"A Dog's Purpose"

A book that has had an impact on my life and made me see the world differently was A Dog’s Purpose, by New York Times Bestselling Author, W. Bruce Cameron. This book is about a dog's search for why he was put on this earth. He makes his way through many different life cycles, a police dog, a stray, and a boy's best friend. Each time he is born again as a puppy and wonders why he is back? It's not until the end that he realizes that he kept being reborn because he had a purpose to fulfill on this earth. I think I got this book as a present for my birthday or maybe Christmas one year, and looking back I probably wasn't thrilled I got this instead of whatever the new “thing” was that year. But I smiled and said thank you and set it on my bookshelf never to be touched again. Last year I must have done something to piss my mother off because she took my phone away for a whole week and I wasn't allowed to leave the house. This forced me to actually communicate with my family and find other ways to entertain myself. I had always liked reading when I was younger but when I went to high school I don't think I touched a book that didn't have to do with school for two whole years. At one point that week I was so bored and I thought “Hey, why don't I just read one of the fifty books sitting in my room?” Little did I know that the one I chose was going to leave such a lasting effect on me. I chose this book because it had a cute puppy on the front and I thought it was going to be an easy and lighthearted read. When I opened it up that whole statement couldn't have been more wrong. This book has made me question if animals were actually capable of thinking like they do in the book. Many people say that they know their animals love them because they show it all the time (I am one of these people.) If we are able to accept that then why can't be believe that they have some higher purpose and are able to comprehend what it is? I know that no proof could ever be found to support the claims that animals are actually able to think and know why they were put on this earth, but it is fun to think about. I also made me wonder if I was going to be reborn again? I also wondered if there was no heaven until you've completed your purpose on this earth? I mean none of us could really know what happens after someone dies. It was just such an interesting book to read and really got me thinking. I would totally recommend that others try it out, especially if you love animals as much as I do.