I picked this up in the library because I love dogs. I probably realised from the outset that I would have mixed feelings about this book due to my Christian faith but I wanted to read it anyway.

The author was serving in the forces in Afghanistan. He rescued several dogs that were being bred as fighting dogs. He thought the practice was cruel and sought to protect the dogs from the cruelty and neglect they were suffering. He seems also to have bonded with the dogs due to the trauma of war and seeing them as a spark of light in the midst of darkness. Other soldiers have also had a similar experience; bonding with animals when they are far away from home and fighting an impossible and seemingly neverending war. The animals act as a temporary comfort for them. This is understandable in the circumstances and it was good to read about the kindness of some of the soldiers towards these animals....but what happens when they leave?

The author somehow managed to get two of the dogs he had bonded with shipped back to the UK after his tour of duty. They sat in quarantine for six months. He then founded a charity with the specific purpose of reuniting dogs that soldiers have bonded with in Afghanistan with the soldiers in their home countries. It seems the photos of these dogs tugged at people's hearts and their purses as money began pouring in and the charity took over the life of the author and his partner. They ended up with five dogs of their own and were given various awards and asked to appear at Crufts etc....The cost to bring a dog to the UK; around £3000!!

The author repeatedly states that he wanted to do this to make a difference. He at various points seems to equate rescuing these animals with helping in the war effort and filling a hole in his life/giving him a life purpose. A lot of his friends and family thought he was crazy and asked him why he didn't instead focus on street children. His response was that he couldn't go trafficking children around the world so he was doing this instead.

As an animal lover I struggle with the thought of any animals being used for fighting and/or living in poverty/suffering. But as a Christian I think the extent to which this author and his charity have gone to try and 'help' these animals is a bit much. Animals don't have souls and the cost and time for all of this work is huge. It's a nice story but when I think about all of this work for a few stray dogs I wonder if it will really fill the hole in the life of the author longer term. God gives us purpose in life and without Him we will seek to do all sorts of things to find meaning all of which are a waste in the end. I hope the author realises this before it's too late.

This book is full of swearing but without sexual content and violence. I cannot recommend it for Christians due to the language. It is readable but the author does go into a lot of detail about fairly mundane and trivial events as well as the more interesting things.
( )