A Dog's Journey
A Dog's Journey is a 2012 book written by W. Bruce Cameron and published by Forge Books. It is the sequel to Cameron's 2010 book A Dog's Purpose.
Summary
A year after A Dog's Purpose Hannah has allowed Gloria and her infant child Clarity June to stay with them at the farm after the death of Ethan and Hannah's son, Henry. Gloria takes an immediate dislike to Ethan's old Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, Bailey, the reincarnation of his dog Buddy. Bailey feels he has found his purpose, which is to watch over CJ.Numerous incidents occur in which Gloria's negligence endangers CJ before Bailey saves her. Gloria blames Bailey for all of them. Hannah suggests that they keep CJ at the farm while Gloria pursues her singing career. Gloria sees this as them telling her she is a bad mother, unable to care for her own child as well as them trying to take CJ away from her. Gloria, enraged with Hannah & Ethan,leaves with CJ, cutting them out of the little girl's life.
Not long after Gloria & CJ's departure, Ethan feels that Bailey has a lump and takes him to the veterinarian where he is diagnosed with cancer. Bailey is euthanized shortly after with Ethan by his side. Ethan tells Bailey when he is reincarnated to find CJ and do whatever he can to protect her.
Bailey wakes up reincarnated as Molly, a mix, in a pet store, with several brothers and sisters. CJ is now a 10-year-old living with a still neglectful Gloria. CJ goes with her best friend Trent and his parents to buy him a dog. Trent adopts Rocky, Molly's brother. CJ is not allowed to have dogs, as Gloria does not like them. However, CJ cannot being herself to leave Molly, so she adopts her. CJ tries to hide Molly in her basement, but the dog is discovered by Gloria. CJ says that if Gloria lets her keep Molly, she will not tell her school about the child neglect that is happening at home. During CJ's childhood, Gloria verbally abuses CJ about her weight, and goes on lavish shopping trips and vacations while leaving her young daughter alone at home. Molly, as well as Trent and Rocky, look after her.
At 17,CJ meets a boy named Shane at a convenience store. Though Molly can instantly tell that Shane is a bad person & does not care about her, CJ begins dating him. While at a party Shane gives CJ a drink, then leaves her to buy drugs from another party guest. People start running out of the party, and Molly tries to get CJ to leave as well, but she is too late and CJ is arrested by the cops. Molly is taken to the pound. Trent arrives soon after to collect Molly. He takes her home to an anxious CJ who thanks him profusely for saving Molly.
CJ has been sentenced to serve 100 hours of community service at a training facility where they train dogs to detect cancer in patients. CJ is pleased that she is allowed to bring Molly with her. During her time there, Molly begins to mimick the actions of the training dogs, leading one of the directors of the program to ask CJ if she would allow them to fully train Molly to properly learn to detect cancer. She happily agrees and Molly loves it, as she is a rewarded with a treat whenever she properly diagnoses a patient by laying in front of them and crossing her front paws.
One day, while they are at community service, Shane comes to find CJ and attacks her, ripping her clothing. Molly bites him and they are able to escape. CJ goes home and tries to tell Gloria what happened, but Gloria, drunk and preoccupied with being dumped by her latest boyfriend, gives her no sympathy or comfort, going so far as to blame CJ for provoking the attack by wearing the wrong clothes or saying the wrong things. Finally at her breaking point & disgusted by her mother, CJ declares that she is leaving as she can no longer stand to be around her neglectful and alcoholic mother. She asks for her inheritance, the money from her father's life insurance that was supposed to be set aside for her college. Gloria tells her that the money is all gone, as she used the money to buy their house, their car, as well as to finance her luxurious lifestyle. CJ takes the car, telling Gloria it was hers since she ultimately paid for it, and leaves home with Molly.
As CJ is driving with Molly in the back seat, she realizes that Shane is following her. CJ tries to escape from him, but he continues his pursuit, even rear ending her car as she tries to get away. CJ loses control of the car, causing it to hit a concrete barrier and flip her car over as it crashes. Shane pulls up slowly next to her car and then speeds away. CJ is uninjured, as she was wearing her seat belt, but Molly has been ejected from the car. She dies with CJ laying next to her.
