The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife

as told to Carole Raphaelle Davis  

Andrews McMeel, 216 pages, $12.95  

Available on Amazon.com

A book "authored" by a dog? I know what you're thinking: too cute by half! But this title is different: it's smart and sassy and witty, like no other book "authored" by a dog I've ever read. Jinky, a terrier mix rescued from certain death at a California animal shelter, now lives in the lap of luxury. He's hit the lottery and he knows it, but unlike certain celebs, he's not about to let success go to his head. He's eternally thankful for the head-spinning reversal of fortune that landed him in a family with a convertible, a Jacuzzi, a Cairn Terrier for a "wife," and a second home in France.  

That doesn't mean he grovels with gratitude: far from it. Jinky has no problem pointing out his people's amusing foibles and revealing the chinks in their Hollywood armor. This lucky mutt was adopted by veteran comedy writer Kevin Rooney and his sexy spouse Carole Raphaelle Davis, bombshell actress (you've seen her on "Sex and the City" and "Scrubs"), animal activist, and onetime Penthouse Pet. Jinky doesn't exactly bite the hand that feeds, but ... he just calls 'em as he sees 'em. (Or, in the case of his owners' occasional flatulence in the tub, smells 'em.)  

He's also a savvy political animal - for proof, go here - whose blog, from which large portions of this book were culled, offers especially biting commentary on the Hollywood writers' strike. Whatever he's opining about, Jinky's observations are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Think of him as the spawn of Ambrose Bierce and Dorothy Parker trapped in the body of Benji.  

As a coda to her dog's diary, Davis adds an afterword that discusses the serious problem of pet overpopulation and why we all should adopt shelter animals, Jinky's brethren. We thought her essay was so moving, we reprinted it here. (With Jinky's permission, of course). 

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