Publishers Weekly
02/17/2020
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Chesney offers an inside look at life in the Special Forces and pays tribute to his canine partner Cairo in this heartfelt debut. Chesney details the intense mental and physical stresses of SEAL training, noting that only 20% of candidates graduate, and sketches his early deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Impressed by two military working dogs embedded with his unit in Afghanistan, Chesney, a self-described “dog guy,” decided to become a canine handler. At the end of a two-week “indoctrination period,” he was assigned Cairo, a Belgian Malinois with a hard work ethic and easygoing demeanor. He documents their growing bond over the course of several deployments, highlighting a mission in which Cairo was shot twice while flushing out a pair of insurgents and their participation in the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. After Chesney’s medical retirement (due to a brain injury), he fought bureaucratic red tape to bring Cairo home with him. Touching on the power of the human-animal bond, the effects of PTSD, and the legacy of the “war on terror,” this earnest account delivers many memorable moments. Dog lovers and fans of military history will be enthralled. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
No Ordinary Dog is not what you are expecting; this is not a normal war memoir. Yes Will was a Navy SEAL who served at the highest level. Yes, he was there when we killed Osama bin Laden. But this is a story about someone else who was there: Cairo. Cairo was the only dog chosen to be with us that night in Abbottabad, Pakistan, but that is not the only time we served with him. I personally fought next to Cairo in many different theaters of war but also trained with him around the globe. The Operators had meals with him and watched movies with him. We all did. Military Working Dogs have been on the frontlines since the wars began and have saved countless lives. This is Cairo’s story.” —Robert J. O’Neill, former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling Author of The Operator
"Former U.S. Navy SEAL Chesney offers an inside look at life in the Special Forces and pays tribute to his canine partner Cairo in this heartfelt debut....Dog lovers and fans of military history will be enthralled." —Publishers Weekly
“An outstanding book that captured me through to the end. Read this not just for the dog, or for the SEAL Team stories, but for its truth about the most precious of bonds: that between a man and his best friend.” —Mike Thornton, Retired Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor Recipient
"No Ordinary Dog demonstrates the healing and redemptive nature of the human-canine bond...Will Chesney and co-writer Joe Layden have done a public service by sharing this story. It’s a fast-paced opportunity to understand more about today’s military and the role of K9s in keeping our service members safe. It’s a heart-felt tribute to the human-canine bond. But most importantly, it encourages people with PTSD and TBI to reach out for support." —Military Working Dog Team Support Association
"By every measure, Cairo most certainly deserves to be remembered as the American hero that he was...Cairo—and other military and law enforcement working dogs like him—are heroes of the unwavering loyalty and steadfastness that perhaps only a dog could fully muster. Cairo’s story helps us to remember that." —The Havok Journal