The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs: A Novel

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Overview

Dr. Cyrus Mills returns to his hometown after inheriting his father's failing veterinary practice. Cyrus intends to sell the practice and get out of town as fast as he can, but when his first patient--a down-on-her-luck golden retriever named Frieda Fuzzypaws--wags her way through the door, life suddenly gets complicated.

"Grab this book. I'm not kidding. You're going to love this story. There's romance, redemption, a dog named Frieda and a whole lot more. This is a book you ...

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Overview

Dr. Cyrus Mills returns to his hometown after inheriting his father's failing veterinary practice. Cyrus intends to sell the practice and get out of town as fast as he can, but when his first patient--a down-on-her-luck golden retriever named Frieda Fuzzypaws--wags her way through the door, life suddenly gets complicated.

"Grab this book. I'm not kidding. You're going to love this story. There's romance, redemption, a dog named Frieda and a whole lot more. This is a book you won't ever want to end." --Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

With the help of a black Labrador gifted in the art of swallowing underwear, a Persian cat determined to expose her owner's lover as a gold digger, and the allure of a feisty, pretty waitress from the local diner, Cyrus gets caught up in a new community and its endearing residents, both human and animal. Sensing he may have misjudged the past, he begins to realize it's not just his patients that need healing.

The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs is a winsome tale of new beginnings, forgiveness, and the joy of finding your way home.

Nick Trout graduated from veterinary school at the University of Cambridge in 1989. He is a staff surgeon at the prestigious Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston; the author of three books, the New York Times bestseller Tell Me Where It Hurts, Love Is the Best Medicine, and Ever By My Side; and is a contributing columnist for The Bark magazine. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Kathy, and their adopted Labradoodle, Thai.

"Smartly written . . . reminiscent of the work of James Herriot."--Publishers Weekly

"A doggone charming tale . . . two paws up." --Kirkus

"Trout's charming novel strikes just the right balance between humor and drama. The cast of characters are delightfully entertaining . . . Highly recommended for anyone who has ever had a beloved pet."--Library Journal (starred)

"A delightful, endearing, and frequently hilarious story . . . that reminds us of the truth that is hidden away in our hearts: loving our animals is a sure way to heal our souls."--Garth Stein, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Art of Racing in the Rain

"I stayed up long into the night laughing and marveling at Trout's adept hand."--Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Picture This

"Engaging, insightful, and full of the genial warmth that makes Nick Trout's other work such a joy to read."--Gwen Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of Homer's Odyssey

"Every bit as sweet and slightly goofy as the golden retriever who sets Nick Trout's romp of a novel into a whirl of motion that never lets up from the very first page. . . . I dare you to feel crabby after reading this book."--Bob Tarte, author of Kitty Cornered and Enslaved by Ducks

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In this sentimental and smartly written debut novel from Boston veterinary surgeon Trout (Tell Me Where It Hurts, a memoir), Dr. Cyrus Mills, an early middle-aged veterinary pathologist, returns after 14 years to rustic Eden Falls, Vt., to assume the ownership of Bedside Manor, the clinic previously owned by his late father. The reclusive Cyrus, long estranged from his father, filed a wrongful termination suit after being fired from his previous job. Now, due to a countersuit, he’s in danger of losing his veterinarian’s license. To exacerbate matters, his popular father, an inept businessman, left Bedside Manor in debt, and no sooner has Cyrus arrived than the bank threatens foreclosure. He finds allies in Lewis, the Bedside Manor’s wise older vet, and the crusty office manager, Doris, after Cyrus’s first customer suspiciously asks for her healthy golden retriever to be euthanized. In the week during which the novel unfolds, Cyrus delivers a baby in an emergency, dates a local waitress, and works out his hostile emotions toward his dead father. By the time the bank’s financial deadline arrives, he’s been dubbed the “new Patron Saint” of lost dogs. A diverting yarn reminiscent of the work of James Herriot. Agent: Kristin Lindstrom, Lindstrom Literary Group. (Feb. 12)
Library Journal
Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals; Cyrus Mills is the patron saint of lost dogs. Veterinary surgeon and best-selling author Trout’s (Tell Me Where It Hurts; Love Is the Best Medicine; Ever by My Side) first novel opens with veterinarian pathologist Mills seeing his first patient at the failing Vermont clinic he inherited from his estranged father. A man wants his dog euthanized for constantly peeing on his new floor, but Mills finds that he just can’t do it. Thus begins myriad complications when Mills later sees a distraught mother and daughter putting up lost posters of the same dog. It’s a week full of entanglements, including a Labrador with a penchant for eating underwear and a cat’s rich owner whose boyfriend might not be all he seems. All Mills wants is to make the practice viable enough to sell it to a fancy vet chain. Will he be able to do it?

