In Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel, join Andrew Cotter as he takes you behind the scenes and into the pages of his diary to reveal just how extraordinary the year has been, and what really happened after his lockdown superstar Labradors chewed up the internet and found it was quite tasty.
For Olive, Mabel and Andrew, the last year has been like no other. With normal work cancelled or scaled back for so long, it has been a time to take stock and share experiences – both the everyday and the decidedly odd. Here Andrew takes a sharply observed and often hilarious walk through the strangest of days for all of us, reflecting on how precious our time really is, especially the time we have with our dogs.
Beautiful, comical, endlessly optimistic and eternally hungry Olive, Mabel (and Andrew) have padded around from the Cheltenham Literary Festival to 60 Minutes Australia, from their living room studio with ABC News Breakfast to an appearance on Good Morning America, and from obscurity to excited whispers of “Is that really Olive & Mabel?” wherever they go. Not to mention the lucrative merchandise and advertising deals that were turned down by the dozen, and the odd phone call from Hollywood.
Through it all, Olive and Mabel have always done exactly what they do best, being themselves and being there for Andrew – and for all of us who have loved watching their brilliant videos and following their progress online. If you’re a fan of Olive, Mabel and Andrew, this funny, touching and extraordinary account of a year like no other is an unmissable treat.
At the very start of the pandemic, Andrew Cotter turned his brilliant sports commentary skills to Youtube clips involving his two Labradors, Olive and Mabel, and the result was an internet sensation. His first book, Olive, Mabel & Me, was a humorous and heartfelt look back at 2020, and how his two canines became celebrities.
Now the three of them return with a follow-up book, in diary form. While obviously the dogs don’t write this, they do imbue every page, making this the perfect read for any dog lover. But Dog Days isn’t just about dogs. It’s about humans and life and connection. It’s witty and wise. It’s impossible not to read the epilogue without feeling strong emotions – don’t worry, the dogs are alive and well. In Dog Days, Cotter acknowledges how precious life is, and the record of Olive and Mabel that will remain long after his pooches have gone.
A lovely read, and a timely reminder of how dogs really do have life worked out… and how much we have to learn from them.
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