Ponder Post: Pupcakes

Pupcakes by Annie England Noblin was a fun, quick read. There are only a handful of human characters to keep track of: Brydie, the heroine; her best friend, Elliott; Allan, the unfaithful and divorce-pending husband of Brydie; Mrs Neumann, owner of the house where Brydie lives; and Dr. Nathan Ried, physician at Mrs. Neumann's nursing home. The canine characters are numerous but other than the main feature Teddie Roosevelt, an eccentric but lovable pug, the reader does not need to keep track of these distinct personalities by name. Teddie has many acquaintances but these quirky dogs act more as the setting and provide the ambience. Perhaps the only notable exception to the cast of dog characters in a supporting role is the huge, rambunctious Irish Wolfhound named Sasha, who becomes Teddie's best friend and just coincidentally belongs to the handsome Dr. Nathan Reid. Hmmm... Any idea where this plot and romance is going?

The storyline is that Brydie co-owns a bakery with her husband Allan and caught him being unfaithful with a mutual acquaintance. Broken hearted and penniless, Brydie leaves the town and her spouse to begin again a new life on her own. Initially crashing at Elliott's home, the realtor-friend finds a deal for Brydie where she can live rent free in a gorgeous home in exchange for caring for the pug dog of the owner Mrs. Neumann. Mrs. Neumann needed to move to a special care facility due to her failing health but sorely misses doting on her precious Teddie and he is depressed since he too misses his elderly owner. Brydie is engaged to take Teddie on weekly visits to Mrs. Neumann. 

In order to encourage the sad and lonely Teddie to eat – something other than the upturned garbage can with the resulting digestive consequences and accompanying outputs – Brydie begins investigating making dog treats. She misses baking, so her research and involvement in this activity fills a void. Oddly enough baking for dogs is not that uncommon. I found an interesting side read in the link http://www.petproductnews.com/January-2010/Boutique-Gift-Marketplace-Start-A-Feeding-Frenzy/.

If you want to learn how to do any of the following – mend from a divorce, start your own business, meet a handsome eligible bachelor doctor, develop a heartwarming relationship with a wise elderly person, have your heart stolen by a dog – this is the book for you. It is a lot of fun but clearly it is not a deep, thought-provoking cultural experience. Still it merits 4 stars in my opinion for the laughs and bemusement it conjures up. There are even some recipes for dog treats at the very end.