Verdict Trout’s charming novel strikes just the right balance between humor and drama. The cast of characters are delightfully entertaining, but Mills is the linchpin as a son grappling with the memory of a father he thought he knew. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever had a beloved pet.—Susan Moritz, Silver Spring, MD

(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Reviews
It's tough to resist a good story that features four-legged creatures, which highlight this surprisingly upbeat tale about a son who returns home following the death of his long estranged father. Cyrus Mills isn't a warm, fuzzy kind of person, and choosing a career as a veterinary pathologist seems a logical choice: He's following in his late mother's footsteps, and he gets to work in solitude, which he prefers. When Robert Cobb, Cyrus' father, dies and bequeaths Bedside Manor for Sick Animals to him, he returns to his former home in a small town in Vermont. Cyrus is eager to sell his inheritance and leave Eden Falls behind. He has few fond memories of his life there, except for the time he spent with his mother, and he needs the money from the sale to fund a legal battle to reinstate his license, which has been temporarily suspended following charges of wrongdoing filed by his former employer. But Cyrus quickly discovers that in addition to being a workaholic and an absentee dad, Dr. Cobb was mired in debt. Unless Cyrus can prove that his father's heavily mortgaged veterinary clinic is worth a potential buyer's investment--within the week--he'll lose the sale, and it appears that a sinister banker and an anonymous blackmailer might be rooting against him. With a light touch and conversational tone, Trout (Ever by My Side, 2011, etc.) delivers a doggone charming tale. Rather than dispensing an overload of schmaltz, which is difficult to avoid in a feel-good story that introduces a magnitude of furry friends and their often eccentric owners, the author manages to successfully pull off a straightforward, energizing story with a message that doesn't choke on its own sweetness. Cyrus, of course, transforms during the week as he's forced to interact with each character, revisit his past and contemplate his future. He becomes an excellent healer, and with the help of a group of caring individuals, including a gentle mentor, an attractive waitress, a gruff receptionist and all of his four-legged friends, he also becomes one of the healed. Two paws up.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781401310882
  • Publisher: Hyperion
  • Publication date: 2/12/2013
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 47,931
  • Product dimensions: 5.25 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Nick Trout graduated from veterinary school at the University of Cambridge in 1989. He is a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and is a staff surgeon at the prestigious Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He is the author of three books, the New York Times bestseller Tell Me Where It Hurts, Love is the Best Medicine, and Ever By My Side; and has been a contributing columnist for The Bark and Prevention magazines. Nick considers himself a runner (though his marathon days are behind him), an avid reader, and a passionate advocate for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters, and their two dogs, Meg, their yellow Labrador, and Sophie, their Jack Russell terrier.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 6 )
Rating Distribution

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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews
  • Posted March 23, 2013

    Charming but very predictable If you do not mind your fiction

    Charming but very predictable



    If you do not mind your fiction utterly predictable and maudlin at times, this is a good past-time read. I am a passionate animal lover/animal rights person, so these types of rather charming and lightweight reads are always a pleasant diversion. However, I was a bit disappointed in the predictability of this text. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial. In addition, Trout successfully creates a protagonist who is so cold/clinical and generally unlikeable for big chunks of the book it becomes hard to warm up to him when the time finally comes. The 'big reveal' behind his estranged father falls flat and plays out as rather maudlin. The ending is kind of eye-rolling. BUT all that being said, the book reads quickly and at the end is an enjoyable, rainy-afternoon read. If the people aren't all that interesting, the animals are--terrific cat/dog personalities.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted May 10, 2013

    A nice change of pace from my usual genres. The story line has a

    A nice change of pace from my usual genres. The story line has a definite "Hallmark Channel" kind of feel to it, but sometimes you just want a light-hearted, happy-ending kind of story. A quick read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted April 5, 2013

    Cute

    It was a good book, it took you into what the life
    of what a vet has to deal with not only animals but
    their owners.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted March 30, 2013

    Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings Dr. Cyrus Mills

    Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
    Dr. Cyrus Mills has had some personal issues in Charleston, SC, so he heads up north to Vermont to help restore his father's veterinary practice.  He has the intentions of selling the practice for some extra cash flow and escaping back down south.  But the reader knows that this isn't where the story will end and in between is a small town and some sweet pets and interesting owners.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 29, 2013

    a light, entertaining read

    Written from a reluctant though tenderhearted vet's point of view, this is not a heavy read, but an enjoyable one. I would recommend it to anyone who loves animals.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 8, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

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