Molly is soon reincarnated as Big Dog, an English Mastiff, who lives with a man named Big Joe. Big Joe owns a gas station and Big Dog loves the treats that Big Joe always feeds him like, hot dogs & chips. He still longs for CJ but does not know how to find him. One day, CJ stops at the gas station on her way to New York and Big Dog is happily reunited with her. He gives her his paw to shake, to the amazement of Big Joe as he has never seen Big Dog perform that trick, nor be so affectionate to a customer. CJ pets him, telling Big Joe that she had a dog named Molly who she trained to shake just like Big Dog. CJ buys a few items & a scratch off lottery ticket. She is pleasantly surprised to find that she has won $50, saying she has never won anything & calling Big Dog her Lucky Dog. As CJ leaves, Big Dog tries to go with her but she tells him that he has to stay with his owner and drives away. Determined not to lose her again, Big Dogs runs after CJ as long as he can. Big Joe comes to bring him home. He realizes that he & CJ will not be together in this life but he will find her in the next one.
Molly is then reincarnated as Max, a Yorkshire Terrier. He is waiting to be adopted at a pet adoption event in Washington Square Park in New York City. He is very determined to be reunited with CJ. Max purposely bites or barks at people and to be sure no one will adopt him. That day Max gets a glimpse of CJ and manages to escape his cage and run after her. He runs into her apartment building and follows her into the elevator. His leash is caught in the door and CJ quickly unhooks it to stop him from being choked. Max jumps into CJ's arms, thrilled to be reunited with her. CJ is now a part-time dog walker and singer-songwriter living with her boyfriend Barry and his dog Duke. She goes to return Max to the adoption agency, but after learning Max is scheduled to be euthanized the next day, she decides to keep him.
One day while Max is on a dog walking job with CJ, he smells Trent, CJ's childhood friend, and finds his apartment door, with CJ catching up to Max just as Trent opens the door. CJ and Trent reunite, though Max is sad to no longer be able to smell his brother Rocky, realizing that he must have died. CJ learns that Trent has a girlfriend who will be joining him soon, and he suggests they all go out for a double date once she arrives. Max knows that CJ and Trent want to be together. As Max does not like how CJ's current boyfriend has been treating her, he begins acting hostile towards Barry, peeing on him & destroying his shoes. This causes arguments between CJ and her boyfriend and she leaves him. Max and CJ bounce around different friend's apartments until one day Max smells Trent and runs to him, forcing CJ to tell Trent about her breakup. Trent offers them his guest room, though his girlfriend Liesl seems less than thrilled about the pair staying with them.
Trent, his girlfriend Liesl, CJ and Max start to live together. Trent comes home one day, telling CJ how tired he is & how tired he's been since he's moved to New York. While Trent and CJ are talking, Max smells cancer on Trent and sits down on front of him, crossing his front paws to get a treat. CJ recognizes what Max is doing and finds it strange, but asks Trent to go to the doctor anyway, just to make sure everything is okay. Trent is diagnosed with cancer and Liesl, declaring that cancer is too much for her to deal with, leaves him. CJ stays to take care of him, getting him through chemotherapy. He is eventually declared cancer free.
Gloria has been trying to contact CJ for awhile. Trent encourages her to finally meet with her mother. Gloria begs CJ for forgiveness, telling her she's been sober for over 9 months, and admits she was not a good mother. She asks to be part of her life, but CJ is reluctant to allow that. Gloria gives CJ several letters from her father, as well as Hannah & Ethan. CJ does not want to read them, but Gloria assures her she truly does to learn about her father and his love for both her mother & CJ before she was born. The letters encourage CJ to write some new songs & finally perform her music in public, with Trent there for support. The performance is a success.
Trent tells CJ that he wants to repay her & Max for helping him through cancer. They take a road trip to visit Hannah & Ethan's farm so that she can reconnect with her grandparents. Max recognizes the farm and runs straight onto the porch, reuniting with Ethan, telling him he did what he asked & found and protected CJ. Ethan recognizes Max as a reincarnated Bailey, calling him that, as well as Boss Dog, Max's favorite nickname. Hannah explains to CJ that Ethan believes Bailey brought her & Ethan back together, and now Max has done the same, bringing CJ back to them.
CJ, realizes that Bailey/Molly/Big Dog/Max did the same for her, bringing her back to Trent. She runs to find him and tells him about the dogs. She explains that Max remembered how Molly was trained to spot cancer, & that's how Max knew Trent was sick. CJ then confesses her love for Trent. Trent replies that he has loved her forever.
CJ & Trent marry and have a baby boy. Max tells us that Gloria did come to play with the baby when he was born, revealing that CJ & Gloria have reconciled. As their little boy grows up, we see him with both Gloria and Ethan & Hannah, showing they too have mended their relationship. Ethan dies, with Max by his side. Soon after, Max too passes away peacefully, with CJ singing to him, as she & Trent lay by his side.
Max finds himself in Heaven, running along a trail, showing each of his dog incarnations. he runs over a bridge as Bailey, reuniting with Ethan, where they run & play forever.