Sandra Parton

A truly amazing story, this book completely blew me away. Have the tissues ready!

Allen was serving in the Gulf when he was involved in a car accident which left him suffering a serious brain injury. He couldn't remember anything about his life other than his naval career.
The first half of the book explores Allen and Sandra's life before and after the accident. It made for really intense reading. All that Allen wants to do is get better and get back to work, but his short term memory loss is show more so bad that sometimes he'll stop speaking halfway through a sentence and forget he was even talking. Sandra was incredible in the way she dealt with everything. She has to put up with the navy closing ranks on her when she tries to find out the truth about Allen's accident, then she has to cope with money worries and possible eviction from their home. All this while trying to care for a man who doesn't even recognise her as his wife.

Endal the dog isn't introduced until much later on in the book, which is good because you really do need to know the full story to fully appreciate how much Endal changed Allen and Sandra's lives.

The book is told in alternating chapters between Allen and Sandra. This is slightly repetitive in places, but it's good because you get to see both sides of the story.

Endal is an amazing dog and it was lovely to read about all the things he could do and the way he brought people out of themselves. But I have to say that my hero of the story was Sandra. There's not many people who could (or would) stand by their spouse for so long when he didn't even know who she was. The way she coped with everything was amazing and she's a true inspiration to me. show less

Yes, Endal is an amazing dog who makes an incredible impact on the lives of a family devastated by a head injury of one of its members. But it is not an amazing book. You have to get halfway through the book before Endal becomes part of the story. The chapters are alternately narrated by the vet with the head injury and his wife. They are not terribly well written - it seems that bringing in a professional writer & editor could have made this a better read. I personally have a service dog show more who has changed my life and I applaud all efforts to make public the efforts of the agencies that work to train and place these life changing animals. Donations of money, but more importantly, donations of time by those people who can train a dog and pass it on, are sorely needed. But if you want to read a really excellent book about a dog who changes the life of an American veteran, I highly recommend "Until Tuesday". Another amazing dog but a much richer recounting of one veteran's experience. "Endal" is too sugar-coated, if that can possibly be said about a story of the survivor of a traumatic brain injury. It will tug at heart-strings. But "Until Tuesday" will open your eyes and your minds about what injured military veterans cope with from a societal and bureaucratic perspective while presenting a much deeper backstory of the dogs that change the lives of people with disabilities. show less

This is a very interesting story of a British military family who must face a crisis that they aren't prepared for and even the 'experts' cannot define and, frankly, seem to be more hindrance than help on several occasions. In the U. S., Allen would have been much better treated and received much greater help. Endal comes into their lives at the right time -- Sandra is nearly at the end of her rope and Allen is finally ready, though relucantly, to accept the help of a canine partner. Endal show more is an incredible dog, but it's what he does to give Allen independence and allow him to grow and achieve so much even while mentally disabled that turns the tide for the family. Every dog lover should read about Endal. show less

I'd never heard of Endal until I picked up this book but when I googled him, I realised that he's a very famous dog indeed and described as "the most decorated dog in the world". This is a heart-warming story of an extraordinary dog and his incredible ability to anticipate the needs of his human partner, Allen Parton who became wheelchair-bound after an accident while serving in the Royal Navy. Anyone who thinks animals are not capable of the higher emotions should meet this angel dog.

My show more only gripe would be that Endal doesn't appear till the 2nd half of the book but apart from that, it is brilliant! And Endal even has his own website http://www.milleniumdog.freeserve.co.uk/ show less