Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

Sirius, the main character in Someone To Look Up To by Jean Gill, is a large dog. To be precise, he's a Pyrenean Mountain Dog. That's a very impressive looking breed, but they are usually as gentle as they are big and make ideal family dogs - that is, for the right owners. Unfortunately, Sirius did not have the best luck when it came to his first owners. While the male owner got along with him fairly well, the female was useless with the dog. All that ceased to matter when the two got divorced, and poor Sirius was given to one of the owner's friends to keep until he returned from a new job overseas. Alas, the new owners also had issues with the dog and Sirius, without the knowledge of his first owner, ends up in a kennel - marked as a dangerous dog. In the kennels, Sirius meets other dogs and learns about their fate. One day, one of his brothers turns up in the animal shelter. But the reunion would not last long. Sirius still hopes his old owner would come back for him. One day after the other passes, days turn into weeks. And then something happens, but it would not yet be a happy ending.

I work with 32 dogs and enjoy their characters, so Someone To Look Up To by Jean Gill seemed to be an ideal book for me. I'm always worried that animal books upset me too much (and many do), so I often stay clear of them, but this one simply caught my interest and I don't regret picking it up. While there were some minor mistakes any dog expert should pick up, most of the info on dogs within the novel was appropriate and correct. Unfortunately, the horrendous and stupid behavior of dog owners is also very well described and not far from the truth at all. Everyone who thinks it would be "nice", "cool", or "cute" to have a dog - or basically ANYONE who wants a dog - should have to read a story like this to see what happens when people don't treat and train dogs right; how confusing it can be for the animals, and how fatal the end can be for some dogs. In most cases, it's the owners who need to be punished, not the poor dogs. So many accidents could be avoided if people had a bit more brain when it comes to animals! Apart from being very educational, the book also offers plenty of entertainment and a certain degree of excitement. After all, you can never be sure what Sirius' fate will be after he's been let down by people again and again. If you love animals, then this will be a good read for you.