dog, very much like Freddie, but has just too much energy to keep me sane sometimes. She was fixed the day we brought her home from the shelter that we adopted her from, but I don't that that would have made a difference. :-) This book and the wonderful way Paula described Freddie's life has given me hope that one day Doc will eventually calm down and be a proper dog.

This book kind of reminded me of a movie I watched once called Marlie and Me. The movie was cute and had a lot of the same things that were in Fixing Freddie and my own personal life. Marlie, Freddie and Doc were all 'clearance' puppies. Marlie and Freddie were on their last days at the shops of adoption places where they were purchased, Doc was on her last day before being destroyed at the pound. And, despite all of their little bugger destruction and antics, even when they have cost thousands of dollars to fix all that they have destroyed, they were all loved for their cuddly personalities and the little things that make us smile. :-) :-) I know that I still have a few years before Doc is finally old enough to finally slow down, and believe me that I will really enjoy the day that happens!, but it is during these difficult times that I think make me realize how special that makes me, Paula, the person that owned Marley and everyone else that has owned these kind of puppies because we actually put up with them and actually keep them! :-) :-) :-)

Freddie was not the only pet in the household either. Freddie had his older buddie Shakespeare and Isis, then later Alice the kitty cat. It was so much fun to read about them and the challenges that Paula had to face not only with her pets, but the challenges of a single mom. Paula really opened up her life and memories with her readers... I really respect that because despite all of the mistakes that she felt she may have made, her kids still grew up just fine, and even Freddie finally became a regular dog. :-) :-)