Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Dog I Loved

By: Susan Wilson
Narrated by: Christina Delaine
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Susan Wilson is back another signature heartwarming audiobook - one that begs the question: Can a dog lead the way to finding one's humanity?

After spending years in prison for a crime she didn’t intend to commit, Rose Collins is suddenly free. Someone who knows about the good work she has done - training therapy dogs while serving time - has arranged for her early release. This mysterious benefactor has even set her up with a job in the coastal Massachusetts community of Gloucester, on the edge of Dogtown, a place of legend and, for the first time since Rosie's whole world came crashing down, hope. There she works to rebuild her life with the help of Shadow, a stray dog who appears one rainy night and refuses to leave Rose’s side.

Meghan Custer is a wheelchair-bound war veteran who used to be hopeless, too. Living at home with her devoted but stifling parents felt a lot like being in prison, in fact. But ever since she was matched with a service dog named Shark, who was trained in a puppy-to-prisoner rehabilitation program, Meghan has a brand new outlook. Finally, she can live on her own. Go to work. And maybe, with Shark by her side, even find love again.

Two strong women on a journey toward independence whose paths collide in extraordinary ways. Two dogs who somehow manage to save them both. A tale of survival and a testament to the human spirit, The Dog I Loved is an emotional and inspiring audiobook that no listener will soon forget.

©2019 Susan Wilson (P)2019 Macmillan Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“With a deft hand and keen eye, Susan Wilson brilliantly illuminates the emotional power of dogs to lighten our hearts and transform our lives.” (Nick Trout, New York Times best-selling author of The Wonder of Lost Causes)

"Broken souls are made whole in this beautiful story about the power of connecting. Susan Wilson does a gorgeous job of inhabiting her characters - both human and canine - in a book that captivates on every page. The Dog I Loved is tender, warm, insightful, and ultimately, very human." (Ellen Meister, author of The Other Life)

"The Dog I Loved is gorgeous and wrenching, psychologically astute and compassionate. I have always wanted to know what dogs think, and now I do. Susan Wilson gets into the hearts and minds of her complicated, brilliantly drawn characters, both human and canine. She has always been a writer of tremendous heart and insight; this is her best book yet." (Luann Rice, best-selling author of The Secret Language of Sisters)

What listeners say about The Dog I Loved

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    150
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    137
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    130
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Story Lines

I normally really enjoy her books, but this one was only around a 3.25-3.5 for me. The individual story threads were good, but I think that the way Rosie's story was told in flashback pieces didn't work as well. What really bothered me was that her books are geared to dog lovers, yet there was an animal cruelty aspect to this book that made it difficult. I think what made it worse was that you knew it was coming as it was referenced early on in the flashbacks, but it took a long time to get there and so it was always in the back of my mind that this was coming. There was a great quote in the book that I agree with 100%: "Sometimes the best part of the day is dog kisses."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable

Loved the main character, and was with her, rooting her in the process of re-creation and vindication. The idea of a reincarnating dog was a little ... thick ... but some people enjoy silly notions like that. Anyway, good book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Loved the story of strong women realizing their strength in difficult life situations. Loved the narrator!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read

Such a wonderful story of the connection of a dog and of true friends!! Beautifully written.. as usual.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Most Surprising

A book, after just a couple of hours, I found harsh and unpleasant. I discontinued reading this tale, assured it could not lend to my belief in the kindness of God’s most endearing creation. I returned to the reading and did discover inherent in the story a gentle forgiving nature expected in a book called, THE DOG I LOVED

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Only a Dog Can

Susan Wilson shows us through this emotional story how only a dog can be accepted into the world of a truly broken person and help in the healing process. Only a dog will gladly sit on your feet or by your side day and night just to absorb your pain. The author very smartly takes us into the worlds of PTSD, wrongful imprisonment and family shunning. She shows us we all have the power to accept our tragic circumstances and consequences and perhaps even overcome them if we have that all powerful unconditional love to help us...Only a Dog Can do that. A lovely Book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

It so we'll written and the narrator was superb. The entire story kept me engaged.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

beautifully told

Great story tear jerking but great, well written and preformed. Thank you to the author and reader

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully told

I am a dog lover. Susan Wilson has written so many books about dogs and their people. This one did not disappoint.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I am a fan of Susan Wilson

I liked this book a lot! I had a hard time putting it down. A good read for me. I love dogs, and wasn’t disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful