Amazing, inspiring story about a cocker spaniel, Katie, who turned five neighbors into a family. Highly recommend!

Glenn Plaskin is an incredible author. I am putting his other books on my TBR list today.

The book starts with a description of Battery Park City in lower Manhattan. I worked a block from the World Trade Center towers for 7 years and spent a lot of time at Battery Park City. It was built with the excavated dirt from the construction of the Twin Towers. Battery Park City has incredible up-close views of the statue of Liberty, spectacular Hudson River sunsets, and an incredible Esplanade that is over a mile of paved walkways and parks. It is a miniature, breathtaking oasis.

Plaskin had me at "hello" with the first chapter. I was hooked and kept reading the book in one sitting until I finished it.

Plaskin did not have a dog when he was a child. As an adult, for twenty five years his "To Do" list included GET A DOG! He tried one dog for one night and then returned it. Then he borrowed a friend's cocker spaniel ( rent-a-dog) and decided to locate a cocker spaniel for himself.

Plaskin lived in a high rise apartment with a 120 foot hallway. He was introduced to an elderly couple whose cocker spaniel had recently died. Katie became a "shared" dog with Plaskin and his neighbors. Then a single dad and his young son moved onto the same floor and they also became part of Katie's extended family.

The book covers sixteen years of this very unique and special family environment, including 9/11 which displaced residents of Battery Park City for over seven weeks.

Powerful, heart wrenching, and memorable. Have some Kleenex handy.

Strongly recommend!

dogs five-stars memoir-autobiography-biography ...more16 s Franci Neill2,090 89

Seeing as I love my sweet dog as much as this author loved Katie, I absolutely loved this book. I cried, I laughed and just had a good time reading the whole story. If you're a dog lover or just an animal lover in general, read this book.10 s Heather Kubitski18

Sweet story about neighbors evolving into close family all at the "paws" of a loving cocker spaniel who saw the need for belonging and love in each life she touched. As time passes and people move on, the bittersweet lesson of losing loved ones but never losing the love you shared with them is learned. This story helps you realize just how important human and animal relationships are in our lives as it is through them that we learn how to love and experience unexplicable joy in our lives! Yes, it's a tear jerker, so cuddle up with your box of tissue and your trusty canine by your side and enjoy reading all about how Katie changed so many lives with her playful antics up and down the hall!8 s Kathy1,197 15

Glenn got Katie when he moved into a brand new high rise apartment building on the tip of Manhattan, and he did everything right: training, grooming, walks, food, treats (although maybe too much people food). As a journalist he works from home but travels too, and finds that his elderly neighbors, Pearl and Arthur, are always happy to have Katie at their place. Then John and his 3-year-old son move into the same hallway, and little Ryan encourages Katie's playfulness. When 9/11 happens the "family" is split up, but they continue to care for each other and for Katie until her death. A very special story.animals memoir6 s Steph7 11

I must admit, I originally picked this book up because of the cute Cocker Spaniel on the cover and I have a lovely Cocker of my own :-) Also, I have quite a penchant for memoirs- especially dog oriented ones.

This book really made me laugh, smile, cry and constantly stop to blow my nose all at the same time. Most things don't make me do all of that. It really showcases the healing power that dogs have with people and how they bring the most unly of people together. I know my own dog has done the same thing and if it weren't for her- I don't think I'd know as many of my neighbors and their dogs. I wouldn't be dogsitting my middle-aged, 60s activist neighbor's dog right now if it weren't for her.

I really related to it since my dog has a lot of similar qualities to Katie, although she hasn't been smuggled into hospitals and TV studios! Dogs really do become more than sources of amusement, they become family members teach you so many life lessons that you wouldn't expect. Plaskin showcased that throughout the book.5 s Leigh-ann175 10

If you know me, you know I love all animals, and that I've been rescuing dogs, cats, and parrots for years. Despite that, I just couldn't get into this book. I couldn't relate to the neurotic author who started out afraid of dogs, and wasn't excited by the celebrity anecdotes. I much preferred "Homer's Odyssey" in the genre, "I'm a New Yorker who survived 9/11 with my special pet", although it's obvious YMMV because I'm the only person here who isn't in love with "Katie Up and Down the Hall". 5 s Janet478 31

I read this book at least a couple of years ago. I don’t know why it wasn’t in my read history. But I remember, it was a very good, cute book. Definitely worth reading.dog-read5 s Donna4,101 104


2 stars.

