Living with Freddie
On sale
6th August 2026
Price: £22
Genre
An extraordinary memoir about learning to see the world through a dog’s eyes, by a New Yorker writer and animal behaviour expert
When Anna Heyward adopted Freddie, a rescued Italian greyhound, she was thrilled to bring a dog into her life. But Freddie, she quickly realised, had separation anxiety and was unable to be left alone. Some would have given up and returned the dog to the rescue but Anna, instead, became obsessed with trying to help Freddie, which meant putting her relationship, social life and job at risk. As Anna observed Freddie’s behavior, she began to change – but not in the way you might expect.
Living with Freddie is a story about what it means to be bad or good, how much we can – or should – try to alter another being’s behavior, and what it is possible to know about another mind. But at its heart, this is a beautiful, heart-wrenching portrait of the relationship between a human and a dog. And at the end of Freddie’s story, you, too, may find yourself changed.
When Anna Heyward adopted Freddie, a rescued Italian greyhound, she was thrilled to bring a dog into her life. But Freddie, she quickly realised, had separation anxiety and was unable to be left alone. Some would have given up and returned the dog to the rescue but Anna, instead, became obsessed with trying to help Freddie, which meant putting her relationship, social life and job at risk. As Anna observed Freddie’s behavior, she began to change – but not in the way you might expect.
Living with Freddie is a story about what it means to be bad or good, how much we can – or should – try to alter another being’s behavior, and what it is possible to know about another mind. But at its heart, this is a beautiful, heart-wrenching portrait of the relationship between a human and a dog. And at the end of Freddie’s story, you, too, may find yourself changed.
Reviews
In this extraordinary, beautifully written book, Anna Heyward places the science and history of our relationship with dogs within a deeply personal story about the joy and the pain of living with, and trying to relate to, a nonhuman animal. In her careful consideration of Freddie's views of his world, Heyward challenges our assumptions and preconceived notions about dogs and other animals with whom we live. Living with Freddie is a stunning meditation on the bond between beasts and humans, and captures the full emotional range inherent to these complex relationships