Books for Christian Girls: "Barking up the Wrong Tree" by Janice Thompson

About this book:

  “A Champion Dog Is Off His Game
    Grab a puppy to snuggle and relax into a delightful small-town mystery in book 3 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
   Inquisitive, detail-oriented, Veterinarian Kristin Keller prides herself on winning over any dog. But has this self-proclaimed dog whisperer finally met her match in a Sheltie named Remington who has just won the Texas state agility course competition? The champion pooch is acting out of sorts—almost as if he is not the same dog. Has he, by chance, been switched out with another dog just before the next big competition? Kristin and the other Lone Star employees will do anything to help the Atkinson family figure out this mystery surrounding their beloved Remington.”

Series: Book #3 in the “Gone to the Dogs” series. Can be read as stand-alones, but would be most enjoyed if read in order. Reviews of Book #1 Here! And Book #2 Here!

Spiritual Content- Proverbs 12:10 at the beginning; A couple Scriptures are quoted & thought on; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God & His will; 'H's are capital when referring to God & Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, Thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of testimonies & people sharing their testimony; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & pastors/reverends; Mentions of Catholics, Baptists, & Presbyterians; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of ministries; A couple mentions of someone being so cheap that they wouldn’t pay to see Jesus on a bicycle; A mention of a song that focuses on the love God offers His children; A mention of confessing to a reverend; A mention of a godsend; A mention of a miracle; A mention of a reverend wanting to build an arbor like they had in the Old Testament days; A mention of a cross necklace; A mention of Kristin’s (Baptist) grandmother telling her husband that they don’t speak to Presbyterians;
*Note: A couple mentions of a reverend teasing that a certain cat might need an exorcism on occasion, but he knows a thing or two about spiritual warfare, “which comes in handy when the demons begin to dance”; A mention of a guy being Adonis material; A mention of Pandora’s box.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘gosh’, a ‘stinking’, two ‘for pity’s sake’s, two ‘for the love of Pete’/’for Pete’s sake’s, and five ‘stupid’s; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being pushed into oncoming traffic (barely-above-not-detailed); *Spoiler* A woman says her daughter is wheelchair-bound and on oxygen, but that turns out to be a lie to gain sympathy *End of Spoiler*; All about many mentions of a swapped/missing/stolen dog & who could have done it; Many mentions of sick dogs, a breeder that doesn’t care good take of her dogs, hoarding cases/puppy mills, people abandoning and abusing dogs, dog illnesses (including parvo), & deaths of dogs (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of stealing, thieves, crimes, criminals, & being arrested; Mentions of an aggressive dog & it trying to bite others (because it’s not feeling well); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, addictions, & former addicts; Mentions of manure & animal waste; A few mentions of grief after the death of a loved one; A few mentions of someone smuggling whiskey; A few mentions of being pushed into oncoming traffic; A few mentions of smoking & cigarettes; A few mentions of social media trolls; A couple mentions of a car accident & deaths; A couple mentions of the possibility of getting shot; A couple mentions of a fire (Book #2); A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of lies & liars; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of the Great Depression; A mention of dogs fighting for food; A mention of cheating; A mention of an old TV show not having any bad language; A mention of farting; A mention of the phrase about a terrible smell being enough to knock a buzzard off a death wagon;
             *Note: Mentions of TV shows, characters, & actresses (I Love Lucy, Golden Girls, & Hoarders); Mentions of a magazine (Southern Living); A few mentions of Woodstock; A couple mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of stores (Home Depot & Walmart); A mention of social media (YouTube); A mention of Boy Scouts.

Sexual Content- Two cheek kisses, a hair kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Recalling a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed);
Touches, Embraces, & Hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; A ‘babe’; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, dating, & exes (including a girl’s abusive ex-boyfriend); A few mentions of a father teasing that he and his wife figured out what was causing them to have so many children; A few mentions of seeing couples kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a child being conceived on a trip; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a husband slapping his wife on the backside (teasing); A mention of flirting; A mention of a guy’s “Casanova thing”; Some love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Many mentions of breeding dogs (including ones that were bred a lot and their physique being saggy), stud dogs and horses, and a dog that is sterile despite being “fully intact”; Mentions of neutering dogs; A few mentions of a man not wanting to say that a woman looks like a natural in the kitchen because she’s liable to sue him; A couple mentions of miscarriages; A mention of a old TV show not having any “questionable material”; A mention of a dog’s hormones; A mention of expressing a dog’s anal glands.

-Kristin Keller
                                1^st person P.O.V. of Kristin
                                                        256 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

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My personal Rating-

This was so cute, the ending!! My heart!

One thing that really stands out to me about this series is the importance of the friendships between the staff at the vet clinic. Yes, they’re co-workers, but they all have such a heart for animals and helping them, which brings the group closer together. I love the camaraderie of it all. It was really so heartwarming to read about a group that cares so much about their clients and helping animals, I just love that element.
Another element that was so fun and continued in this third book was the sweet romance—this time between Kristin and Tyler! It was so precious! I was absolutely tickled pink about it and how sweet (& clean!) it was!

When I really am enjoying a mystery or suspense book, my brain turns off trying to figure out who did the crime and just goes along with the characters for the ride; that’s definitely how this book was for me. It was intriguing but yet at the same time heartbreaking, because I couldn’t imagine what I would do if my dog was missing or stolen! But I knew with a book written by this author that everything would turn out just, well, peachy! ;)

Ah, I’m doing happy sighs over here now and super-duper excited to read the fourth book!

See y’all on Friday with a new review!