This is a nonfiction memoir about a man and his runt of a dog and how this dog wiggled its way into the lives of other families on the same floor. It was a sweet story, but this book was just okay for me and even that seems generous. There were more things that bugged me more than things I d. I won't delve into that because I never do for nonfiction autobiographies/memoirs. I feel if people want to get their story out there, than more power to them. Overall, this wasn't my kind of book.......cute dog though.non-fiction4 s Janet BoyantonAuthor 2 books7

I loved this book. It will make you smile, laugh, and occasionally cry. It was a great story about the bond between a man and his dog. But it was more than just a standard cute dog story. It is a saga about neighbors and how we should connect. Katie brings neighbors together to form her little family. It is a touching story of friendship, both human and canine. I recieved this book free through Goodreads First Reads.4 s April383 15

I loved this book! It is totally a break away from my usual books, but who doesn't love a sweet story about a man and his dog? What I loved is the relationships that were built due to Katie, and how several people in an apartment building became family. Plaskin really tells his story well, and I felt I knew Katie, Pearl, Glenn, John, and Ryan. Yes, there were times I balled, but this was not a "sad" story. It really is uplifting, though it does have upsetting moments. favorites4 s Julie87

I had heard about this book from a magazine I had been reading and was very interested in what it was about.

It made me cry!

This book truly shows how deep man's best friend connection is with an animal and how they are there for you no matter what.4 s L65

Good read. Animal lovers will really enjoy this one. Single man with his dog and how this dog brought this New York Apartment Floor together. She was truly a "social" gal. Lots of laughter and some tears. Enjoyable, worthwhile, quick read. Happy reading...

4 s Danielle356 264

Are you an animal lover? More specifically, do you love dogs? If you answered yes to either or both of these questions then you will want to read this fantastic new memoir. Glenn Plaskin has been a dog lover his whole life and despite his (and his grandfather’s) most eager attempts to secure one early in life, he fails. As a child his mother couldn’t bring herself to allow another “child” into the home that needed to be cared for in addition to her already booming family. So, after waiting and seeking many years Glenn finally finds Katie, a beautiful golden Cocker Spaniel puppy, and by so doing brings with her a host of new family and friends. This is the story of how one animal can change and alter the lives of many, for good, for years and years to come.

I’m definitely an animal person. From the time I was quite young I can remember having a pet of some sort in our home. From fish to birds and of course cats, we were never without a furry (or non-furry) companion to brighten our day. Unfortunately for Glenn, though his mother loved animals, she couldn’t bring herself to add a dog into the mix of toddlers and small children in the home. Something I can definitely relate to currently. It’s often hard enough trying to care for the kiddos in your life without adding all that goes into properly caring for an animal.

Because of his mother’s trepidation and an early “scary” experience with a larger dog, Glenn waits many years before he finally decides to add to his “family”. And Katie’s arrival is not one he ventures into lightly. It’s this planning and preparing that really began to catch my interest in the book and then the subsequent concern for Katie and the very “child-” behavoirs she exhibited early on. It was delightful and quite fun to see how his experiences with Katie often mirrored some of the little quirky things that young children do as well as the love he quickly felt for her.

Not only did Glenn fall in love with Katie, but everyone else did as well. For those unaware, Glenn Paskin is actually a celebrity journalist and much of the memoir covers the time when he was interviewing many of them. Oddly enough, he felt comfortable bringing her with him to interviews with the s of Katherine Hepburn, Ivana Trump and Calvin Klein. Katie even made the articles of Page Six, a celebrity gossip column! Everyone she seemed to come in contact with was almost immediately at ease with her, with very few exceptions, and she had a way of bringing people who would otherwise keep a distance, together. This is truly the beauty of the book.

If I had any qualms with the book it would be that with the exception of the last 30 pages or so, I felt just “pretty good” about reading the book. It was a fun and quick read, with excellent writing and strong characters. Quite honestly, I read it in an afternoon. But it’s not until the last few pages of the book that the questions arise, the connection with Katie and Granny firmly implant themselves in your heart. Those last pages make every bit of the book worth reading. You will find yourself wondering if his journey was worth it? Was it the right thing for him to have added Katie to his family to begin with? Where would he be without her, as well as the others he met along the way?

