Book ~ "Gizelle's Bucket List: My Life with a Very Large Dog" (2017) Lauren Fern Watt

From Goodreads ~ Lauren Watt took her 160-pound English Mastiff to college - so, of course, after graduation, Gizelle followed Lauren to her first tiny apartment in New York. Because Gizelle wasn’t just a dog; she was a roommate, sister, confidante, dining companion and everything in between.

Together Gizelle and Lauren went through boyfriends, first jobs, a mother’s struggle with addiction, and the ups and downs of becoming an adult in the big city. But when Gizelle got sick and Lauren realized her best friend might not be such a constant after all, she designed an epic bucket list to make the absolute most of the time they had left.

Bursting with charm, this unique, coming-of-age story of a girl making her way through life is a testament to the special way pets inspire us to live better, love better, and appreciate the simple pleasures. "Gizelle’s Bucket List" is the humorous, poignant lesson our pets teach us: to embrace adventure, love unconditionally, and grow into the people we want to be. 

Lauren's mother bought her a English Mastiff puppy on a whim when she was 19.  That puppy, Gizelle, grew into a 160 pound dog and became Lauren's best friend.  When Lauren went to college, Gizelle went with her.  Then they moved to New York together.  It was an adjustment for a huge dog from Tennessee to move to the big city and live in a tiny apartment but they made it work.

Everything seemed to be going well ... Lauren had a "real" job, her best friend was her roommate and she was dating a professional who loved her dog.  When Gizelle was about six, one of her legs starts bothering her and it was discovered that she has cancer.  Lauren was determined to make Gizelle's last days the best they could be, hence the bucket list.

I like reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my eye.  Gizelle sounds like she was an awesome dog and a fabulous companion to Lauren.  It's always tough to say good-bye for our furkids.

I liked this book.  I liked the writing style of this book and I found the author made Gizelle come to life for the reader.  Gizelle was there for Lauren when she was dealing with her mother's drug addiction and alcoholism, her parents' break-up, looking for a "real" job, dating and more.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.