Rita M. Reynolds, La Joie, 2002
     Kay’s deep love for Lauren includes the necessary ingredients of joy and humor. There are moments throughout the book, especially toward the end when Lauren begins to fall ill, that you, the reader, will hold your breath for too long until the crisis is resolved. And, equally, there are moments of such hilarity, that you will stop breathing simply because you are laughing so hard. Lauren’s Story literally has it all: heartbreak, despair, courage, joy and always, love.

The Virginia Quarterly Review, Winter 2003
     This is a charming tale of requited love. Lauren and Kay discovered each other after being introduced by Kay’s sister and their love story began. They shared an apartment in Paris, dined together at the city’s best restaurants, played in the Luxembourg Gardens, traveled through France and matured together. When Lauren falls ill to cancer, Kay realizes that “Lauren has taught me more than any creature on earth, for she’s taught me how to love.” Creature? Yes. Lauren is a beagle.

Chantal Westerman, Good Morning America and Wisdom Channel, 2002
     If you have a dog you love; if you ever wanted a dog; if you sometimes feel yourself thinking, ‘Maybe I should get a dog,’ read this book! It is tender, funny, unforgettable and impossible to put down. In today’s sometimes dark world, Lauren’s Story is a much needed and brilliant ray of light.

James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review, 2002
     An engaging and heartwarming story of adventure, trust, caring, and hope. Lauren’s Story is highly recommended reading, especially for dog lovers everywhere.

Sally Rosenthal, Best Friends Magazine, 2004
     Don’t be fooled by the subtitle; this book is more than a canine travelogue. Much more. While the author does pay homage to her adopted city of many years, the true object of her affection is Lauren, an infinitely lovable, chronically ill beagle. In this wonderful tale, Pfaltz chronicles her life with Lauren on both sides of the Atlantic, making no bones about the depth of their relationship. Lauren’s Story is my favorite sort of animal book—one that details a loving bond that enriches the readerís life almost as much as the lives of the dog and person involved.

Susan H. Linden, Bark, the modern dog culture magazine, 2002
     Kay Pfaltz’s account of the years spent with her Beagle Lauren will enchant anyone whose life has been changed by a special dog. Pfaltz sets out to write about “the meaning of unconditional love,” and her story is at once a reflection on this topic and a personal memoir. Lauren’s Story recounts the relationship of a woman and her dog, but it is also an essay on happiness, both human and canine.[…] Lauren’s Story is a tribute to life, and an invitation to cherish every moment of it.

Sally D. Ketchum, Foreword, Reviews of Good Books Independently Published, 2002
     Lauren, a young, starving beagle, matures into a cosmopolitan dog that takes on Paris from its cafés and cinemas to its gardens and salons. She is also the center of a small group of well-defined, fully individuated characters.[…] The descriptive passages are so detailed and evocative of scene, that at times it seems as if the Parisian setting becomes a character itself. Readers who love art, music, literature, history and obviously animals will enjoy vicariously traveling with Pfaltz and Lauren. Their excursions are full of historic places and notable people, engaging and stimulating to readers.
      Unconditional love is the recurring theme of this book, whether it is between narrator and dog or, more broadly, dog and humanity.[…] Reflective passages are well integrated into episodes of romance, travel, and health crises, further, they are inspirational and pertinent to the theme. Though poignant, the book is not sad, but heartening.

Elizabeth Kiem, The Hook, 2002
     It’s easy to fall in love with Paris. It’s easy to fall in love with a dog. Less common than either unconditional love for a dog or a former stray that dines elegantly al fresco is the kind of devotion that drove Pfaltz from an idyllic lifestyle as a Left bank restaurant critic to a Motel 6 in the beltway hell of Springfield [Virginia].
Pfaltz is wrestling with the heavyweights: life, death, and humanity. Pfaltz’s love for Paris is almost as strong as her feelings for her dog, but it’s enriched with an irony unavailable for Lauren. “The motocrots were motorcycles with long vacuum tubes that sucked up each dog’s crot. Ah Paris.”

Jeffrey Masson, author of Dogs Don’t Lie About Love, 2002
     A beautiful, sensitive book, filled with canine love. This book shows that when it comes to love, dogs may be our superior.

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