Book idea - as a dog lover would you read this?

[MaxPanic]

I lost my dog last year. I adored her but she was very difficult - aggressive and neurotic with chronic pain issues - and her life was a bit of a soap opera. I engaged no less than 6 trainers and behaviourists in her lifetime, she was a frequent flyer at the vets (she had surgery by Noel Fitzpatrick), and cost me a fortune.

I posted on online dog forums a lot about her over many years, begging for help. People were fascinated (and amused) by her antics and my efforts, and kept encouraging me to write a book about her - apparently I have a humorous writing style, but you'll have to take my word for that.

I wrote 12 chapters and 25,000 words in 2010-11 (as a blog), and haven't even got to her accident yet.

Now she has gone and I have an end to her story and I'm no longer crying every day without her, I've revisited what I've got and I'm seriously considering finishing and pitching it. But I'm under no illusions, and doubtful as to whether there's a market for it.

What do you think, would you read it? It's in the style of Marley & Me I suppose, but she wasn't so much loveable and naughty as vicious and hard to love. There is plenty of conflict and it's a story of never giving up on them, no matter how dark things get, because all they have is you.

I've just been and petted her ashes and stroked a picture of her and had a little cry. I miss her so much, even rufty tufty DH gets choked up when the Maroon 5 song "Memories" comes on the radio - it was released the month she died, its her song now.

Here's to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not
'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we've been through

Waaaaaah

As part of my research, apart from Martley & Me, has anyone ever read anything similar to my idea, or another dog biography? Can you remember the title?

I am trying to list competitive titles for my book proposal.

Also, I've noticed that most of these books are titled by the dogs name and then a massive flouncy subtitle. I was thinking about being a bit more succinct, something like "FIERCE" (or Furious, or Feral, or similar) followed by "Loving a difficult dog".

Would that be a crap title?

I am so sorry for your loss. Dogs really are fantastic.

Unfortunately there are hundreds of books like this on the market so I think it would be a pretty hard sell tbh. I guess you would have to come at it from another angle.....I think the "loving a difficult dog" has been done a lot again a quick search pulls up many articles blogs etc with the same idea.

I am not being picky just an ex editor by trade.

Just a few of the 1000's already on the market
A dog like Ralph
Will you love me (a rescue dogs tale)
Saving Buddy
A dog called Dez
A dog like Peggy
The dog who saved me
Max the miracle dog
Lost dog
Kika and me
The dog no one wanted

Do it, OP. For what it's worth, I'm already much enamored with the 'I loved her to bits but she was a right little git' relationship. It's very touching (love = acceptance) and also very funny!

Also a lovely way to keep her spirit alive. Good luck!

Yes fair point Pixie and thanks for the comment - I've already listed some of those titles as comps in my proposal!

I think my angle is that far from being a rescue dog that started out difficult hut ended up being the best dog in the world (or "saving" someone, as they all seem to be about), we had Nellie from a puppy. And despite starting out quite sweet and us doing everything by the book, she ended up being vicious and scarcely manageable.

So I had to suspend all my expectations of a lovely family dog and spent 12 years managing - and accepting - the little bastard.

I don't call it 'terrorising' with my JRT cross. I call it 'terrierising'.

We had many terms for it Eckhart, none of them very polite...

I would love to read it! I'm so sorry for the loss of Nellie. I have a terrier, he's 12 now. He is absolutely adored my my DH and now our two young children but my god he was a twat when he was younger. Hated other dogs, even if they came on the TV! He's mellowed enough now that I don't spend all his walks anxiously anticipating another dog coming round the corner and he sleeps about 20 hrs a day, and is mostly deaf. Still goes absolutely bloody nuts for 5 minutes when anyone visits the house to my eternal embarassment. I'll be devastated when he's gone, we all will.

It's hard when they go Wolves, my dog was an utter dick and caused so many arguments but I loved her.

She wasn't even an empathetic creature who suspended her fuckwittery when you were sick - in the days when I was incapacitated and in bed with migraines I used to hope she would come and lay peacefully with me for comfort, but no. She would stand at my bedside barking and snarling irritably, snatching at the covers. When I didn't respond she'd get on the bed and hump me vigorously.

In her entire lifetime she showed doggy empathy to one person only, and that was my elderly DM. Mum was a bit unsteady on her feet and knew nothing about dogs, but she kindly looked after Nellie for us one weekend when we went away. According to mum Nellie stood patiently as she wrestled with her harness and complex double leads, and didn't even try to bite her which was impressive - and when mum had to walk slowly Nellie walked quietly with her, didn't pull or leap and even showed her the right route.

Contrary little shit she was, always making me look like the neurotic one.