This blog is primarily about Leonbergers and Leonberger books but sometimes I review books about other dog breeds. Today I am reviewing Lab Tested: The Layman’s Guide to Living With A Labrador – June 16, 2022 by Nick Embrey. I got the paperback version on Amazon. It currently cost $8.99 and the Kindle format cost $2.99. It is 168 pages, weighs 5.9 ounces, and the size is small with dimensions 5.06 x 0.38 x 7.81 inches. The ISBN number is 978-1739631307 and the ASIN number for the Kindle is B0B4B631S8. The book is comical reflections on the life with a Labrador, and you can find the book here.
In this book the author is ruminating, with humor, on his life with a chocolate brown Labrador called Dudley. The pages are filled with fun discoveries, hilarious analogies, clever turns of word, and as a result laughter. The writing style comes across to me as very British and as I was reading the book, I imagined Hugh Grant narrating it in my head.
We’ve owned several dog breeds including a yellow Lab called Baylor and I definitely recognized Dudley’s voracious appetite, apt food thievery, and the sometimes less than palatable choice of nutriment. However, Dudley was worse than Baylor. Dudley and Gordon Ramsey would definitely have a disagreement. Our Leonberger Bronco also had a voracious appetite. Once he finished off 5lbs of roast beef meant for a dinner party. However, the difference between Bronco and Labradors such as Dudley and Baylor is that he left broccoli, carrots, and dip for the dinner guests whilst dogs like Baylor and Dudley wouldn’t have.
Like Dudley our Baylor loved swimming (see picture below) and so did our Leonberger Bronco. I knew that Leonbergers had webbed feet and are double coated but reading this book I learned that so do Labradors. In fact, several dog breeds do. I guess I did not pay attention to that. That explains why our Baylor and Bronco were our best swimmers.
Like Dudley our Baylor was mischievous, but I have to say that Dudley takes the cake. The always hungry and rambunctious Labradors can cause quite a bit of commotion, or as some call it “acts of dog”. I’m not trying to brag when I say that our Labrador was not as bad as Dudley. I just wanted to point out that’s how you get good stories. I highly recommend this witty and very entertaining book. I don’t have a photo of Dudley, so I am including a photo of our yellow Labrador swimming.
Finally, I would like to promote my book about Bronco and Leonbergers. It has a lot of color photos, amusing Leonberger stories, and Leonberger information that has been verified and is also based on personal information.
Below is a list of where you can find the book. Click on the links to go to the respective store. However, if your favorite bookstore is not listed below you can search for it using the ISBN or ASIN numbers.
ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954
ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR
Leonberger Life 
13 replies on “Life with a Labrador”
Bronco at a five-pound roast? Wow! It sounds like a fun lab book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Priscilla. Yes Bronco chomped down all the roast beef slices on a big tray we had prepared for a dinner party. That was the main course. 5lbs according to my wife who bought it. He could eat spectacular amounts of food if you didn’t watch him. It wasn’t healthy though and there is a risk for bloat. We had a vegetarian dinner party instead.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Your book looks amazing and so does the book about labs. We had a black lab named Daisy and she was the best nanny ever. While our kids swam in the lake, Daisy would sit on the dock. If she felt the children went out too far, she dove in, put her mouth around their arms, and dragged them all the way to shore.
One time, I was swimming underwater and I opened my eyes. There was Daisy swimming underwater toward me. She grabbed my thumb with her mouth and dragged me all the way into shore. lol
She was an amazing dog and an amazing friend.
Thank you for introducing your book and the book about labs. I’ve had such a nice walk down memory lane today.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh that is so sweet. Daisy was trying to save lives and she was trying to save your life. Dogs are wonderful, such true and loyal friends. Daisy was very brave. Thank you for your kind words Kymber.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, the only breed that’s more food fixated is Spaniels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spaniels too, I didn’t know that. I try to learn as much about dogs as I can.
LikeLike
Oh, they’re renowned. Our first-hand experience with a male cocker spaniel was so bad it became funny. The things he could steal without being sick were amazing!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is amazing as well as annoying I bet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That cover is hilarious!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes I agree. Your covers are pretty intriguing too. I bought one of your books today, Shards. I am looking forward to reading it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, thank you, I appreciate it! Let me just apologize in advance for the cliffhanger at the end of the book. If I had it to do over again, I would have ended it one chapter later. In fact, upon consideration I felt so bad about it that I posted spoilers on my blog, so if you decide the second book isn’t for you, you can at least find out if and/or how Our Heroes escape their fates:
BTW, I picked up a copy of your book as well, since I am of course a sucker for dog stories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much James! I think cliffhangers are OK if you get the second book, so that’ll what I do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Writing Life and commented:
https://craigsquotes.wordpress.com/2021/05/10/outside-of-a-dog-a-book-is-mans-best-friend-inside-of-a-dog-its-too-dark-to-read-2/comment-page-1/
LikeLike