One winter's afternoon, Stephen Foster walks into a dog re-homing centre with the intention of picking up a retired greyhound. Instead, he acquires an abandoned lurcher pup. Foster's knowledge of dogs is so vague that he has to look up 'lurcher' in key reference work The Giant Book of the Dog, to find out what sort of animal is coming to join the family. His research counts for little: the new arrival does not conform to any known breed standard, or indeed any standard whatsoever that might be considered dog-normal. Walking Ollie is for anyone who has ever loved a dog - a touching, and often hysterically funny, account of one man's attempt to turn a decidedly difficult animal into something resembling a domestic pet.
