Eleonora De Lennart

"Quinky, Destiny Dog" was a struggle to read. Not because of Quinky, who is spoiled and untrained -- not his fault, he''s smart--, but because the author was just barely believable as the dog's owner. When Mrs. Delennart and her husband abandoned a factory in North Africa, without a glance at the distressed locals who lost their jobs, they also left Quinky behind! Did she really think the locals would care for their dog-- even temporarily? When she finally extricates him from Africa, he's a mess physically. Then there's the culture shock in the USA to adapt to. No one behaves as she expects, not her husband, the motel owner, nor the vet, and certainly not the neighbors' abusive behavior toward dogs. Quinky is an understandable dog who has suffered some trauma; but, its the owner who chooses running for miles in the middle of the night .. trying to cope with her problems. After a rescue of another dog, their life seems to stabilize. I would have hoped for a dog owner with more sense, but perhaps she never had experience with kittens, puppies, or babies, and teaching them, nor with the loyalty and intelligence that is part of a Shepherd's nature.… (mehr)

I have never had a dog or thought of myself as a dog person but when I seen the cover of this book it made me want to read it. Every person who is thinking about getting a dog, especially a large dog should read this. I loved it! When bringing a dog into your life it becomes a family member and like a child you are responsible for them for their every need for the rest of their lives. And I love how the author brings up the fact numerous times about getting a dog for security then tying the dog up outside to protect your family. GET AN ALARM SYSTEM. How can a dog protect you tied up outside anyway.

Quinky stole my heart. I really enjoyed reading this story and learned a lot about dogs in the process.

I received this book through LibraryThing early review giveaway for my honest review which I have given here.… (mehr)

"Quinky, Destiny Dog" is a wonderful book describing the many experiences the author had with her beloved dog. Although Quinky was her husband's dog, in the end he became the author's destiny dog, changing her life.
With Quinky and Ginny being born in North Africa, the book starts on a totally different view most Europeans have of their dogs. In North Africa dogs are seen as things, only used for protection, they aren't family members, as most dogs nowadays are in most European countries. As a dog lover myself, this point of view is hard to understand. Yet I know, that many countries still see dogs and other animals as things and property, not as living, feeling beings. The author describes her feelings about this very well and I think every true dog lover can understand her, when she tries to talk sense into people's minds.
Reading about the situations which occurred in the author's house often made me smile, cause they are so similar to things I experienced myself. I might not see my dog as my "baby" as she often calls Quinky, but I still love and cherish him. In that way I can totally identify with the writer.
Learning of all the things Quinky had to go through nearly broke my heart. I know his owners only meant well for him, but the poor thing must have had a hard time. Still he remained the loveable dog he was. In that way the book has a happy ending.

I wish more people would read this book, so they might realise how dogs are, that they wanna be part of our family and that they aren't just a toy, which you can throw away if you don't want it anymore. I would like to recommend this book to everyone, be they dog lovers, who will relive experiences they had with their own dogs or be they people who wanna learn more about these fascinating and loveable animals. I think in the end everyone will wish for such a "Destiny Dog".… (mehr)