Category: Books

A Book Review

Inspiration comes from all over, and I would be lying if I said I was not inspired by Lauren Scott’s book of poems for her dog, Copper, after reading several of them. I have a few poems for and about Jernee brewing in my soul, and as soon as they’re done simmering and ready to be plated, I will serve them to you.

It is a wondrous thing to know I am not alone. I never thought I was. So many people have lost their pets, are in the process of making the REAL decision of letting them go, and are spending their days grieving a fur baby who is still alive but is experiencing his or her last days. The pain of knowing when it’s time and acting on it is not an easy thing to muddle through, but one thing I kept asking myself regarding Jernee was, “In this state, is she her happiest?” I knew she was not.

After reading King Copper, I did what I do and reviewed it on Amazon and Goodreads.

A Gift for the Mourners of Past Fur Babies

It feels weird to title the review this way, but it’s not a lie. It’s not something that the author (and most likely readers of this book) cannot attest to.

We are mourners of past fur babies. We are grieving. King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry, is a gift for and to us.

Lauren and her family not only lost a dog but they lost a family member. Their “golden boy” was blessed to spend thirteen years with them. He was impactful to their lives, their growth, their love, and their peace. He had been a pillar in their household and a walking buddy outside of it.

I know this loss. I am living through this loss. After putting my baby girl, Jernee Timid to rest last September, I felt every poem shared on each page.

I wept during a few of them; wiping fresh tears from old eyes. I smiled at the photos. I laughed at Copper’s expression in some of them.

He had been a photogenic boy, and he seemed to have known it. I can tell he not only brightened up their lives, but he enriched them. Judging from his poses, he was a magnet for attention and was given it in well doled-out portions.

The author, Lauren Scott, does a wonderful job keeping the rhythm and flow in sync with the subject matter without being overly sad. However, she did not stray too far away from the meat of the book.

We, as readers, know who the star is and was. From the cover photo, to every photo shared inside the book, we got a chance to observe a glimpse of their lives through his presence.

Even though I had not known Copper, reading about him makes me feel like I’d given him a pat or two, laced his full belly with patterned rubs. I know I would have. I know I would have been happy to as well—if he’d been a part of my life as he was a part of theirs.

I feel like he has met up with Jernee Timid, and the two of them are relaxing on a porch with the sun kissing their faces and the shade moving in periodically with a coolness they can bathe in.

May he continue to rest in peace.

King Copper has captured my heart, too, and I hope he can feel it.

King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry is full of joyful, reflective, sad, hopeful, and loving poems about a dog whose personality was bigger than his size, and I loved every minute of it. It touched my heart. Perhaps, it will touch yours, too.