REVIEW: The Puppy That Came For Christmas

The Puppy That Came For Christmas
How a Dog Brought One Family the Gift of Joy
by Meg Rix
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Plume (October 25, 2011)

Are you looking for a heartwarming story to get you in the mood for the holidays? 

All author Megan Rix and her husband Ian wanted was a baby to complete their happy home, but life had different plans for them - until one Christmas brought about an unexpected gift.  In The Puppy That Came for Christmas, Megan shares how the crushing emotional stress of endless fertility doctor visits led her and her husband to become a different kind of parent to a few life-changing golden retrievers. 

Megan and Ian attempted to distract themselves by getting involved with a charity which provides service dogs to people with disabilities.  They eagerly took responsibility for training dogs for placement with people who needed the assistance of specially skilled animals.  However, they quickly realized how strong the bond between human and dog can be - and the bitter sweetness of being a foster parent. 

First they bonded with Emma, then Freddy.  Despite the good cause, they just couldn't keep taking in these beautiful golden pups and giving them away.  It was painful and the ongoing fertility treatments only added to the heartache.  Then, one Christmas, little Traffy came along and the Rix family became part of a very special group... a group of failed foster parents, of which I myself am a proud member!

The following is a short excerpt from The Puppy That Came for Christmas, printed with permission from Plume:

“That evening, I looked at her playing on the floor, caught up in some of the tinsel that I, feeling especially festive this year, had strewn around the room. Ian had never liked Christmas, and until Emma came along, he’d spent it out of the country, skiing or by the pool – as far away as he could afford to go.

"Finally, we’ve got something really worth staying at home for,’ he said.

I looked at the tree, the decorations, at Ian watching Christmas television with Traffy, and thought there was nothing else I could want in the world.”

About the Author: Megan Rix was born in London, and lived in America, New Zealand, and Singapore before marrying her husband, Ian, and settling in England.