The Miraculous Life of Maggie the Wunderdog: The True Story of a Little Street Dog Who Learned to Love Again

Animal behaviorist Carlin debuts with a moving hard-luck tale about Maggie, a mixed-breed dog rescued from Lebanon. Found in Beirut by a local dog rescuer, Maggie was a street dog with gouged out eyes and a cut-off ear; she had also been shot numerous times and perhaps used for target practice. With the help of a British rescue group, Maggie was brought to the U.K. There, she was adopted by Carlin who describes in great detail the challenges of bringing a dog to England, in terms of both flight costs and the dog’s comfort on a 2,000-mile plane ride, and details how she integrated Maggie into her life as the owner of a doggie day care in Brighton. Before long, the exuberant dog became a local celebrity, and Carlin recites a litany of Maggie’s exploits: she visited local schools, nursing homes, and a university, and participated in a dog-walking club for students who missed their family pets. But it was when Carlin set up an Instagram handle for Maggie that her fame took off (she currently has 465,000 followers). Despite Maggie’s grim start in life, this is purely a feel-good story: Maggie “takes everything in her stride, because she’s had to handle so much in such a short amount of time.” Animal lovers will be in heaven. (Mar.)