English novelist Foster (and his intractable dog, Ollie) report on their further misadventures in this sequel to Walking Ollie
. Ollie has become more manageable, but his continuing aloofness and general misanthropy—he “models himself on Howard Hughes”—lead Foster and his partner, Trezza, to adopt a Saluki named Dylan. The process is anything but smooth: Ollie ignores the new puppy, and Dylan brings his own series of neurosis: he is obsessed with chewing chairs, eating car headrests, rolling in fox excrement and disappearing into the woods to chase rabbits and squirrels. Foster introduces readers to a cast of strange and wonderful characters—both human and canine—and details myriad comic and calamitous anecdotes: Ollie’s sudden aggression toward other dogs, Dylan’s numerous vanishing acts, the purchase and deployment of Ollie’s muzzle and how the two dogs finally forge an affecting brotherhood. Among the humorous high points, the book also strikes more sober chords, allowing for a fully rounded depiction of how heartrending, frequently frustrating and blissful it is to share one’s life with a dog. (June)
