The Shepherd Girl’s God by Jane Lauriston Seigal

Written from the perspective of a destitute Spanish street dog, this book covers the first six years of Pastora’s dramatic and harrowing life.  Wrenched from her mother’s love before she is fully weaned, she learns to escape death on a daily basis.

Her enemies are not only the older and far wilier wild dogs but one particular member of the Guardia Civil!  As a puppy, her plight appears hopeless and then the insistent murmurs start.

At first they are vague, uneasy qualms but her world is so shocking, she has no inclination to question the spirits that are surely there.  When the most horrific of traumas suppresses any desire for life, she is swept along on a route she would never have taken.

Life settles down to a more regular existence and then the whispers become a voice she cannot ignore, that in the beginning, terrify her.  But soon the mystifying words become something she can never be without.

As her life changes yet again and she is rescued by a loving couple, adventures of a different kind present limitless opportunities. Her voices frequently reprimand and encourage her but her free spirit never leaves and life is not as comfortable as it should be.

Gradually she learns to love again, really love.  But life can never stay the same and she loses her mate leaving a gaping void that could never be filled, or maybe it can!  She gains another friend – a very different personality and one who needs a great deal of training.

Published on Amazon ebooks. Price:  £1.44 with 50p from each copy sold going to PAWS-PATAS animal charity in Almeria.

Book Review By Gabrielle Devon