Paw Prints in Oman: Dogs, Mogs and Me

Some times you come across a book that just makes you take pause and think, "Could I have done this?" "Paw Prints in Oman: Dogs, Mogs and Me" is a book that did that for me. Like Charlotte, I am a huge animal lover... only I can't personally handle when they are hurt or dying. It just rips my guts to shreds. This is why I have so much respect for those able to pull up everything inside of them and help. Brought both smiles and tears to me, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. Charlotte you truly inspire me. Great book.

I bought this book hoping to get some insight into Omani/Middle Eastern culture. Although this author's writing style is entertaining, I found myself disappointed and somewhat disgusted at her arrogance and disrespect toward the latter. While I can understand her frustrations, having grown up in a developing country and traveled through the a few countries in the Mid East, a memoir that focuses primarily on the negatives of a country (ie how mean Omanis are to animals, and how her golf caddy 'stank' so horrifically that she had her husband bribe the offender away leaving her to happily carry her own bag) reflects an ignorant individual who never bothered to leave her "beloved expat world" to understand or learn about/from a different culture.

Great, fascinating book! An interesting read, and I learned a lot. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to pick up and move somewhere totally different and/or if you've wondered how a non-Western culture thinks about pets, this is a book you'll enjoy.

Being an animal lover and ex-pat myself, I was recommended Paw Prints by a friend – very glad he did, too!
Paw prints in Oman – as this original title suggests - is unlike any memoir I have read before, interweaving the privileged expat experience - luxury and fun (skiing in Dubai!) but also alienation and loneliness – and the down and dirty, heart-breaking graft in an animal rescue clinic.
I was drawn in by the author’s honest, self-deprecating and often humorous account of both ups and downs of those seven years in the Middle East, especially the culture clashes of all those people with different ethnic and national backgrounds Charlotte encountered on the way. I was impressed by her courage, determination and passion with which she threw herself into helping and saving poorly treated animals.
There is only minor thing which would have made me enjoy the book even more: although we get a glimpse of events happening in Oman (Ramadan, and the Arab Spring for example) I would have welcomed a few more observations about the Omani people, not just individual encounters, but perhaps some reflections about their customs and culture (gender relations, family life, politics)… But perhaps that was beyond the scope of a very personal memoir from a very personal perspective.
Having said that, overall this book was full of loveable characters, human and otherwise, and a real page-turner which I can wholeheartedly recommend to any reader interested in memoirs, travel, living abroad and animals!

I really enjoyed reading about the author's move to Oman and her adventures at the veterinary clinic. Despite the cultural differences that probably made it very uncomfortable at times for someone who truly loves pets, Charlotte made more of a difference than she probably even realizes in the lives of so many animals in Muscat. Her family seems so relatable and likeable, and the struggle to decide when to leave is so relatable, as well.

This was a nice, easy read, and I will be looking for more from this fun author!

I was wondering if I would be able to read this book. After all it involved animals, veterinarians and an animal shelter in the Middle East - tissues by the boxful - right? Well perhaps there was the occasional tissue, but the author approached this memoir with such humour and compassion that I loved it. Life in Muscat, Oman would have been a wonderful tale in itself, but it was merely the background. Charlotte Smith found herself working tirelessly for the many strays and hurt animals abandoned in her district. We meet the furry creatures who were healed and rehomed and hurt for those that weren't so lucky. We are also privileged to glimpse life in Oman and get to know the author's family and their quirky, lovable animals. This is a beautifully written book.