My Boy Butch

Much beloved broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray recounts her great love affair with Butch the Chihuahua.

There was always a dog. If not real, then imagined.

As a lonely only child, Dame Jenni Murray longed to have a dog. She had only Timmy her imaginary pooch for company until her fifth birthday when her parents bought her a beautiful little puppy – Taffy the Corgi. This was to be the start of a life-long passion for man's best friend.

Having been a small dog owner all her adult life, in her fifties the arrival of Butch the Chihuahua coincided with the devastating discovery that she had breast cancer. Butch proved to be a devoted source of comfort, love and hilarity at the most difficult time in her life. Making her smile when she wanted to cry and laugh when she needed to the most, Butch was an invaluable source of support and the reassuring presence of this special little dog helped Jenni to make a full recovery.

Heartwarming, moving and hilarious at turns, My Boy Butch is a tribute to this oft maligned breed, and to a little dog who made life worth living again.

Reviews

Praise for My Boy Butch

‘An absolute joy…a breezy and uplifting read’ Daily Mail

Reviews for Memoirs of a Not So Dutiful Daughter

‘She tells her story with admirable candour’ Sunday Times

‘It is her fearless examination of her “love-hate” relationship with her mother, the confused feelings of betrayal that go with success, and the family dynamics and tensions that are most fascinating…I suspect that she was far more dutiful than most. Verging on heroic in fact.’ The Guardian

‘An intimate, confessional book…subtly and seductively constructed’ The Independent

‘An intense story, vividly and…humorously told’ Daily Mail

About the author

Jenni Murray started her career in local radio in Bristol. She has presented Newsnight on BBC2 and Today on Radio 4 before inheriting the Woman's Hour Chair from Sue MacGregor in 1987. She was awarded an OBE in 1999 for services to broadcasting.