Three Wild Dogs (and the truth): A Memoir

This nonfiction memoir from the author of The Book Thief is about his relationship with his crazy dogs. It is a book written for dog people and I'm not kidding when I say if you are one, you'll laugh and then it will break your heart. As someone who has deeply loved and also lost a big goofy dog, this one was hard to read, but it was beautiful.

“You can either project what people think of you and be polite and winning and right or you can show people who you really are, impatient annoyed, foul mouth, sometimes cruel in constant battle to be your better self but never quite getting close.”

“She was talking in exclamation marks.”

Recounting the dogs and cats that have been a part of the author's household over the years, Markus Zusak's memoir is heartfelt and hilarious, grumpy and kind, wistful and wise. He unapologetically shares the disasters wrought by his "beasts" but also the profound and mutual love his pets have given the family. Readers, especially devoted pet owners, will empathize with the author's own embarrassment, pride, and tears so vividly depicted on the page as each of the animals are imbued with such distinctive personalities. Well-paced, funny and revealing, this book offers a new direction in Markus Zusak's work. What a treat to get a glimpse into the personal life of a favorite author.

I have not read Zusak in years and that is sad because I loved The Book Thief. When this slim memoir came to my attention, I immediately grabbed it. It is a joy to read, especially for dog lovers. It is funny, sad, scary and exceptionally warm. It shows the lengths that pet-owners will go to protect and heal their precious companions. I have to admit, I would draw the line at a huge vet bill but that is me. This also worked very well on audiobook, with Zusak’s comforting narration.

Author Markus Zusak lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two children. His most recent book is a memoir focused on his pets. He shares some great stories about his two “group home” dogs, Ruben and Archer, two cats, Bijoux and Brutus, and third dog, Frosty, that comes into the picture later. It is written with humor and compassion. It covers the escapades of dogs who are not well-behaved. In fact, they seem to wreak havoc wherever they go. It also includes glimpses into Zusak’s life as a writer. The narrative contains the full life cycle of pet ownership, so there are several sad parts, but the author’s love for his animals is apparent. I think any pet owner could enjoy this book.

[2.5 for first half; 3.25 for second half.] As a lifelong dog lover and fan of many animal-inspired books (think “The Art of Racing in the Rain”), I’m surprised and saddened to say that Zusak’s latest book was a bit of a bore. I agree with some other armchair critics who suggest it can be compared to one of your pet-owning friends droning on way too long about the antics of a four-legged companion. If this collection of tails — er, tales — had been condensed into a 5,000-word expanded feature for Canine Quarterly, it could have been captivating.

Don’t get me wrong. There are a number of engaging and amusing anecdotes in this tome (i.e., “Nightmares by the Reservoir"), but there are not enough riveting stories to justify a show more full book. And Zusak’s imagined doggy dialogue goes from being mildly amusing at the start to maddeningly annoying by the end.

But enough negativity. The second half was more captivating. I also enjoyed the inside peek into the daily routines of a successful author. Finally, "Three Wild Dogs" serves as a reminder of the magic that loving pets bring into our lives. In fact, it inspired me to make yet another brief stop at my fireplace mantle. That's where a tiny cedar box holds the ashes of my beloved kitty Cheddar, a clay plaque bearing her paw print. show less

This is a memoir about a family and their pets. It is full of humor and sadness. As a non-pet person, at first I found it hard to understand the depth of emotion that these relationships created, but Zusak manages to convey it well enough. I also read Caleb Carr's "My beloved Monster," a memoir about his relationship with a rescue cat. Although both books are quite similar, I found Carr's memoir more engaging probably because it focussed more on the nature of that bond while Zusak's reads more like a chronicle of mishaps. Clearly, he and his family loved those dogs, notwithstanding their raucous behavior. The anatomy of that bond, however, seems to be lost in all the chronicling of misbehavior.

A successful fiction author tells the unvarnished truth about adopting challenging animal companions into his young family and loving them through thick and very thin.