The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs: A Novel

The Patron Saint Of Lost Dogs by new to me author, Nick Trout, is a very good story about coming home again, forgiveness and making peace with your past. Cyrus Mills returns to his hometown to take over his deceased father's veterinary practice that is on the brink of failure. To further complicate matters, Cyrus is not a veterinarian in practice as he has never treated living animals. Instead, his expertise lies in veterinary pathology. Cyrus intends to sell the practice and return to South Carolina as quickly as he can. However, he does not anticipate how his arrival affects the numerous quirky characters he meets, both animal and human.I really enjoy books that feature animals prominently throughout the story and this book did not disappoint. Mr. Trout does an excellent job of bringing the animals to life with individual personalities and traits that enabled me to feel a profound connection with each one. I was intrigued and worried at the same time whether or not Cyrus would figure out in time what was wrong with each of his patients. A couple of the animals really got to me on an emotional level and a box of Kleenex was necessary. In addition to the animals, the human characters of Eden Falls, Vermont are just as interesting and intriguing.The story flows smoothly as Cyrus tries to acclimate himself to his new surroundings that are filled with painful memories and ghosts from his past. I enjoyed how he handled the stress of being out of his element interacting with living animals for the first time while meeting new people. Cyrus is very much a loner who has done a remarkable job of hiding his feelings and not getting close to people. Seeing him open up to both animals and people was uplifting.If you enjoy heartwarming stories that feature animals in leading and supporting roles or enjoy stories that have likable characters who tug on your emotions, I highly recommend The Patron Saint Of Lost Dogs as a very good choice. This is the first book of the series and I am looking forward to reading the next book, Dog Gone, Back Soon.

Still grieving the loss of my 2 beloved rescue dogs, I was looking for a heartwarming read. I found it in Nick Trout’s The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs. I laughed. I cried. In the end I cried as well—but happy tears. Tomorrow, the sequel arrives, and I can’t wait to read about the further adventures of Cyrus and his furry clientele. Keep ‘em coming, Dr Trout!

I really enjoyed this book but I should make it clear that there is nothing deep and meaningful in it; it is just an entertaining, feel good read which can be read in a couple of sittings. I initially purchased this book because of the positive reviews I read and I agree with them completely. If you are an animal lover like me and you want to read a vet story where nothing dreadful happens to the animals then this is the book for you. There is more focus upon the human relationships and the plot line of the dysfunctional past relationship between a father and son but the vet information is interesting and the resolution of the mysterious ailments is satisfying. Having just read the very sad, true life book Puppy Express, this book was a welcome and light relief. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

This is not my normal genre but I really enjoyed the story. Characters were interesting. This is feel good novel. Our main character is flawed, doesn't know how to connect with people or a animals for that matter. Parts are sad, funny,mysterious. This is a story about change, forgiveness, that things are not always as they seem and ...pets are an important part of our lives.

Being an animal lover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciated so much that the author didn't betray his audience by having even one terrible thing happen. That would have caused me to put the book down without a backward glance. I loved that the protagonist became exactly what he had complained about before he understood that there was no compromising; he would be either in completely or out.My own two sons were without their dad a great deal of the time, such as for sporting events and other activities, including dinner, evenings, and weekends, so I found the protagonist's attitude at the beginning completely lacking in compassion and even ridiculous. Fortunately, he blossomed and became the vet that I would take my pets to without question.

In the setting of a veterinary practice, Cyrus finds today & yesterday inextricably intertwined. He is home to settle his father's affairs after a 14 yr bitter estrangement. Cyrus continually reminds himself of his objective, who he is, how he does/doesn't feel about his circumstances. Cyrus' journey, his awakening to what is around him, what was and what he hopes will be are well written by the author. It is sometimes very difficult to write emotions in a believable manner especially in a 1st person narrative. Humor and humbleness are an added treat. This is an easy read but don't let this fool you - you might miss out on the lessons of love and humility.

So many new dogs to love! And the people were ok, too. It really hit me in the heart, because our family recently lost two much-loved dogs way too soon. We have also lost some family/friends, and there is a thoughtful storyline about that, too. Grab this, you will not want to put it aside, and you won't want it to end. I am going to try Nick Trout's other books, too.

Why Dr Trout would waste his time being a veterinarian when he can entertain and inspire with his writing is beyond me. He can reach so many more people with his writing.

The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout is a feel-good, charming story about a veterinarian (veterinary pathologist, to be precise — the type that sees only dead animals) who is forced to take over his father’s small town practice (and deal with living creatures) when his father dies. This book is less about rescuing animals and more about rescuing one’s self from the shackles of childhood anger.But don’t get me wrong — there are animals rescued. Very heart-warming rescue encounters, in fact. Dr. Mills, while waiting to sell his father’s practice and leave his home town as soon as possible, finds himself overwhelmed by challenging “patients.” The book overflows with intriguing characters. And their high-needs pets, leashed to owners that may or may not pay their bills, keep coming. Cyrus Mills, the overly-analytical, unmotivated newbie doc has no choice but to take action.Dogged by a suspended license, and intent on getting the heck out of dodge, Dr. Mills soon warms to the charms of this quaint Vermont town. His rarely-present mentor, an aging vet who ran the practice with his father, refuses to be swayed by this new vet’s protestations. And he eventually becomes the catalyst for a come-to-Jesus moment Cyrus Mills stumbles onto at his mother’s grave.This book has all the feels: stress-inducing suspense from Chapter One; a love connection fraught with tension; a rescued dog that charms even a grouchy dead-animal vet; hilarious encounters with spicy pet owners; and an unexpected tearful scene or two that both breaks and warms the heart. You may find yourself looking at your own father-child relations through a different microscopic lens.I expected a cute story about rescue animals. But this book is so much more. Here are my criteria for best-of-the-month book reviews: 1) Cheerful cover; 2) Intriguing blurb; 3) Captivating first sentence, paragraph, page…; 4) Uplifting message; and 5) Bonus if I learn something. The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs has it all! (You’ll feel like you’ve been through Vet School yourself, it’s so specific about the how-to’s.)Five enthusiastic paws up for this delightful read. Why are you still here? Go buy it now!

Probably the reason I avoid books about animals, is that, inevitably, one of them dies. And while the rational part of me realises that that this is real life, another part wants to read about wet noses, wagging tails and yes, near misses. I want the dog to live! This book delivers on all fronts. There's some humour, an eccentric range of characters and even a touch of romance. Most importantly - no one dies.

Well, Nick Trout isn't going to win the Pulitzer but I guess he knows that, he is setting out to write an engaging, light, warm, easy to read book and in that, he is successful. But for me, it is the animals that keep the pages turning, the human characterizations are much less successful. They don't flow as natural personalities and it is evident that the writer is having to work hard to make them real. The whole situation that Cyrus finds himself in seems so improbable and contrived that I finally ignored him and his problems and concentrated on the animals. And it is with the animals and their various ailments and personalities that the writer finds his authentic most natural voice. Hopefully with practice and experience (and perhaps a good editor) his characters and their lives will begin to flow as easily as his animal's and their very interesting diseases and foibles do. A nice, comfortable read.

Found it a bit hard going initially, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.Its about a vet who takes over his late fathers practice and struggles to re-energise it, in the process learning unknown things about his father from who he had been estranged. Worth the effort, but not like a James Herriot story.

The book is interesting & well written. I read a lot & would recommend it to anyone interested in animals.