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A Few of My Favorite Things - Pets, Books, Left-handedness, Humor and More.
A Few of My Favorite Things - Pets, Books, Left-handedness, Humor and More.
Whatever strikes this left-handed author's fancy.
Preview of my next book - Launching in September
Foster Freddy Wants a Family is a heartfelt true story about resilience, second chances, and the journey to finding a forever home.
Freddy is a spirited rescue dog with a big personality and an even bigger heart. Though he can be stubborn, bossy, and sometimes a bit of a troublemaker, his playful nature and determination shine through—even as he faces serious medical challenges, including multiple surgeries.
Through three foster homes and nearly three years of waiting, Freddy’s journey is filled with ups and downs, laughter and tears, and the unwavering hope of belonging. His story offers a meaningful look at the realities of fostering, the patience it requires, and the profound impact of love and care.
This inspiring and emotional story reminds readers that every animal deserves a chance—and that sometimes the most challenging journeys lead to the most rewarding endings.
Reader Reviews
I loved it! Will you kindly hand me another tissue?
I loved it! Will you kindly hand me another tissue?
I loved it! Will you kindly hand me another tissue?
When the author and her husband Ralph bring Freddy home from a Connecticut animal shelter as foster parents, they’re not quite sure what to expect. Freddy is a good dog. Freddy also wants to be the boss.
An older dog and has a slightly dislocated rear right knee, Freddy develops Cushing’s disease caused by too much cortisol. The tests and meds for Cushing’s are costly. Would anyone be willing to adopt Freddy with this disease? And what about the way Freddy bullies the other dog in the home, Grady?
Well. Having a bad knee and Cushing’s doesn’t dampen Freddy’s spirit. Freddy isn’t even dispirited when he has to wear a cone collar after surgery to remove a mast cell tumor. With his health and behavior issues, the question of whether or not Freddy will find a forever home is up in the air.
Caring for Freddy is a handful. After more than 24 months, the author and her husband hand him off to a couple other foster homes. He does well with an experienced dog trainer as his next foster mom. But he’s still looking for a [forever] home. The shelter considers classifying Freddy as a “Sensational Senior Beagle,” making any adopter eligible for financial help with paying Freddy’s veterinarian bills.
After nearly three years in foster care and many medical challenges, Freddy finds his [forever] home. His new family is “beagle savvy.” They live close to the veterinarians who can oversee his medical treatment. And offer loads of love.
The ending could bring tears from a turnip. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Foster Freddy Wants a Family is a sweet read. Honest and authentic, it’s the true story about what it takes to foster a dog who wants a forever family and the ups and downs that come with the foster commitment. Additional photos of Freddy are included at the end. Note Freddy’s “Arro Sheet.” This is a list of tips and tools for families considering fostering a dog to help make the animal’s transition to its new home easier. Real-life examples are included.
Speaking of tips, why the foster family didn’t bring Grady to the shelter for introductions prior to bringing Freddy home is unclear. Why the animal shelter didn’t provide instructions on establishing firm boundaries and alpha leadership right out of the gate is also unclear. The author observes, “My first time as a foster mom had many ups and downs. Everyone in the household would have benefited if I’d had training on how to add another dog to a home, how to train the dogs to get along, and how to teach them to respect me as the head of the household.”
That being said, Freddy is the true-life chronicle of a foster family and their loveable, eccentric dog who won a forever place in their hearts. Well-written and briskly paced, it offers an “inside look” at dog fostering. Heartfelt and heartwarming, each page is saturated with love, grace, and gratitude for a neglected stray who ultimately gave much more than he took.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s considering fostering or adopting a shelter dog. Or anyone who’s ever given their heart to a needy animal. Indeed, if Freddy persuades just one person to foster or adopt a shelter animal, it will succeed in spades. Just like the unforgettable bagle who taught one family about what it means to love unconditionally with a full heart..
Reviewed by Kristine L. Rating: 4.5 stars, Reedsy Discovery
An Easy and Engaging Read
I loved it! Will you kindly hand me another tissue?
I loved it! Will you kindly hand me another tissue?
Foster Freddy Wants a Family by Christina J Donato is a deeply moving, beautifully written, and engaging true story that captures the real highs and lows of animal rescue.
A Realistic Look at Foster Care
The book does not sugarcoat the challenges of fostering a rescue dog. It follows a devoted family that opens their hearts to Freddy, a little dog with a lot of emotional and physical baggage. Readers see the frustrating realities of the process, including:
· Behavioral hurdles: Freddy frequently messes the floors and growls at his new caretakers.
