If you aren't a dog person (shame on you), then Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin is not the book for you. However, if you own, or have owned a dog then this book will remind you of how a dog becomes such a huge part of your life; at first creating a tailspin, forcing you to adapt your routines, and then slowly, but surely makes you forget that you ever had a life before your dog came into the picture.
Katie, the title character is a cocker spaniel named in honor of the author's favorite celebrity interview subject, Katharine Hepburn. In an amusing anecdote, Plaskin writes about Katie's big meeting with the Hollywood legend, in which Ms. Hepburn was less than impressed by the blond bombshell that is Katie. As a celebrity journalist and author, Plaskin includes countless stories of his beloved dog Katie and her lasting effect on some big name celebrities including Bette Midler and Leona Helmsley, and Katie's very own spread in Family Circle magazine.
Though Katie's fame-seeking ways are part of her charm, the bulk of this memoir is not about the glamorous life. Rather it is an all too familiar tale of how in typical New York fashion, neighbors don't always befriend each other, usually uttering a casual hello as they pass each other in the hallways. Katie's true gift was her ability to break this cycle, uniting a group of neighbors in her Battery Park City apartment building, creating a family for her owner.
As the runt of the litter, Katie was not always the beautiful girl she grew up to be, but from the start she had a twinkle in her eye, immediately capturing the heart of Pearl and Arthur, Glenn's elderly neighbors. Pearl and Katie were inseparable, cooking together, napping together and going on walks. When Glenn went off to work, Katie would spend her days with Pearl and Arthur, entertaining them.
Through the years, Katie helped Glenn's family grow, as he met John and his son Ryan, a rambunctious little boy who immediately bonded with Katie. After John and Ryan moved into their building, Katie and Pearl would meet Ryan at the bus stop, and they would spend the afternoon together, initiating an "open-door policy" running back and forth between their three apartments, with Ryan and Katie racing in the hallway. Plaskin's writing style invites readers into his world, introducing his friends and family, drawing the reader in and making them care about the people in his life.
Although the focus of this story is on Katie and her ability to bring people together,Battery Park City plays a supporting role. Plaskin's descriptions bring the city to life, creating such vivid pictures of the neighborhood in lower Manhattan. Ultimately, Katie Up and Down the Hall is a story of friendship, between a dog and her owner, and how that bond opened doors to unexpected happiness and fulfillment. From depression and physical ailments, to the emotional distress and displacement of 9/11, Katie remained a constant for Glenn and Pearl, always lifting their spirits and reminding them of what's important in life.
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