A BIG LITTLE LIFE: A MEMOIR OF A JOYFUL DOG. By Dean Koontz. Hyperion. 288 pages. $24.99

There is a verse in the Bible that has always stood out to me as though its words are rendered in blazing red neon. The verse is Hebrews 13:2, and the words are, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." That verse always makes me think of all the animals, many of them strangers, that have found their way to my door over the years.

Dean Koontz, with his book "A Big Little Life," the tale of his female golden retriever, pretty much backs up this counsel with one amazing story after another. Trixie, the first dog he and his wife ever had, changed him forever. Trixie pushed his senses of wonder and joy to the forefront, even transforming the way he wrote, and making him view his faith in ways he would never have before envisioned. Koontz may be a little preachy at times, but his logic -- where cold logic is applicable -- is dead on.

I can only encourage those who do not have dogs in their lives to read this book. Even those who know firsthand how inspiring dogs can be may come away transformed by Trixie Koontz. I know that I was, and the world seems a better place because of this one "big little life."

-- Linda Hopkins, a reader in Stuart