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The Year of the Dog

How One Tiny Terrier Ruined My Sofa but Saved My Life

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The Year of the Dog

By: Sophia Money-Coutts
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About this listen

‘Absolute heaven.’ Jilly Cooper

A hilarious and heartfelt year following one woman and her puppy – from chaos and tears to healing and new beginnings. It’s a love story, but not as you know it.

Raising a puppy is simple: feed them, walk them, love them. Right? Wrong.

Armed with Pinterest-perfect plans and firm ideas about training, Sophia brings Dennis – a scruffy and defiant Parson terrier – into her life. But just as the puppy pads hit the floor, the rest of her world falls apart.

Suddenly single and quietly unravelling, Sophia finds herself solo parenting a tiny, gleeful agent of chaos who devours foam earplugs, destroys her shoes, and has an alarming taste for spiders. He’s also the only thing keeping her afloat.

As the months roll by in a haze of dodgy first dates, sleepless nights and meltdowns in the park, Sophia begins to make sense of it all: the grief of a life that didn’t go to plan, the weirdness of being single in your late thirties, and the surprising ways love shows up when you least expect it.

By the end of their first year together, Dennis hasn’t just wrecked the furniture — he’s quietly rebuilt her life.

For anyone who’s ever been through shattering heartbreak, this is a story of quiet resilience, unpredictable joy, and the quiet wonder of a small body curled beside you when it matters most.

©2025 Sophia Money-Coutts (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers
Divorce & Separation Dogs Friendship Love, Dating & Attraction Pets & Animal Care Relationships Funny Heartfelt Witty

Critic reviews

'Absolute heaven.' Jilly Cooper

The Year of the Dog is SUCH a gorgeous book, I can’t imagine anyone reading this and not loving it. By turns hilarious, entertaining and heartbreakingly honest, it’s an unforgettable love story you’ll want to buy for all your friends. I’m already waiting for the sequel!’ Jill Mansell

‘Tender, hilarious and moving.’ Daisy Buchanan

‘This made me laugh like a drain on a packed Underground commute, and I haven’t even got a dog.’ Andrew Hunter Murray

‘Extremely funny, deeply charming.’ India Knight

All stars
Most relevant
I loved this book So funny! Can’t wait for the next! I love how openly honest it was even the embarrassing toilet stories!

The honesty & humour

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I purchased this after listening to the podcast with Anna Webb but I was really disappointed, I tried not to be judgemental and take the book as it was meant to be but with a name written as Sophia but pronounced "Zo fia" I should have known it was just going to be about a posh, middle/upper class narcissist who spent more time name dropping than about her actual relationship with Dennis, who appeared to be an after thought in each chapter. if you want to read about the developing bonds and growing, developing relationship between dog and owner do not buy this book. Utter tripe!

About a rich, socialite human with dog as after thought

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I've enjoyed all of Sophia's other books and didnt realise this was autobiographical. Its more of a rambling story of her life versus an actual story. Pleasent enough listen but wouldn't recommend if you are looking for something like her other books

Nice story but its not the same as her other books

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