I'm always on the lookout for a pet story that approaches the Marley and Me scale for being laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, heartbreaking, and just enjoyable on so many levels. This book doesn't come close. The most interesting part of the book is the setting. We always visit Battery Park City when we head to Manhattan as our son works at 2 WTC. For some reason, I couldn't connect with any of these characters. I felt nothing. Sure, I sobbed like a baby when the inevitable happened, but that's par for the course for me. The name-dropping in here is ridiculously over-the-top, and annoyed me to no end. Having your dog certified as a therapy dog just so you can avoid the airline rules of having the dog ride in cargo is criminal, and the vet that signed off on it should be reprimanded. And while these few neighbors developed a great camaraderie on their floor, I can just imagine listening to a child and dog running up and down the hall incessantly and pounding a soccer ball against the wall nonstop made for a very special kind of apartment-living hell for those neighbors on this floor and the floor below who weren't part of this clique. Really disappointing. This is a touching story that spans generations. It is more about the people than about the dog, which is fine (just don't expect the dog to be centre of this story for the entire story). I am an avid dog lover myself, but I didn't appreciate the writer, Glenn Plaskin, getting fake certificates certifying Katie as a hearing aid dog so that Glenn could take her onto planes with him, rather than have her in the cargo hold. Both Glenn and the doctor who wrote the fake letter should be held accountable for fraud, in my opinion.Moving on...The book fell short of being a truly moving and therefore memorable story. There was lots of emotional moments which should have moved me to tears, but it just didn't capture me in that way. The writing didn't allow me to identify with the characters as much as it should have.I did like the pictures on the inside of the covers and middle pages which linked to various parts of the book. And if you're looking for an easy read dog book, this one will do the trick.
What do You think about Katie (2012)?
Easy read that will make you cry your eyes out! The true story of how DOG made FAMILY!
—de6789
If you have ever loved a dog this book is for you!
—izzywonder
A great read especially for all animal lovers!
—scohen9510
I thought it was a total waste of my time.
—sheero1979
