I'm Not Single, I Have a Dog: Dating Tales from the Bark Side

by Susan Hartzler, Brian Patrick Duggan (Editor)

Overview

At age 60, Susan Hartzler has learned to accept, even love, the single life, provided she has good friends and a dog or two by her side. Always attracted to the quintessential bad boy with his good looks and charming ways, she was sure she could change "the one" into a devoted partner and loving father, but her compulsive giving and fixing behaviors went hand in hand with her disappointing and disastrous romantic relationships. On a purposeful trip to the pound, she hoped to find a dog to care for, one that would sniff out the bad guys, give her a sense of purpose, and help her find meaning in her crazy world. Thoughtful and funny, this memoir follows Susan's life through the many ups and downs on her way to finding unconditional love. Her journey is a personal one, full of the hard decisions it took to learn to put herself first and stop entering and staying in unhealthy relationships. By saving a dog, she rescues herself, learning to love herself as much as her dog loves her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476684482
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2021
Series:	Dogs in Our World
Pages:	231
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Susan Hartzler is an award-winning writer, blogger, and a public relations professional. She trains her own dogs, two talented Australian Shepherds who are both working actors and models. She volunteers her time as an evaluator for Therapy Dogs International and escorts her dogs to hospitals and schools to visit children in need.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Preface 1

1 Canine Intervention 5

2 Angel by My Side 11

3 Speed Dating at the Veterinary Hospital 16

4 Think Pawsitive 19

5 Growing Up Dog Weird 25

6 Love Quest 31

7 The Law of Attraction 40

8 Barking Up the Wrong Tree 45

9 Rolling Over 50

10 The Fur Flies 56

11 Lady and the Tramp 61

12 Bite Me 70

13 Pawtograph 77

14 Working Like a Dog 84

15 Barking Bad 89

16 Dog Fight 93

17 All You Need Is Love-and a Dog 100

18 Love Quest, Doggie Style 105

19 Father, Son and Holy Dog 110

20 Fashion Faux Paws 115

21 In Dog I Trust. In Myself, Not So Much 119

22 No Fleabag, Please 124

23 You Had Me at Woof 130

24 Dog-Tired 135

25 Bark! The Herald Angels Sing 142

26 Lucky Dogs? 146

27 My Pack 150

28 No Love Like Dog Love 156

29 Dog Love Fur-Ever 162

30 Fluff Ball Needs a Home 167

31 A Good Dog Is a Tired Dog 173

32 A Sad Tale 180

33 Pick of the Litter 186

34 Learning to Weave 191

35 Dr. Baldwin 197

36 September Mourning 201

37 A Good-Bye Tale 206

38 Sleeps with Dogs 209

39 Ashes to Ashes 213

Afterword 216

Index 221

Editorial Reviews

What a wonderful read. From start to finish, you can identify with the author and just proves that dogs, not diamonds are a girl's best friend. Susan takes you on a journey filled with laughter, love, loss and angst. I give it five paws!”—Susan Sims, publisher, FIDO Friendly Magazine

From the Publisher

2022-11-02
A woman recounts her adventures in love and dog ownership in this debut memoir.

Like many chronically single people, Hartzler found herself questioning her choices in matters of the heart. “The one thing I’ve never been confused about is my deep love of animals, dogs in particular,” writes the author in her preface. “That love started with my childhood dog, Siesta. An ugly mutt, Siesta taught me about unconditional love and acceptance.” Hartzler rescued her first dog as an adult, a German spitz mix named Blondie, following a breakup when she was 29 years old. “A rebound dog’s better than a rebound man,” she quipped at the time. For better or worse, the coming decades would see plenty more breakups, bad dates, and a few personal crises, but at least Hartzler had Blondie at home for support. After Blondie’s death at 19, the author—still looking for Mr. Right—struggled to move forward, especially as she was entering a time of life when loss and grief were becoming more routine experiences. With this memoir, Hartzler shares anecdotes from a lifetime of dating and dog ownership, both the times that men have let her down and the instances that her four-legged friends have picked her back up. The author’s prose is sharp and confessional, as here where she recounts hiking with her best (human) friend, Angel: “ ‘I think I’m an addict too,’ I said. The morning fog lifted to showcase the sweeping views from Catalina Island to the Santa Monica Mountains. ‘I’m addicted to people. In one of my Al-Anon meetings, a woman shared that being around needy people helped her ignore her own issues.’ ” Hartzler explores her history of codependency and attraction to bad men, which leads to several personal tragedies that she discusses with candor and regret. The book is an intriguing and moving window into the very real ways that canines can improve the lives of dog fans who need a bit of unconditional love in their days.

An affecting, canine-heavy account of disappointment and self-discovery.

Kirkus Reviews