Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth)

A Memoir

By: Markus Zusak

Narrated by: Markus Zusak

WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION

“Playful and poignant . . . will be enjoyed by readers of the best dog tales, such as The Art of Racing in the Rain, for its ability to evoke both the aggravation and deep love that dogs foster.”—BookPage

In this poignant, funny, and disarmingly honest memoir, one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Book Thief, tells of his family’s adoption of three troublesome rescue dogs—a charming and courageous love story about making even the most incorrigible animals family.

There’s a madman dog beside me, and the hounds of memory ahead of us . . . It’s love and beasts and wild mistakes, and regret, but never to change things.

What happens when the Zusak family opens their home to three big, wild, street-hardened dogs—Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful, destructive; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm?

The answer can only be chaos: There are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property damages, injuries, hospital visits, wellness checks, pure comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that must be read to be believed.

There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love—and the joy and recognition of family.

Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth) is a tender, motley, and exquisitely written memoir about the human need for both connection and disorder, a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty—but also the visceral truth of the natural world—straight to our doors and into our lives and change us forever.

©2025 Markus Zusak (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Absolutely loved this book!

My husband and I have been owned four adopted dogs in the last 15 years. We have experienced so many situations just like those described in the book. We have laughed, we have cried, we have made emergency trips to the vet and experienced catastrophes of all sorts. We love our dogs dearly, and we cherish our years with them. They definitely make our lives richer. The author gets it all just right!! Thank you.

Great story, quite the tear jerker

We all love our dogs, and Markus brings to light all the things we love and eventually miss about our different dogs we have through our lives. Very good story, enjoyed thoroughly

Dogs are a love -hate relationship

Love all the description and discussion of dog ownership. Exploring why we do it. All the pranks and frustration that dogs can put us through.

Could have been a blogpost about why he likes a dog he never properly trained

Sadly, this book was a lot about day -to -day bad dog rearing choices. This guy might really love his dog but makes a lot of bad decisions . Then expects readers to applaud him for putting up with a frustrated confused and badly trained dog. Seriously frustrating book for anyone who put the time into reading one book , just one book about dog training before embarking on a 20 year do ownership journey. Sorry but no, not a fan.