· Fear responses: Severe anxiety causes Freddy to snap at the family.
· Health struggles: The little dog faces severe illnesses during his transition.
The Ultimate Cure: Unconditional Love
Despite these intense challenges, the family never gives up. Donato beautifully illustrates how patience, devotion, and a massive heart serve as the ultimate cure for Freddy's ailments. The transformation from an unloved, fearful animal into a true family member is incredibly rewarding to witness.
An Easy and Engaging Read
Donato's writing style is highly accessible, making the book a quick and pleasant read. The narrative voice is warm and conversational, pulling the reader directly into the family's daily triumphs and setbacks. It balances emotional weight with hope, keeping pages turning quickly.
The Impact on Potential Fosters
This book serves as an important, realistic guide for anyone considering pet foster care. For some readers, the honest depiction of messes, growling, and illness might make them think twice about fostering a dog. However, for many others, it will serve as a powerful inspiration. It proves that despite the initial chaos, a dedicated foster family can completely change the destiny of a dog who once felt entirely unwanted.
Reviewed by
Editorial Reviews
A heartfelt true story of a comically mismatched beagle-basset stray
...honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
...honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
Christina J Donato’s Foster Freddy Wants a Family is the heartfelt true story of a comically mismatched beagle-basset stray who spends nearly three years navigating foster care before finding his forever home. Author Christina J. Donato brings Freddy into her life as her first foster dog, expecting an easy companion and instead receiving a headstrong, medically fragile “bagel” with a dislocated knee, Cushing’s disease, recurrent mast cell tumors, and a penchant for territorial growling, indoor marking, and garbage raids. Through Donato’s devoted but exhausting care, behaviorist interventions, and stints with subsequent foster trainers Mandy and Donna, Freddy finally lands with Walter, a beagle-savvy adopter who sees past the scars and medical bills to cherish him as a “well-loved, happy boy” until his final days.
Christina J Donato’s first-person narrative is refreshingly candid, using wry humor as she confesses her initial disappointment at Freddy’s lopsided looks, her fear of his sudden snarls, and the burnout of managing his illnesses while maintaining peace with her own dog, Grady. The book delivers a bold, unflinching honesty about the emotional and physical toll of animal rescue. But it never loses sight of Freddy’s irrepressible joy—his “can-do” attitude, his hammy love of cameras, and his stamina during toy chases. The tenderest moments pierce the chaos: the morning wiggly belly rubs in bed, the breathless admission of love with, “Oh, Freddy, I love you” after a chase, and the bittersweet transport day when Freddy stoically faces forward without looking back while his foster mom weeps. The most moving lesson arrives with Walter’s final words: that among eight beloved beagles, Freddy was his favorite. Foster Freddy Wants a Family reminds us that family is not about perfection, but about showing up—messily, patiently, and with an open heart—for a soul who wants to belong. A heartwarming book for canine lovers.
Reviewed by Meg McKinnon, The Book Commentary.
...honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
...honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
...honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
Let's be honest about something upfront. When Christina Donato drove two and a half hours to pick up her first foster dog and saw a funny-looking, mismatched beagle with a head too big and legs too short being walked toward her car, her first thought was not love at first sight. It was something closer to "is this really the dog?" That honesty is what makes this book so completely disarming, and so completely worth reading.
Freddy is not an easy dog. He peed on a woman's leg at an adoption event and looked absolutely unbothered about it. He growled at Christina when she tried to give him his medicine. He learned how to press the car window button to open it. He had Cushing's disease, three mast cell tumors, a dislocated kneecap, a bad tooth, and an unshakeable conviction that Ralph was his person and Christina was the interloper. He stayed in foster care for nearly three years. And somehow, by the time you reach the last page, you are completely in love with him too.
What Donato does beautifully is tell this story without sugarcoating any of it. The exhaustion is real. The fear is real. The guilt she carries about not being the perfect foster mom is real. But so is the moment she collapsed on the couch mid-chase and heard herself say out loud, for the first time, "Oh Freddy. I love you." That moment lands exactly as hard as it should.
The book is aimed at readers aged 10 to 15, but honestly, any adult who has ever loved an animal, fostered one, or wondered whether difficult things are worth doing will find something deeply meaningful here. The inclusion of Freddy's "Aroo Sheet," the actual handover document Christina filled out when Freddy moved on, is a small detail that somehow makes the whole story feel even more real and more tender.
Walter's final words about Freddy, that out of eight beagles he thinks Freddy was his favorite, is the ending this story deserves. You'll want to tell someone about it immediately after you finish.
Reviewed by Henry Penshorn, The Book Revue
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