Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs

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On the topic of eating, Mr Cotter says:- ‘ Thankfully Olive-damage was minimal. Yes, toys had a life-expectancy measured in hours rather than years, but in terms of our own possessions she restricted it to the odd shoe and a short phase where her own beds were savaged in the middle of the night. I call this ‘the absurdly expensive phase’.’ From this humble beginning came Game Of Bones, The Walk Of Shame and The Company Meeting, among others. I love them all, including Run With Me and Intermission, where first Olive and then Mabel wore a camera to give us a dog's eye view of time with The Boss. He is a private person, a loner at heart, and an honest man: a thinker who has been able to stay grounded during this rush of celebrity for the family. And knowing this about him the reader cannot help but feel sympathetic when Cotter admits that now he cannot go out for a run on the beach without people wanting to stop and visit with Olive and Mabel. He is not complaining about this, he is being matter of fact about it and wondering if he has been exploiting his dogs, which was not his intention at all. And believe me, with all the offers he has had, if he had been a shallower man he could be guilty of such a sin.

There have been videos of Olive and Mabel’s antics which have cheered many during this year of the pandemic and Andrew is still amazed at the popularity of his two Labs. Devoted, loving and loyal – dog lovers know that’s what dogs are. And Olive and Mabel have it in spades – they are very good dogs. Disclaimer: I love dogs. I love dog books. Cannot at present put my finger on any dog book I did not like. However, rarely have I enjoyed a dog book as much as I did this one. This can be attributed, in part, to the fact that Olive and Mabel are very much alive at the end of the book (happy spoiler alert!). But what Mr. Cotter has accomplished is to remind us, in this wildly uncertain year, what serenity can be found in steadying our focus to remain in this present day, preferably in the company of two very good dogs for guidance.This is actually a deeper book than you might expect. We do get to learn all about how first Olive and then Mabel came into his life, but we also meet The Boss as a child and see how he came to have his strong connection with and understanding of dogs. We have some history about Labradors, a few stories about other famous dogs get woven into the story, and we learn a lot about Cotter's character. Anyone who has had dogs in their life will grin repeatedly at Mr. Cotter's descriptions of the lovable idiosyncrasies of our canine companions. Who is the wiser species, however - human or canine - in facing each day with optimism and enthusiasm, accepting what they cannot control, making the best of things, and remaining vulnerable and open to love?

The last chapter contains reflections on the inevitability of losing dogs and the unspoken hardship of opening your heart to a new one, and it made me bawl my eyes out. As Andrew so eloquently writes, dogs are “inseparable companions and effectively a part of your soul, that if cut out, leaves you empty.” I’ve recently had part of my soul ripped out via this same loss, and I’m so glad the feeling of emptiness has been put into such beautiful words.

so gentle and uplifting. Andrew Cotter’s writing is filled with so much tenderness and humour, and the tales of companionship with Mable and Olive are so incredibly heart-warming.