Product Description

"In each little life we can see great truth and beauty, and in each little life we glimpse the way of all things in the universe."

DEAN KOONTZ thought he had everything he needed. A successful novelist with more than twenty #1 New York Times bestsellers to his credit, Dean had forged a career out of industry and imagination. He had been married to his high school sweetheart, Gerda, since the age of twenty, and together they had made a happy life for themselves in their Southern California home. It was the picture of peace and contentment. Then along came Trixie.

Dean had always wanted a dog--had even written several books in which dogs were featured. But not until Trixie was he truly open to the change that such a beautiful creature could bring about in him. Trixie had intelligence, a lack of vanity, and an uncanny knack for living in the present. And because she was joyful and direct as all dogs are, she put her heart into everything--from chasing tennis balls, to playing practical jokes, to protecting those she loved.

A retired service dog with Canine Companions for Independence, Trixie became an assistance dog of another kind. She taught Dean to trust his instincts, persuaded him to cut down to a fifty-hour work week, and, perhaps most important, renewed in him a sense of wonder that will remain with him for the rest of his life. She mended him in many ways.

Trixie weighed only sixty-something pounds, Dean occasionally called her Short Stuff, and she lived less than twelve years. In this big world, she was a little thing, but in all the ways that mattered, including the effect she had on those who loved her, she lived a big life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2612 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-25
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781401323523
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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About the Author
Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition when he was a senior in college, and he's been writing ever since. He has sold more than 375,000,000 copies of his books, in 38 languages. Dean lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, and their new dog, Anna.

Customer Reviews

A heartwarming tribute to a joyous dog
I love Dean Koontz's fiction, and I found this heartwarming nonfiction tribute to his late golden retriever, Trixie, just as absorbing as any of his novels. It portrays Trixie's life with the Koontzes, and her death, but mostly her life and the amazing impact she had on the lives of Dean and his wife, Gerda.

This innocent, joyful, intelligent, uncannily mysterious, dignified, fun-loving dog, retired before the age of three as a service dog with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), became part of the Koontz family in 1998. I was surprised to find out that many of Koontz's dog novels, including "Watchers," had been written before he ever had a dog; obviously he already had an affinity for canines. He and Gerda had been supporters of CCI for eight years before adopting Trixie.

I loved Koontz's account of how Trixie's intelligence and sense of wonder revealed that she had a soul, and restored his and Gerda's own sense of wonder. Trixie made it evident that dogs are not mindless mechanisms operating solely on instinct, as some animal behaviorists would have us believe, but rather that they do think, possess intuition, experience emotions similar to ours, have a sense of humor, and even a spiritual dimension.

Of course, there is real sadness in the account of Trixie's last days, and her death, and it brought me to tears. But there's also gratitude for the joy she brought to the Koontzes' lives, and hope that her spirit survives. On the whole, this inspiring memoir is joyous, delightful and lively, and much of it is very funny. I highly recommend this book to all dog lovers and to readers who enjoy Koontz's dog stories.

The transformative story of how a dog irrevocably changed Dean Koontz's life
As any writer will tell you, the most difficult thing to write about convincingly, without being excessively sentimental, is the transformative nature of love in all its dimensions. In the hands of an inept writer, the subject inspires unintended hilarity, ripe for parody. But in the hands of a writer who has spent a lifetime honing his craft and explicating it in novels, as Dean Koontz has done, the prose will sing and soar in an exultation of joy.

Joy is Trixie.

Trixie, adopted by Dean and Gerda Koontz, is at the heart of this book: We learn how Trixie came into and became an inextricable part of their lives; and then, by her untimely departure, made them realize that relationship, that "dance" (as Jan Strnad put it), was such an enriching and uplifting life experience. To Dean and Gerda, Trixie Koontz was an angelic entity who, by example, deepened and enriched their lives; she constantly reminded them about all the things in life that truly matter: experiences and trust and the deepening bond of friendship that blossoms into love and, finally, heartbreak when Trixie died. (Yes, they adopted another Golden Retriever, who actually is in Trixie's family tree. Small world.)

