The Second Chance Dog, Jon Katz
The Second Chance Dog, Jon Katz
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The Second Chance Dog
A Love Story

Author: Jon Katz

Narrator: Tom Stechschulte

Unabridged: 7 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 11/12/2013

Categories: Nonfiction, Pets


Synopsis

I had no idea that Frieda would enter my life and alter it in the most profound way, but that' s one of the beautiful things about animals. They change you, and you almost never see it coming." In 2007, a few years after purchasing Bedlam Farm in upstate New York, Jon Katz met Maria Wulf, a quiet, sensitive artist hoping to rekindle her creative spark. Jon, like her, was introspective yet restless, a writer struggling to find his purpose. He felt a connection with her immediately, but a formidable obstacle stood in the way: Maria' s dog, Frieda. A rottweiler-shepherd mix who had been abandoned by her previous owner in the Adirondacks, where she lived in the wild for several years, Frieda was ferociously protective and barely tamed. She roared and charged at almost anyone who came near. But to Maria, Frieda was sweet and loyal, her beloved guard dog and devoted friend. And so Jon quickly realized that to win over Maria, he' d have to gain Frieda' s affection as well. While he and Maria grew closer, Jon was having a tougher time charming Frieda to his side. Even after many days spent on Bedlam Farm, Frieda still lunged at the other animals, ran off into the woods, and would not let Jon come near her, even to hook on her leash. Yet armed with a singular determination, unlimited patience, and five hundred dollars' worth of beef jerky, Jon refused to give up on Frieda-- or on his chance with Maria. Written with stunning emotional clarity and full of warm yet practical wisdom, The Second-Chance Dog is a testament to how animals can make us better people, and how it' s never too late to find love.

About Jon Katz

Jon Katz has written over twenty books, including Talking to Animals, Soul of a Dog, Izzy & Lenore, Dog Days, A Good Dog, and The Dogs of Bedlam Farm. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Rolling Stone, Wired, and the AKC Gazette. He has worked for CBS News, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Katz is also a photographer and the author of a children’s book, Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm. He lives on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York with the artist Maria Heinrich; his dogs Izzy, Lenore, and Frieda; and his barn cats, Mother and Minnie.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stacey on December 16, 2013

I love animal books and i used to love Jon Katz. But this one is more about his divorce and remarriage and is just kind of whiny and self absorbed. he never even mentions his wife's name although they spent thirty years together and raised a child. Instead we get a glimpse of his extramarital affair......more

Goodreads review by Sallee on February 15, 2014

Well! This book was a bit of a departure from most Jon Katz books. That said, I still loved it. Jon bares his soul about his emotional problems, sometimes making me most uncomfortable feeling like a voyeur watching him falling apart. He meets a woman every bit as frail as he is who owns a shepherd-......more

Goodreads review by Jane on September 06, 2020

This is very different from the author’s other books, but I enjoyed it just as much.......more

Goodreads review by Amy on April 25, 2018

This may be one of the most enligtening books on love out there. It was the sweetest love story between Katz, his wife and her dog. It also was in a sense about how Katz learned to love himself in the process. Being a single woman with a strong-willed guard dog, who also happens to have a healthy pre......more

Goodreads review by Carol on October 29, 2020

I got frustrated with this memoir at times as it was about a man, younger woman, and antisocial dog, well, really all of them were antisocial. I guess the bottom line is that love heals all, but I wondered why they would make life so difficult for themselves by trying to make a life with other damag......more