Review of All For The Love of Dog

Post by **Christell Lindeque** » 12 Nov 2023, 05:03

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "All For The Love of Dog" by Ilona Benzel.]

3 out of 5 stars

Share This Review

The book "All for the Love of Dog" was written by Ilona Benzel, who is a former animal control officer (ACO) who worked with many different kinds of animals, but the dogs she gave homes to, her seven shepherds, who were largely rescues, were the ones she valued the most. You will learn in this book about some of the experiences the author had while working with animals when receiving call outs.

In this book, Ilona makes it quite obvious how she feels about the various acts of animal cruelty and injustice that she has witnessed over the course of her life. This book has been updated to include photographs of most of the animals, as well as additional information about the animal and other topics. It should be made clear that the story of some of the animals in this book has a tragic conclusion, even though not all of the creatures in this book have one.

The fact that the first page of the book was also the page with information on the author was one of the things that bothered me about the book. Because of this, I was regrettably thrown off, and I had no idea what was going on at the beginning of it. I also hoped that the author had included an introduction in which the author summarised what the reader can expect to find in the book. To be completely honest, I did not enjoy the author's writing style, but that is just my opinion, and it is possible that other readers will find it to be quite enjoyable.

I loved that the author included images of the most of the animals that she describes in detail in her book. Even though she brings up the terrible things that occur to the animals when she is trying to help them, I believe that it is vital for her to bring it up so that people are aware of what is happening to them in this world and that not every animal has a lovely place to stay to call their own to call home. I thought it was wonderful that the author rescued as many dogs as she could, just like my family and I do when we are in a position to do so. It made me giggle when she referred to jack russels as "terrors" at the end of the story, which is also how I view them the most of the time. The story about Rufus the Saint Bernard was by far my favourite.

This book receives 3 out 5 stars from me, with one point subtracted due to the style of writing, the layout, which can be disorganised at times, and the fact that the content seems to begin in the middle of nowhere. The fact that I discovered many mistakes led me to assume that this book may use one more round of editing, thus I deducted another star because of that. Aside from that, I found the book to be quite enjoyable, and I would still recommend it despite the problems mentioned above and that some of the animals in the book did not have happy endings.

Because the stories in this book do not always have a happy conclusion and are not always appropriate for those who are easily upset, I would not recommend it to people who are easily upset. In any other case, I would suggest this book to individuals who are interested in learning more about the challenges that animal control officers face.

******
All For The Love of Dog
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 13 Nov 2023, 16:02

I realize that not all doge are happy and that makes me extremely sad. I also feel awful that I can't help them all. This keeps me from reading books and stories like this. Thanks.

PrinceL · Post by **PrinceL** » 15 Nov 2023, 03:21

Though I deeply appreciate the author's advocacy against animal cruelty, I respectfully disagree with the book's structural elements and writing style. The absence of a clear introduction left me somewhat disoriented at the outset, hindering my comprehension of the initial content. While the inclusion of photographs was commendable, a more structured beginning could have provided a better roadmap for the ensuing stories. Nevertheless, I do agree on the book's importance in shedding light on the challenges faced by animal control officers, making it a worthwhile read for those interested in understanding these struggles.