One Dog at a Time

Call me a sentimental fool but that last book I read was One Dog at a Time.

Pen Farthing is a Royal Marine and a dog lover who was posted overseas to Afghanistan. Little did he know how his life was going to change.

Essentially the book is all about Pen, his wife, his experiences and his love of dogs. Whilst in Now Zad Pen befriends an Afghan fighting dog and this union changes both of their lives.

I bought this book for the dog related story and the human interest but was gripped by Pen and the Marines experiences in Afghanistan.

I’ve never read any military work before and this really brought home to me what it must be like to spend weeks on end under attack by the Taliban, to live alongside a race of people so different from your own and to survive with your wits and your kindness.

I believe this book is the reason why I was dreaming about hiring cars for the Taliban and this proves it really got to me.

The human interest is poignant and the encounters Pen has with the dogs, the soldiers, the locals and others is truly moving.

A brilliant book with a gripping account of life in the modern armed forces, of course with a very interesting dog angle!

Can anyone suggest what to read next?