In this memoir, based on a column Harrington wrote for The Bark
magazine, the author narrates a canine-loving tale of life in New York City during the heady late 1990s. Crammed into a tiny studio on the Lower East Side, she and her boyfriend, Ted, like many city couples, live together as much to save on rent as to audition their compatibility. Into this makeshift space they bring Rex, a needy shelter dog, angry and skittish from prior abuse. Rex quickly becomes the center of their relationship and their lives. Agreed on their love for the dog, Harrington and Ted argue about training methods and breed—he says strict and setter, she soft and spaniel—and through pooch parenting they grow closer. Harrington and Ted make friends at the dog run and soothe Rex by staying home nightly with take-out. Harrington has crafted a sweet story—with cute asides detailing Rex's Halloween costume contest, his first time squirrel hunting off-leash and zany neighborhood dog people and their advice—that should appeal to urban dog lovers and New Yorkers. (On sale Apr. 4)