Dean is an exquisitely careful writer who, to my mind, has probed deep into the timeless relationship that we have with our canine companions that live for one purpose: to experience, and share, joy. It's a joy that Dean and Gerda nearly missed out on because, as they explained, they were busy with their lives and careers and didn't want to be irresponsible and not give the dog the attention she deserved. Finally, they realized that -- as in all things in life -- the perfect time to take action is NOW: not next month, not next year, or not ten years down the road when you "have the time." That day will never come. Thus: Carpe diem (seize the day). So they did, and their lives were transformed in ways they never imagined when they accepted Trixie into their lives and then into their hearts.

I've read MARLEY AND ME, and I've also read the book about Dewey, the library cat, but this book takes us to the next, higher level. Dean has given a lot of thought to the relationship he enjoyed with Trixie, and explained it so well that even someone who has never enjoyed the company of a dog will understand why our canine companions are singular--as is this book.

**

This may help explain why Dean's book resonated so deeply with me: After five years of caregiving for my mother-in-law in our home on a 24/7 basis, my wife felt bereft, with no one to look after and care for and fuss over. So we "adopted" a neighborhood cat that used to live two doors down. The cat slept on her bed at night and sat next to her all day on the couch, and became an integral part of her life. But when the cat went back home to our neighbors who counted him as an integral part of THEIR family, my wife soon realized that she missed the cat's constancy, the relationship of bonding with the cat that curled up on the bed and purred contently when scratched; so we adopted one, then a second, and will soon adopt a third cat. She had never had a cat or a dog in her house before, but now that they are a part of our lives, an important and irreplaceable part, our lives are immeasurably richer for it. (Like Dean and Gerda, my wife and I are, by choice, childless.)

Dean Koontz, in A BIG LITTLE LIFE, captures those little moments and the experiences of sharing and living life with a canine companion in a way that constantly reminds us of the irreplaceable role they play in our world. When you finish this book, you will understand how and why Trixie changed their lives, and you will come away with a deep appreciation for the role our canine (and, yes, feline, feathered, and finned) companions contribute to the human experience.

Another writer, Jan Strnad, wrote a touching essay--one of the best I've ever read--titled "The Toby Years" that explicated the relationship their late dog had with him and his wife. He begins his essay with this line that says it all: "Surely one of the most sublime dances of our species is the one we dance with our pets."

Dean and Gerda Koontz, I think, know that dance very well indeed. And now, so do I.

TEN Stars! Magnificent-Fun-Thoughtful-Sad-Life Affirming
While I had heard of the author Dean Koontz I had never read any of his books. Until this gem entered my life. Have no dog in my life, just one heck of a special cat who has kept me sane since my husband died unexpectedly. But friends and family have dogs whom I adore. When I first got the book I being an animal lover assumed it would be much like other animal books I have read and owned. It isn't. Its so unique and wonderful in so many different ways.

The author and his wife have no children and are according to some of their friends even slightly obsessive compulsive when it comes to liking order and cleanliness. Thus when they considered getting this wonderful dog named Trixie they were questioned if they could handle he unclean ways as dogs as well as cats can be a tad unkept at times. Thankfully they got her and what a blessing she would become. And not just to the author and his wife, but everyone the dog encountered.

Its truly amazing when one encounters an animal who has the human sense to do certain things. Like how she refused to use home property for her bathroom. Or how when she developed an allergy to wheat and beef and would throw up, she would give fair warning and then head to the stone floor to throw up since it made for easier clean up. Or how when visiting a friend she just knew that a specific musical figurine was a gift from a beloved male that was the subject of the conversation and as such she got it and hid it under the table in order to have it play at the right moment.

Loved reading how she would stop, pause and look at the author or his wife in a way that they understood her unspoken thoughts. How she had such a keen almost angelic sense about things. Even when she died.

Its a truly wonderful NON sappy book that will make you laugh, smile, think, cry and in the end be blessed in ways you never even imagined. Also reminded me of why I like animals more than many people.