I enjoyed this story about the secret life of a dog. As promised in the title, it's made me take a second look at my own dog and wonder what's going on in her mind. The surprises this story reveals towards the end are all well built in to the plot. Many authors try to do this and fail, but Mike Robbins pulls it off expertly.
The characters in DOG! are all very three dimensional and the only thing I didn't get from them that I wanted was more of a character arc. With such a profound, character-driven story, I wanted to see the people affected more than they were. I did like all of the characters, despite their human imperfections.
While one conversation about theology lost me and a couple of Dog's thoughts started to ramble in ways that didn't serve the plot, most of the time the story flowed seamlessly, despite covering multiple time periods and places. I found myself not wanting to put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, especially to Dog. ( )

Dog! introduces a rather leery pooch, whose earthy impulses are cause for mirth and consternation in equal measure. These traits juxtapose with a thoughtful reading of an inner life, reflecting on themes of regret and redemption. The dog of the title is an everyman dog in spirit but a very special dog when it comes to his place in the world. We are given glimpses of other ways of being that are the reason for the burdens he carries, as he’s frequently down on himself between doing his doggy things.

This relatively short story packs in a great deal, from the unapologetically lecherous tendencies our best friend indulges in, the breaking bread discussions of the nature of life and spirituality, the interplay of a varied group of friends, and reflections on the ramifications of past acts. Here, the usual representation of dog as faithful friend is given over to a more complex telling, where the no nonsense mutt slowly reveals his story in fragments, until a rather arresting and poignant conclusion.

I feel I’m holding back somewhat on elaborating on the details as it would be detrimental to the enjoyment of the book to know too much about how this novella unfolds. I would’ve liked a little more depth in the philosophical and spiritual discussions as I think this was presented in a way that may be enough for a mass audience but I’m a bit greedy in relation to this. With that in mind I give this a strong 3.5 and I look forward to reading more from this author, who has a lovely conversational and direct descriptive style. ( )

As much as I’d like to mention some of the finer details concerning the plot to this short book, I don’t want to give anything away. Dog! is a story which deserves to be discovered without any preconceptions.

The premise is simple and yet brilliantly executed. The pace unfolds gently, the writing is expertly crafted and easy on the eye, the humour is wry and also laugh-out-loud funny, and the depth is perhaps somewhat dependent on the reader’s willingness to explore the philosopohical, ontological and theological discussions of sin and karma which are had. Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t heavy going at all. It’s a quick, enjoyable read with bucket loads of poignancy and humour; and when the ending of the tale comes around, everything makes sense.

In Dog!, you will find Himalayan monks, Special Brew, sexual fantasies of Jack Russells and lines like: "If you didn't eat p***y like a gourmet..."

What more do you want? Dog! comes highly recommended. ( )