If you love dog stories, you'll love Come Back Como; Winning the Heart of a Reluctant Dog by Steven Winn. 

Nobody ever said that love and compassion have much to do with logic.  That’s certainly true in this delightful and often funny memoir about the fulfillment of pre-teen Phoebe Winn’s lifelong desire to have a dog.  For all the usual reasons – noise, mess, chewing, inconvenience, expense, and being tied down – Phoebe’s parents, Steven and Sally had been putting off acquiring a dog since Phoebe was a toddler.  Fresh out of excuses, the Winn’s search for the perfect pup began. 

They had all agreed in advance that the dog had to be rescued from a shelter, but other than that, the Winns didn’t have any fixed ideas about what might make a perfect dog.  The family dragged itself all over the San Francisco Bay Area, weekend after weekend, from animal shelter to animal shelter, viewing dogs that were too big, or too lethargic, or too rambunctious, or too dangerous, or whose fur didn’t have the right feel, until at last Phoebe spotted a cute, little terrier mix.  Como was cute all right, but he had a few problems.  Their first clue was when Como wouldn’t come out from under the desk in the “get acquainted” room at the shelter.  But the Winns were assured that all Como needed was love and patience, and Phoebe was up to the task. Sally and Steven, on the other hand, had been reading up on dogs.  They were doubtful, but they went ahead and adopted Como on a 30-day approval. 

On the first night home, Sally arranged a cozy corner in the dining room where Como would feel safe and sound sleeping in his sturdy night-time crate. But the crate turned out not to be Como’s idea of cozy, safe, or sound.  After hours of piteous howling, Como simply ate his way out of the crate – metal parts and all. In addition to having the gnawing ability of a beaver, Como, it turned out, wasn’t house broken.  He had a touchy tummy, he occasionally nipped, he earned  all F’s at obedience school,  and he had a sneaky and dangerous habit of hanging around the front door and making a getaway whenever possible, leading  Steven on wild chases all over the Sunset District of San Francisco.  And, if all that weren’t enough, Como hated men, all men, including Steven, who then proceeded to develop a probable dog-related allergy.

By the time the 30 day “return with no questions asked” period was up, Como’s behavior was only somewhat improved and he still distrusted Steven.   Will Como go or will Como go?  Read Come Back Como and find out how one family sets about winning the heart of a reluctant little dog.