Corazon de Perro

An honest book that will touch the hearts of animal lovers and those who have felt the beating of another heart close to them... Take, the elderly German Shepherd who has been Hiromi Ito's companion throughout her life, is no longer the strong and beautiful dog she once was. She has gradually lost the ability to walk and feed herself. As the author cares for her, memories inevitably resurface of the days when Take, as a young, energetic puppy, would run joyfully and eagerly down the hillside. All these memories make up a life built on small routines, seemingly always the same, but which make her presence in the family precious and irreplaceable. At the same time, Hiromi's father's health has also begun an irreversible decline: he suffers from Parkinson's disease and lives alone in Japan with his dog. Hiromi visits him every month to spend time with him, enduring exhausting journeys and medical and veterinary appointments, which forces her to reflect on the meaning of care, responsibility, affection, and the limits of understanding between humans and animals, as well as how we experience old age, illness, and farewells. In this book, written by one of Japan's most important authors, a sincere and generous, though sometimes heartbreaking, story unfolds about what it means to care, to love, and to create deep and unparalleled bonds.