Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs

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There have been videos of Olive and Mabel’s antics which have cheered many during this year of the pandemic and Andrew is still amazed at the popularity of his two Labs. Devoted, loving and loyal – dog lovers know that’s what dogs are. And Olive and Mabel have it in spades – they are very good dogs. Who could ever forget their first appearance, in The Dog's Breakfast Grand Final? If you haven't seen it yet (and why ever not?!) here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPhpJ... Anders bei Cotters Videos. Wir sehen schlicht und einfach zwei gut erzogene ,nette Familienhunde, die ihrem Hundeleben nachgehen. Der Witz entsteht durch Cotters Kommentare. He is a private person, a loner at heart, and an honest man: a thinker who has been able to stay grounded during this rush of celebrity for the family. And knowing this about him the reader cannot help but feel sympathetic when Cotter admits that now he cannot go out for a run on the beach without people wanting to stop and visit with Olive and Mabel. He is not complaining about this, he is being matter of fact about it and wondering if he has been exploiting his dogs, which was not his intention at all. And believe me, with all the offers he has had, if he had been a shallower man he could be guilty of such a sin. On the topic of eating, Mr Cotter says:- ‘ Thankfully Olive-damage was minimal. Yes, toys had a life-expectancy measured in hours rather than years, but in terms of our own possessions she restricted it to the odd shoe and a short phase where her own beds were savaged in the middle of the night. I call this ‘the absurdly expensive phase’.’

Now Cotter shares stories of his adventures with his loveable (and occasionally exasperating) canine companions in this beautifully written, touching and laugh-out-loud funny new book. There were more than a few laugh out loud moments and Mr Cotter’s storytelling is definitely a 10 out of 10. Having said that, the book would not have been possible without Olive and Mabel who are most definitely a 20! You get more from this book than you would first imagine. You learn all about his life as a child, and how he came to have such a strong connection with dogs. We learn a little about the history of Labradors and other famous dogs in history and, of course, we learn how Andrew and his partner Caroline came to get Olive (first) and then Mabel. During the course of the book it becomes apparent that Mr Cotter is very much a private person. He definitely comes across as honest, which is apparent from his writing. He’s definitely a thinker and has been able to stay grounded during this rush of celebrity status since posting his early videos on YouTube. Despite all the pain, I, like any other dog owner, would rather know that empty feeling than to never know the love, companionship and sheer joy of a dog at all…Let mi signal one more potential problem the blurb does not prepare you enough for: if you are not into hiking in the mountains (I happen to be), you may feel a bit bored with numerous descriptions of Cotter’s little expeditions with and without his dogs. If you are not keen on this, be ready for skipping quite a lot of passages. And potential problem number two: if you have not got a dog, you may want to change that immediately after you finish Mabel, Olive and Me. It will alter your life irreversibly. I learned somewhere that Cotter was planning a book, but I wasn't sure that it had become a reality until the week before Christmas. Obviously it was my gift to myself! lol The last chapter contains reflections on the inevitability of losing dogs and the unspoken hardship of opening your heart to a new one, and it made me bawl my eyes out. As Andrew so eloquently writes, dogs are “inseparable companions and effectively a part of your soul, that if cut out, leaves you empty.” I’ve recently had part of my soul ripped out via this same loss, and I’m so glad the feeling of emptiness has been put into such beautiful words.

This is actually a deeper book than you might expect. We do get to learn all about how first Olive and then Mabel came into his life, but we also meet The Boss as a child and see how he came to have his strong connection with and understanding of dogs. We have some history about Labradors, a few stories about other famous dogs get woven into the story, and we learn a lot about Cotter's character. From this humble beginning came Game Of Bones, The Walk Of Shame and The Company Meeting, among others. I love them all, including Run With Me and Intermission, where first Olive and then Mabel wore a camera to give us a dog's eye view of time with The Boss.Andrew Cotter is a British sports commentator who was made redundant because of the pandemic, as all events were cancelled. Feeling bored and upset, he started creating hilarious videos, starring his two Labradors, Mabel and Olive. They immediately went viral. You can find them on the author's YouTube channel mrandrewcotter (alas, Goodreads doesn’t allow outside links). Episode 4 - The Company Meeting is my absolute favourite! As for the viewers’ reactions, let me quote a comment by one of the fans: These two doggos have been the best thing to come out of this pandemic. so gentle and uplifting. Andrew Cotter’s writing is filled with so much tenderness and humour, and the tales of companionship with Mable and Olive are so incredibly heart-warming. It's very clear that Mr Cotter loves his dogs dearly, but he’s not totally blinded by their stunning personalities, writing:- Anyone who has had dogs in their life will grin repeatedly at Mr. Cotter's descriptions of the lovable idiosyncrasies of our canine companions. Who is the wiser species, however - human or canine - in facing each day with optimism and enthusiasm, accepting what they cannot control, making the best of things, and remaining vulnerable and open to love? Olive, Mabel & Me is a highly entertaining look at something good that as come out of this terrible year – 2020. And author Andrew Cotter is continuing to delight his, and his girls’ fans in Olive, Mabel & Me, his debut work. Highly recommended.