DOG ON BOARD

The title and subtitle say it all.

Endowed with her own blue bus pass, a sweet black Lab mix named Eclipse is used to traveling on the bus with her owner to the local dog park. One day, when her owner fails to keep up with her, she goes to the park herself, getting off at the correct stop. After that, Eclipse rapidly becomes a local bus-riding celebrity, her solo jaunts inspiring the local news to cover her travels (and, eventually, this book). Readers waiting for the moment when Eclipse’s story becomes more than just a cute pet segment on a local television station are in for a disappointment. Though Patent and Young keep Eclipse’s voice upbeat and happy (and in the first person), there’s little to be gleaned from her tale. Some mention is made of famous Seattle landmarks near the book’s end, but those details feel superfluous. An offhanded mention in a note from Patent and Muñoz to the fact that Eclipse is a service dog (never mentioned in the story nor made clear in photographs) marks a missed opportunity to educate above and beyond Eclipse’s propensity for public transit. A note from Young and list of resources round out the volume.

All told, a nice-enough dog story better suited to social media than the posterity of print.