My thanks to Globe Pequot, Lyons Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘A Dog's Devotion’ written by Suzanne Elshult & James Guy Mansfield in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Told by Suzanne and Guy, ‘A Dog’s Devotion’ relates the true adventures of a K9 search and rescue (SAR) team. We learn of when and why Suzanne decided to enter the team, her dogs Bosse then Keb, and how Suzanne has always been more involved in the searching aspect whereas Guy’s strengths lie in a more organisational role.

I especially wanted to read about the dogs and what makes them suitable to be K9s and as well as this I got some idea of the training involved for dogs including what type of search they’re specifically most suited for, and their humans. I now have a greater understanding of these brave people who volunteer their time to help others in distressing and often dangerous situations, and can only express my admiration and gratitude to them as they don’t expect to receive financial benefit, while making sure their dogs have a ‘fun’ time.

Thank you Globe Pequot | Lyons Press for this arc.

I am in awe of the willingness of humans and their dogs to train for thousands of hours to work in often difficult environments all while volunteering to help find the lost and the dead. The title for this book, while heartwarming, isn’t really what is covered. Instead (mainly) Suzanne and Guy detail what goes into training SAR dogs, the set-up of SAR operations, some searches they’ve done, and sadly a lot about the bickering and backstabbing that went on in their original group.

Some warnings I’ll add are that Keb is a trained HRD (human remains detection) dog and Suzanne talks in detail about how and what goes into that training. Some of the victims had mental health issues and suicide is mentioned.

I had heard about the Oso Landslide disaster but most of the missing persons cases they work never made the headlines in my neck of the woods. It’s disheartening to learn that most SAR teams won’t make “a find” yet despite that, they gladly show up, day after day, get their assignments and head out, often into challenging conditions to help others. There is good in the world to go along with wonderful dogs whose devotion we are so unworthy of. B

📚THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THOSE INVOLVED WITH THE BOOK FOR THE FREE EBOOK IN EXHANGE FOR AN HONEST REIVEW OF MY OWN📚

|A Dog’s Devotion: True Adventures of a K9 Search and Rescue Team - Suzanne Elhult & James Guy Mansfield| |Memoir|

‼️TRIGGERS: DEATH (in case readers didn’t have the foresight to guess by the title)‼️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -4.5 out of 5-

I went into this book purely based off of the cover as I was drawn in by the image of Keb (the k9); so I had no ‘expectations’ per say when going into this book.

The book follows Suzanne and Keb throughout their journey in the search and rescue team and Keb’s development as a K9 and the different disciplines involved.

The memoir format of the book gives a personal insight and retelling of training and missions throughout Suzanne’s career with Keb; the way it is written with dignity and respect for the professionals, deceased and their loved ones involved makes the book comfortable to view as a reader and not uncomfortable or unsettled by the subject matter.

The book gives a perspective on this type of work which you wouldn’t get from mainstream media outlets; showing the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. With the way it is written, it keeps you emotionally invested; I went into with not much hope for survival rates but reading about the tragedies and it not just being thought about makes it real and reminds you of the unpredictability that is life.

Having glossary of terms at the start of the book was a huge positive for me as it made sure you could understand the book if you didn’t have any knowledge or experience in the subject area yourself.

I would definitely recommend this book to others; it would also make a good gift to those who have a preference of non-fiction books especially true life.

Lost hikers. Natural disaster victims. Murder victims. Elshult and her search dogs (often with Mansfield on the team) have gone out looking for all of them. From the Oso landslide to missing persons cases in Sweden, Elshult takes the reader through some of the searches she and her dog Keb have worked on.

I can't really tell you why, but I love me a book about search and rescue, and although I'm 1000% a cat person, I also love me a book specifically about search and rescue dogs. Truly, about the only thing that makes me wish I were a dog person is that being entirely not a dog person means that my chances of doing this kind of search and rescue are nil. So this kind of memoir? Yes please.

The book doesn't disappoint, telling stories of both searches in which she and Keb were hoping to find a living person and searches in which they were just hoping to provide closure. A couple of the stories I was familiar with already (...not my first lost-in-the-woods book!), but there's a good variety. In most, but not all, of the missing-persons cases here there's some sort of resolution, but the book is good about avoiding too much foreshadowing, letting the stories play out as the team experienced them. One or two stories felt a bit long, but I think that was just that...well, some searches take longer than others.

There's a fair amount in here about organizational politics and infighting, which was honestly pretty sad to read about. Obviously any organization can fall prey to such infighting, but how sad when it's in the context of people doing such good/important/skilled work. Not something I really would have expected, going into this book.

Not one for the faint of heart, but a good reminder of how much good a few determined people—and their uniquely qualified dogs—can do in a bad situation.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book and learning about a field I didn’t know a lot about. And like many books with dogs, this does make me love them more. However I found myself being taken out of the moment quite often by the repetition of certain stories or aspects of the SAR life. This started for me in chapter 4, but continued throughout. It’s hearing about the exact same training story, the exact same internal politics, etc. The most egregious was in the coyote chapter, where we learn that Keb was not trained for proofing off animals. And then 1 page later, we are told “I wonder if Keb has been proofed on animals”. It took me out everytime it happened and made it hard to enjoy the reading experience. Nonetheless, I had a good time, I learned new things, and I enjoyed the books descriptions.

Suzanne and her dog Keb do search and rescue in Washington state. I learned that there are different kinds of search dogs. There are some trained to alert on human remains. Air scent dogs “find airborne particles carrying the scent of humans,” searching large areas from 50-100 acres, while trailing dogs follow a scent from, for example, a piece of the missing person’s clothing. Suzanne takes us through her and her S&R dog Keb’s grueling assignments, such as looking for survivors of a landslide, or searches for murder victims and missing hikers. The amazing thing is that these S&R teams are volunteers; no one is paid for the time and effort they put in for searches and training. Unfortunately, some of the teams have a lot of drama, as people who think they have the best dogs or the best training ideas clash with others--very disappointing for those who just want to help, and not be drawn into politics and power struggles. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC.

This was a special book, providing insight and heart into the world of Search and Rescue dogs. This is not an easy path to take, and the dogs also give more than you would think.

The sections were in an essay type of form, which I appreciate in a book of this type.

I learned so much, and I'm so pleased that I was given the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Globe Pequot and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ADogsDevotion #NetGalley #SuzanneElshult #JamesGuyMansfield #GlobePequot

A reassuring note for dog lovers: Keb—the heroic search-and-rescue dog at the heart of this book—is alive and well at the end!

I found A Dog’s Devotion to be an informative and eye-opening read. I hadn’t realized there are distinct types of training for dogs that search for the living versus those who locate human remains. The book offered valuable insight into the world of search-and-rescue (SAR), law enforcement collaboration, and the emotional impact on families. Above all, it left me with deep admiration for the volunteers who give their time, energy, and often their personal vacation days to undertake difficult, sometimes dangerous missions in rugged terrain.

That said, I did feel the book lacked a cohesive narrative. While it includes compelling SAR episodes, information on dog training, reflections on the bond between handler and dog, and technical aspects of search planning, these pieces felt fragmented. The result is more like a series of thematic essays than a continuous story. I would have loved more detailed accounts of Keb actively working in the field—and was surprised by how few successful outcomes were included.

This nonfiction work pairs well with the novel Heartwood by Amity Gaige, which also centers on a search for a missing woman on the Appalachian Trail.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.