Kate Macdougall London's No.1 Dog Walking Agency is hilarious, smartly observed, sometimes exaggerated, with a very positive, heart-warming message.
Kate MacDougall always knew her heart wasn't really in her job at Sotheby's and feels completely unsatisfied with her hum drum work life. After an unfortunate incident involving ceramic pigeons, Kate decides that the world of antiques isn’t for her anymore. She takes a massive leap and decides to walk out of her comfortable, snoozy, back-office existence into the unknown world of the then-nascent gig economy to start a dog walking business.
As someone who loves dogs, it should be heaps of fun, right? Kate soon learns that the world of dog-walking isn’t always a walk in the park, thanks to difficult clients, dogs with highly specific needs and unreliable employees. Every dog in London’s No. 1 Dog Walking Agency divulges families most inner secrets and anxieties. Here, we encounter the pocket loft-living, the successful ladder-climbing couples, reckless same-sex couples, lavish and ego-centric, self-entitled, young prospective professionals, lonesome busy folk and their exceptionally adorable canine friends in London, from Greenwich to Vauxhall.
Together with the highs and lows of the business the book also tells of Kate’s own personal journey to settled adulthood, fulfilment, motherhood and family life with a dog-ambivalent husband.
The light-heartedness of the writing is excellent, joyful and beautiful and made me laugh and cry. I ended up binging the whole book in two days and enjoying every second of it.
I cannot recommend this glorious little book enough. I will be keeping an eye out for anything else Kate MacDougall writes.
Kate MacDougall always knew her heart wasn't really in her job at Sotheby's and feels completely unsatisfied with her hum drum work life. After an unfortunate incident involving ceramic pigeons, Kate decides that the world of antiques isn’t for her anymore. She takes a massive leap and decides to walk out of her comfortable, snoozy, back-office existence into the unknown world of the then-nascent gig economy to start a dog walking business.
As someone who loves dogs, it should be heaps of fun, right? Kate soon learns that the world of dog-walking isn’t always a walk in the park, thanks to difficult clients, dogs with highly specific needs and unreliable employees. Every dog in London’s No. 1 Dog Walking Agency divulges families most inner secrets and anxieties. Here, we encounter the pocket loft-living, the successful ladder-climbing couples, reckless same-sex couples, lavish and ego-centric, self-entitled, young prospective professionals, lonesome busy folk and their exceptionally adorable canine friends in London, from Greenwich to Vauxhall.
Together with the highs and lows of the business the book also tells of Kate’s own personal journey to settled adulthood, fulfilment, motherhood and family life with a dog-ambivalent husband.
The light-heartedness of the writing is excellent, joyful and beautiful and made me laugh and cry. I ended up binging the whole book in two days and enjoying every second of it.
I cannot recommend this glorious little book enough. I will be keeping an eye out for anything else Kate MacDougall writes.