Dobie, The Canine Saint: A Spiritual Love Story

Paul Greenbaum
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595421268
Reviewed by Nikki Pringle for Reader Views (7/08)


Paul Greenbaum’s life was changed irrevocably on a summer day in 1985 when he met up with his friend Tom for a camping trip to Maine. Tom showed him a dirty chicken wire and wood cage that held three small Doberman/Rottweiler mix puppies. He explained that the puppies belonged to his neighbors and not only were they not taking good care of the animals, the neighborhood children were being abusive to the dogs when they happened upon their cage. Tom asked Paul if he would be interested in taking one of the dogs. Paul had just days before had to put his 12-year-old dog Big Pal to sleep, and was not ready to think about another having another animal, so he politely declined.

The men went on their camping trip and when they returned to Tom’s home, Tom again encouraged Paul to take one of the female puppies, who had been misnamed Vicious, as the timid girl was anything but. Paul’s first inclination was to again say no, but the voice of his inner guide pushed him in a different direction, and he said reluctantly said yes. On the trip back home to New York, little Vicious was so unnerved by the whole experience that she defecated and urinated all over the backseat, and Paul wondered what in the world he had gotten himself in to.

Over time, after Vicious was renamed “Dobie” and she grew used to her new home, her fears were slowly dispelled through Paul’s constant love and companionship, and she became the true definition of “man’s best friend.” Dobie and Paul spent many years together, and over those years, Paul learned more about himself than he had during all of the previous years when he was without this special canine. Guided by his inner voice and the love he and Dobie had for each other, he was able to open up more to the possibilities that life has to offer if we will only listen to what is going on around us.

“Dobie, The Canine Saint” is a heartfelt tribute from a man to the animal that changed the course of his life through her playfulness, courage to overcome fears and obstacles, and her faith and love in her master. Paul Greenbaum is obviously a very spiritual man and he uses his story to not only tell the tale of Dobie, but to spread the message of inner peace and love that he himself learned over the course of Dobie’s life. Animal lovers, as well as readers with an interest in spirituality, will enjoy this well-written saga of the bond between mankind and animals.

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