
An instructive and marvelously entertaining chronicle of a puppy's first year, by the executive editor of The New York Times
One sparkling summer day, Jill Abramson brought home a nine-week-old golden retriever named Scout. Over the following year, as she and her husband raised their adorable new puppy, Abramson wrote a hugely popular column for The New York Times's website about the joys and challenges of training this rambunctious addition to their family. Dog-lovers from across the country inundated her with e-mails and letters, and the photos they sent in of their own dogs became the most visited photo album on the Times's site that year.
"A golden retriever of a memoir. Unaffected, unironic, and lovingly goofy... it should hit the wide, heart-shaped mark cultivated by dog fanciers everywhere." --Alexandra Styron, The New York Times Book Review
"A worthy addition to the crowded so-called dogoir genre... Ms. Abramson writes with intelligence and grace and never descends into the saccharine... [Her] voice is bighearted and surprisingly down to earth as she and her husband forge a stronger bond with Scout at their side." --John Grogan, The New York Times "Jill Abramson had me at 'woof'... Scout is a doll, all right, but Abramson lives up to her resume as one, um, dogged journalist... It shares so many fears, frustrations, misapprehensions and joys with child-rearing that you could drop a kid's name in some passages instead of 'Scout' and it would make perfect sense." --The Los Angeles Times "Part memoir, part manual, the New York Times executive editor's account of her beloved golden retriever's first year is like a good dog trainer--affectionate and instructive." --O, Oprah Magazine "In this wonderfully engaging narrative, Abramson documents the ups and downs of Scout's first year... The story of how she molds Scout into a compliant, city-dwelling creature will give hope to anyone who owns a problematic pooch. Along with humorous anecdotes and can't-be-beat memories, Abramson offers sound counsel on breeding, adoption and diet, making this an invaluable guidebook as well as a sweet valentine to a lovable canine." --Bookpage "A pleasant mash-up of memoir and light journalism tracing Abramson's journey from the death of her previous dog, Buddy, to the full acceptance of Scout as his replacement." --Slate.com "In addition to the simple, sweet pleasure of reading about the love between people and dogs, The Puppy Diaries offers a few more sophisticated treats." --Newsday "In this book, based on her popular Times blog, [Abramson] chronicles her first year with her new puppy, Scout, and... consults with dog authorities like Cesar Millan of The Dog Whisperer, clicker-training Diane Abbott, and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin... Puppy owners will enjoy her account of the trials and joys of raising a puppy and will benefit from her balanced look into the contentious realm of dog-training methods." --Publishers Weekly