Relationships that were formed as a result of Katie’s arrival and the subsequent partings were what brought heart to this memoir. Glenn Plaskin’s Katie Up and Down the Hall is one animal lovers and especially dog lovers, will fall in love with easily. You will relate on so many levels and find yourself looking back at fond memories of your own. This is definitely a book I’d recommend and would highly suggest waiting until you finish the very last page before deciding exactly how you feel about Katie and Glenn’s story. A story of heart that will teach you that some of the most important things in life are often the people we pass in the “hallways” each day.books-i-own chicklit for-review3 s Lis Carey2,193 117

In 1988, Glenn Plaskin bought a twelve-week-old cocker spaniel puppy, and named her Katie. As a first-time dog owner, he hardly knew where to begin, but a mutual friend introduced him to his neighbors down the hall in his Battery Park City apartment building, Pearl and Arthur. This older couple were life-long dog owners, and their last dog, a cocker spaniel named Brandy, had died two years earlier. Unprepared to get a new dog at this late stage of their lives, Pearl in particular is more than willing to help Glenn learn how to be a dog owner, and provide dog-sitting services.

It's not long before Glenn, Pearl, Arthur, and Katie start to build a bond a good deal closer than friendly neighbors. Arthur and Pearl were never able to have children, and Glenn's family, while close emotionally, is not close geographically. Pearl becomes another grandmother for Glenn, and a vital part of Katie's life, since she can't (usually!) accompany him to the office. Katie is a pampered darling, but a sweet, cooperative dog as well, and the fun grows when, as an indirect result of Glenn's work as a newspaper columnist, Katie starts to get modeling jobs.

And then Glenn's life runs full speed into a brick wall. The paper he works for is sold, and he's among the many let go. With all the other newspaper people on the job market at the same time, he's not having any success finding a new job. While he's still looking, his long-standing back trouble worsens dramatically, leaving him too disabled to work. He's getting physical therapy and attending a support group at a local community center--and Katie, accompanying him to the center, expands his family once again. She starts playing with six-year-old Ryan, and Glenn forms a friendship with Ryan's single dad, John. Coincidentally, John wants to move to someplace that will give him a less stressful and demanding commute, and an apartment becomes available in Glenn's building, on the same hall. Pearl becomes a friend and confidant to John and a grandmother to Ryan, and the three households bind together. They're in and out of each other's apartments, having "family" dinners together on a regular basis, and celebrating birthdays together. When Glenn is recovered enough to work again, he gets a job with Family Circle, and one of his feature articles is "Grandma Down the Hall," about the family they've created together.

It isn't all high spirits and fun. They're in the residential building closest to the Twin Towers. They live through the terror of realizing what's happened, fleeing the expanding debris cloud, and slowly rebuilding their lives and waiting out the time until they can return to their apartments. Also, Pearl and Arthur are in their late seventies when we meet them, and Katie is a dog, so in one sense the ending is no surprise. Glenn Plaskin makes Katie and his human neighbors come alive on the page, though, and while the ending is natural and inevitable, it's also deeply moving. Honestly, I cried through most of the last two chapters.

This is not a depressing book, though. It's warm and engaging and hopeful, and a must-read whether or not you're a "dog person."

Highly recommended.

I bought this book in ebook format.

You can read more of my at Lis Carey's Librarybiography dogs favorites ...more3 s Alyce (At Home With Books)174 104

I was drawn to Katie Up and Down the Hall for two reasons: the setting and the main character. The book is set in Battery Park City in New York City, and since I visited New York for the first time last summer I’ve been enjoying revisiting the city vicariously through this book. The main character is Katie, a Cocker Spaniel who belonged to the author (Glenn Plaskin), and united him in friendship with some special neighbors. (I say that she is the main character, and she is, but the book is not written from her point of view as seems to be so popular lately, but rather that of the author.)

I don’t know why it is, but I love reading stories about real life animals – animal memoirs if you want to call them that – yet I despise most fiction stories about animals. I think the difference is that I have no problem reading about things that really happen when it comes to animals and their special relationships with humans, because even though there is an inevitable sad ending, it is based on fact. When it comes to fiction though I get very emotional and angry if the author lets anything bad happen to the animal characters. Fiction of that sort strikes me as emotionally manipulative and underhanded. I think it’s the difference between someone sharing a sorrow with you (i.e. a true story) and someone telling you something terrible just to watch you cry (fiction).

