A Dog Named Leaf: The Hero from Heaven Who Saved My Life

The Andersons (Animals and the Kids Who Love Them) have co-written several collections of uplifting animal stories, but in this work of varied success the authorial voice is distinctly Allen’s. In 2006, Allen learns that he has an unruptured brain aneurysm, seven months after the family adopts a black cocker spaniel, Leaf, from a shelter. Throughout, he clearly conveys the affection that he and his dog have for each other and how that affection proved crucial to his recovery from brain surgery, not unlike many other books in the “my dog saved my life” memoir subgenre. Some readers, though, may not relate to the Andersons’ more unusual interactions with Leaf. At one point, both Andersons are concerned that a malevolent crow might attack Leaf, so Linda instructs Leaf to “make sure no crows are in the trees before you run out into the backyard.” They talk about Leaf’s “capacity for weighing pros and cons” and even his decision to run for the American presidency (manifested in a YouTube video and Facebook page). Also striking an odd note is the lack of discussion of any postoperative therapy or rehab for Allen, despite some rather alarming incidents of paranoia that left him “curled up in a corner of the room.” Photos. (Nov.)