Wow, I was just thinking about this topic the other day because I started reading Relentless...and got only a few pages in before putting it down.
I love his earlier work. Ten years ago I would have said he was my favorite author. I would buy any new book of his on the shelf without even reading the back. He is one of the reasons I wanted to write. If I started to read one of his novels, I would often read it straight through. Now I can ony get a few pages in?
What happened? Every story now has a goofy but lovable male MC who miraculously lands this beautiful, but spunky woman. If there is a kid, s/he is either disabled or a genius. And there is always an intelligent, almost human dog.
He used to be so different, now he is one of the most formulaic writers out there. Now I love dogs. I mean really love dogs, I am a huge animal lover. I have a 13 year old german shepherd that has been with me through the toughest times in my life. There was a period when I only had him, and he is going to die soon. The thought sends me into a panic. I will completely lose it when he dies, so I understand Koontz being upset. Trixie was not just a dog to him.
But srsly man, let it go. If this has anything to do with his writing as of late, move on. Grieve, yes, but don't share it with the world. Do it in private, with your wife. Stop talking about dogs and how amazing they are in every single book! And I say this as a dog lover. Can't imagine how people that don't get dogs would feel about these books.
As far as Relentless goes, wangst much, Mr Koontz? Oh no, critics are evil, if they say anything bad about your books, they are either too stupid to understand them, or haven't bothered to read them. All I kept thinking was he must have gotten bad reviews lately, so this is his way of acting out. Throwing a temper tantrum of sorts. Very self-indulgent. I think this might be the first book of his ever that I don't finish.
ETA: I think Watchers is his best novel. Now that story needed the dog, and the dog needed to be anthropomorphized for the story to work. But the dogs in almost every story since could have been left out.