I say all of this as if this were a sad book, but for the most part it isn’t. It is a story of joy, friendships and neighbors who become family. It’s just that when you read about an animal you know that they aren’t going to be around forever. In the case of this real life story I was not disappointed by the content. It was amusing reading about the author’s introduction to pet care, and how Katie soon took over his life. The way that she was the catalyst for several neighbors to develop friendships was touching.

There were a few times where the author seemed to be beating me over the head with repetitions of how cute and special Katie was, but I let that go in much the same way I would have patience with a parent bragging about their precocious child.

Since Katie’s owner was a journalist who interviewed famous people, Katie also got to meet her share of celebrities. Along with the celebrity interview stories, I also enjoyed the anecdotes of how the author sneaked Katie onto airplanes, into hotels, and even into the hospital with him.

The story’s strength is in the growing relationships between the author and his elderly neighbors, and then later between all of them and a young neighbor boy. The story seems so unusual and touching because I wouldn’t normally think of New York City as a place where neighbors take the time to get to know each other, much less become close family. It gives a hopeful message of inspiration: that you should consider those around you as potential future friends.

Katie Up and Down the Hall is a sweet story, and I won’t lie to you, I cried buckets when it came to the inevitable sad ending. I would recommend this book to animal lovers (especially dog lovers). 3 s Stacey Lucky180 27

I had no idea how much I would be crying by the end of this book. I lost my grandma last january and we were extremely close so the loss of Pearl and Katie just sent all the feelings back up..I knew what Glenn was going through..and felt his pain. I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning but in the end I really loved it and I admit I wanted it to be over so I could stop crying!! lol

dog-books favorites first-reads ...more3 s Suzanne143

Glenn Paskin told a great story about his dog. I thought the book was going to be similar to Marley and Me by John Grogan but it wasn't. This story was about the power of a dog to bring people together, how relationships grow, and how people and animals can change our lives. I am not a "dog person" but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Several times it brought me to tears. Glenn did a great job of bringing his family and friends to live.3 s Teechbiz62 14

Glenn Plaskin writes about his dog Katie and how she unites a group of neighbors in an apartment building of people truly become family. The story takes you through Katie's life with meeting the rich and famous and a everyone in between. The story is much more than the life of Katie and includes the people she becomes close to and puts a smile on their faces

I have a cocker myself so I could relate.3 s Kim Anderson24 45

This book is sooooo good. It's one of those non-fiction books that doesn't read a non-fiction book at all. I enjoyed it immensely. It's been a loooong time since I've had a book that gave me ALL the feels this one had. I laughed out loud. I sobbed (loud enough that family members checked to ensure I was OK). This one will stick with me for some time. A must read for any animal lover. And wonderful proof that "family" is not just by blood. 3 s Shannon97 5

I dare you to read this and not cry by the end...if you do not cry you probably do not have a human soul. A very sweet story about how one dog set in motion events that made complete strangers a family. With everything going on right now it felt especially sweet and I cried a big, fat baby. No offense, Levi.animals3 s Becky Schulman1,111 2

Should have thought this over before I read it. Is there a book about a beloved dog anywhere where the dog doesn't die? I sobbed for hours as I read how Katie died as it was identical to my experience wih Wally in June of 2009.3 s Jayme(theghostreader)330 42

This book has been on my tbr list for awhile. I loved this book. I think I would have loved Katie. She brought the neighbors together and made them family. She enriched their lives and enriched her owner's life. I think I would have loved Pearl, his elderly neighbor. She took on the role of Glenn's grandmother and friend. My grandparents have passed away. This book reminded me of "Marley and Me". I found it to be heartwarming and I feel the author's life was changed. I cried when Katie died and then when Pearl died. Pets make our lives better. Also, the author interviewed many famous people I have heard of when he wrote for the Daily News. 5-star-books rws-summer-2016 src-summer-2016 ...more2 s Chayong609 7

5 amazing stars!

It was so tempting to put the book down in the beginning. I wanted to do it dismissively. But the prose was just so relaxing and moving that when I put down my judgment I realize that Glenn Plaskin was sharing so much love and joy to the world through this book.

Thank you Glenn Plaskin for sharing your life so generously to the rest of the world! (I’m sure you already know you’re an amazing writer.)2 s Sandy63 1 follower

Katie, the cocker spaniel, helped unite several strangers who became an unrelated 'family'.
A touching story about life and death.
I also d that it gave a different view point of 9/11, since they're apartments were so near
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