Aslan Running Joy
Author: Kristin Kaldahl
YA Contemporary
What do you do when your life turns upside down?
You get a dog – and run.
First choices out. Second choices in.
It’s been that way since dialysis left fourteen-year-old Krissy disabled. Her limitations went from none to a ton, and now they stand in the way of her dream—to compete in dog agility with her new sheltie pup, Aslan.
She’s seen videos of agility handlers sprinting, spinning, and twisting as they race with their dogs through the intricate obstacle courses. It’s a beautiful sport. Like dance. Like art.
And surely impossible for someone like her.
Her suspicions are confirmed when an agility instructor says Krissy’s inability to run will keep her and Aslan from successfully competing against other lightning-fast agility teams and suggests Krissy choose a less physically demanding, second-choice dog sport.
Second choices—once again.
And on top of all that, Krissy is pretty sure she doesn’t even like her own dog.
About the Author
Kristin Kaldahl is an agility instructor, national-level agility competitor, and dog agility blogger with twenty years in the sport. Her dogs have earned eight agility championships and have qualified for the AKC Agility National Championship fourteen times. In addition, Kaldahl is an award-winning author, former journalist, dog training blogger, and a long-term
Purchase link: https://amzn.com/163357329X
My Review
A fourteen year old girl has lived with a lot of fear and heartache. Kristen has kidney disease and spent time in dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant. Her family has been great with their support, but she feels like they are having problems because of her health. She just wants to be normal and not be afraid of everything. She didn’t ask for her disease and feels guilty about her special needs. She had to re-home her beloved horse because she was secretly afraid of his large size, and after a dangerous accident she had to let him go.
Her next fantasy was to get a pup to train for agility trials. Her parents bought her a sheltie puppy who appeared to be a runt. Krissy took him to puppy and school before she ever named him. She finally settled on the name Aslan. There were a few people who were discouraging to her and some were even cruel. The book has points in which Krissy has to deal with her friends getting into the wrong crowd, but she has sense to avoid trouble. Her family is a Christian family who have a church support system. Eventually she finds a training group that teaches her that agility can be done even with a disability, but will she and Aslan have what it takes to win? Or is winning what really maters? This book is recommended for ages 10-13, but I think young dog lovers will enjoy it and may want to try this sport with their dog.