Free Days With George: Learning Life’s Lessons from One Very Big Dog
By: Colin Campbell / Narrated By: Rudy Sanda
Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
Awwwww, what a great dog!
It’s really easy to find well-meaning books about a loved pooch that kinda sorta don’t hit the mark. Make no mistake; I’ll listen to ‘em anyway! I just mean, sometimes a touching animal story is hard to find.
But I really, really liked Free Days With George because it was one of the times where man rescues dog; dog rescues man.
Colin Campbell’s wife leaves him abruptly and giving no second chances. Since she was his one true love, he’s devastated and spirals into depression and self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. At the persistent nudging of a friend (who says: Hey, dogs are loyal. They’ll never up and leave ya!), he finds himself staring into the soulful eyes of a large Newfoundland on Petfinder.com.
George is a rescue dog who was most likely beaten, most definitely abandoned, so it’s really quite touching as we get to see trust building, love unfolding, that bond starting to tie the two, dog and man, together. There are obedience school classes, there are mishaps at the dog park, and at the end there’s even a dog surfing contest where we see just how far the duo has come.
Free Days are when you spend a day doing something you love; nothing bad happens, you don’t age at all. They’re blessed gifts of a day and are worthy of being cherished. As Colin and George grow more deeply in their relationship, we see that more and more, Colin thinks less and less of past failures, and finds himself opening up and expressing affection as he never could have dared to hope. He and George have free days galore.
At first I was a tad put off by Rudy Sanda’s narration. I thought he was trying too hard. Surfers are total duuuuudes, and when he speaks George’s thoughts, he uses a low, rather dopey voice. But his narration grew on me, and I chilled out and stopped being offended, started being entertained—after all, the guy isn’t narrating some deep and heavy military history or anything.
If you’ve ever loved a dog, have seen yourself grow and change for the better because they’re in your life, you might like Free Days With George. Colin is doing the best that he can as he tries to live his life as George lives his own doggy life, and George is doing the best that he can as he learns to trust and accept affection. It’s a story that’ll have you smiling, have you chuckling sweetly in a few spots. I don’t regret using a credit on this audiobook, and I certainly don’t regret using my time in such a precious way.
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