T
his sweet sequel to Bark if You Love Me
, in which Bernikow first introduced her beloved brown boxer, Libro (adopted in the late ’90s after he was rescued by the police), relates their subsequent adventures living in Manhattan. Libro relished apartment life even in a five-floor walkup, making friends with the neighbors (“it takes a building to raise a dog”) and endearing himself to Bernikow’s friends. So urban was Libro that he had difficulty adjusting to a month’s vacation in the Hamptons and refused to go in the water. Although clearly smitten with her dog, Bernikow leavens her adoration with references to literary figures and their pets, such as Virginia Woolf’s Pinka and Emily Brontë’s Keeper. She also delivers a humorous account of the book tour for Bark if You Love Me
, which included paw stamping by Libro as well as autographing by Bernikow at bookstores. But Bernikow’s bout with cancer, during which Libro barely left her side, was followed by the dog’s own diagnosis with a tumor soon after his ninth birthday,. Bernikow describes her intense pain after losing her beloved companion, which she marked with a postmortem party for friends and admirers. (June 15)
