Book ~ "The Wit and Wisdom of Gracie: An Opinionated Pug's Guide to Life" (2014) Gracie Davis

From Goodreads ~ Clever and charming Gracie Davis muses about the curiosities of life, the riches of family and living with wolf spirit in this tender memoir of her unpredictable life as a pug in a California beach town. 

Along the way she navigates feline relationships, meets Buddha, searches for buried treasures, reunites with a long lost brother, perfects the doggie paddle and comforts human tears. 

Artfully illustrated by Yoko Matsuoka with photography by Chloe Moore, Gracie's tale is a real treat for dog lovers who wonder what their dog would say (or write) if they could speak, even for one day.

Gracie is a pug who provides words of wisdom (I suspect she had some help from her mother, Patti Davis).  She was adopted as a puppy and went to live in a home with two cats, Aretha (aka Miss Bossy-Pants) and Skeeter.

Some of the lessons include:

• Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the ones you love and it always seems too soon.
• Neighbourhoods are important.  You need to walk out your door, down the sidewalk and know that you'll run into friends and share your walks with them.

Here's an example of an important lesson re Aretha, the cat who is 17 ...

My mother tries not to show that she's sad but I know she is.  I'm sad too.  Even though Aretha is Miss Bossy-Pants, she's a member of my pack.  I've accepted her quirks and I've let her be the queen because that's just what you have to do sometimes when you care about someone.

Whenever Aretha has to go to the vet, I go too.  My mother doesn't even try to leave me at home.  We're a family and we have an elderly family member who needs all the care we can give her.

The book is full of colourful illustrations and pictures ... here are a couple examples:

Dog lovers (like me!) will find it cute.  Written in first person perspective in Gracie's voice, it's a quick read.