Follow My Lead: What Training My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Love, and Happiness

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Follow My Lead: What Training My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Love, and Happiness (eBook) Pub. Date: 7/26/2011 Publisher: Avalon Publishing Group
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Follow My Lead: What Training My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Love, and Happiness (Original) Pub. Date: 7/26/2011 Publisher: Avalon Publishing Group

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Overview

Follow My Lead is the story of how two rambunctious dogs and a tough Eastern European dog trainer named Irina taught Carol Quinn everything she needed to know about life, love, and happiness. It all begins when the author—unhappy with her failing love affair, her career, and even herself—decides to enroll her two Rhodesian ridgebacks into dog agility training. She's hoping to both find a hobby and straighten out her unruly pets, but she soon discovers that dog agility demands more from her than she ever expected. What follows is a life-changing experience: one that teaches her not only about her dogs but also about herself. With Irina’s guidance and wisdom, Quinn and her dogs develop a deep bond of trust as they learn to navigate the course obstacles, and Quinn begins to accept her own flaws, allowing her to find the inner strength to become the "alpha dog” of her own life.

Editorial Reviews

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Mentors come in many sizes, shapes, and, according to this thoughtful new book, also breeds. Carol Quinn's Follow My Lead pays lively tribute to two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Nairobi and Sheila, and a tough-minded Russian dog trainer named Irina. What began as an escape from a dormant career and a disastrous love affair turned into a tutorial on life obstacle courses that not just canines must confront. A paperback original.

Kirkus Reviews

An advertising executive and screenwriter sets out on a path to self-discovery and personal fulfillment by participating in dog agility training.

Throughout the challenges of being a single mother, starting her own business and negotiating a rocky romance, Quinn has had one constant: her love for dogs. When she decided to introduce her Rhodesian ridgebacks, Nairobi and Sheila, to the demanding world of agility training, however, she received much more than she expected, including scathing reprimands from her Eastern European trainer, Irina, and humbling encounters with failure, both on and off the field. As she trained Nairobi and Sheila to turn, run and jump at her command, she also reevaluated her own well-worn responses to stress and chose instead to live in the moment with the same contentment that her dogs exuded. Much of the book has a kind of "Zen and the Art of Dog Training" vibe, which will likely appeal most to readers who enjoy inspirational literature—whether they love dogs or not—but Quinn's enthusiasm for the prosaic subject matter (detailed depictions of dog-walking abound) elevates her memoir above the realm of saccharine self-help. Her tone conveys a sincere desire to share her new outlook with others, especially those who "have a tentative connection with life" rather than feeling fully connected to it. Many readers will empathize with her struggle to end a self-destructive relationship with her boyfriend, as well as find comfort in the commandments listed in the chapter titled "The Way of the Dog." Lively photographs of the ridgebacks on the training course punctuate the text, while a supplementary list of resources devoted to agility training will prove useful for canine enthusiasts as they explore the possibility of engaging their own pets in this sport.

Despite some repetitive moments, this uplifting memoir encourages reflection and goal-setting, all within the ever-popular narrative framework of the human-dog bond.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781580053709
Publisher: Avalon Publishing Group
Publication date: 7/26/2011
Edition description: Original
Pages: 272
Sales rank: 483,111
Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Author Carol Quinn is the owner of the social media/PR consultancy ProjectQuinn, and an adjunct faculty member at USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. Carol has written for film and television, and is the co-creator/author of the graphic novel series Pink Flamingos, the creator of the YA book series Palm Beach Prep, and the author of a new novel, Under the Ether. Her second novel is in progress. She has two sons and lives in Southern California.

You can find Carol online at ProjectQuinn.com, 3Lunches.com, Facebook.com/FollowMyLeadBook, and FollowMyLeadthebook.com. On Twitter, @ProjectQuinn, @3Lunches, or @FollowMyLeadCQ.

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Anonymous

Posted August 15, 2011

A Must Read!

Follow My Lead is an exceptionally good story about a woman's personal growth through her relationship with her beloved dogs. I found it fascinating how Carol, the author, used the agility training to apply the skills she was teaching her dogs to navigate her own life more successfully. The book is funny, touching, and full of tips on how to organize one's day and subsequently one's life. It was very inspiring for me to read how Carol learns to stand up for herself, feel comfortable with herself, and extract herself from a negative relationship. Buy this book and share it with your friends!
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Anonymous

Posted August 16, 2011

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