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| 0757303315
| 9780757303319
| 4.22
| 2,113
| Sep 27, 2005
| Sep 27, 2005
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really liked it
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I didn't have this in my collection so got it, but when I started reading it I remembered I have read it before. I like the Chicken Soup for the Soul
I didn't have this in my collection so got it, but when I started reading it I remembered I have read it before. I like the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but don't seem to remember liking it widely and don't want to read it again right now so giving it 4 stars and moving on.
...more
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Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 31, 2024
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Aug 31, 2024
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Aug 31, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0670498440
| 9780670498444
| 0670498440
| 4.31
| 13
| 1946
| May 21, 1946
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it was amazing
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Nice middle school book published in 1946. it is set in Harlem and the black and white photographs makes it look like what is written really happened,
Nice middle school book published in 1946. it is set in Harlem and the black and white photographs makes it look like what is written really happened, instead of made up. No matter if it was true or not, still a good story. Rinty gets in trouble throughout the book and David works hard to keep his father from forcing him to give the dog away. I found it very clever how the book takes the reason for Rinty's misbehavior and turns it into an asset in the end. 'That night Rinty slept on David's bed, though he wasn't supposed to, and David lay awake thinking. What could he do to make money so he could keep Rinty? He thought of what Mrs. Moseley had said. Then he got an idea.' The story is nice. I liked how David worked hard to find ways to keep Rinty. If I was reading to a child, I would want to stop not too far in and have them try to think of ideas. The black and white pictures of Rinty (I believe an Airedale) and David are very nice, and ones of Harlem are really great. Definitely a book I would recommend if you can get your hands on a copy. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 19, 2024
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Aug 19, 2024
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Aug 19, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 1612347932
| 9781612347936
| B016XE5RRC
| 4.00
| 26
| Nov 01, 2015
| Nov 01, 2015
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really liked it
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I started reading this book, published in 2015, but as got in a little ways it quoted the book 'Rags' by Jack Rohan, published in 1930, that I stopped
I started reading this book, published in 2015, but as got in a little ways it quoted the book 'Rags' by Jack Rohan, published in 1930, that I stopped and read 'Rags' first. I would recommend others to read both books with Rags first, if you only could chose one, it is hard to say this one over the other. 'From Stray Dog...' definitely gives more context to the story of the dog Rags and the Great War he was caught up in. If you like military history you may enjoy this book more than the other. This book started off debunking how Donavan came to acquire Rags and take him back to join him and the First Expedionary forces in France. I was worried it would dull the myth of the dog's exploits but was other than give an alternate version on how Rags came to join them, and maybe taking a little edge off a from a part where Rags helped Donavon took on a German shoulder, the stories match up. In the fight part maybe Rags didn't bite the wrist that held the German soldiers gun, but his ankle to distract him.. What I did like is how in this book is how the author can put more emphasis on parts of Rag's story by telling you this part is amazing and then giving and excerpt form the book Rages. Here is where they relate to how important Donavan's job as a lineman was and a bit on how Rags helped: 'The detail rendered wonderful service during this offensive, the historian explains. “The linemen in the face of severe fighting and difficult terrain kept constant communication with the Second Infantry Brigade Headquarters and the two Battalion Headquarters of the Seventh.”” Donovan was part of that “wonderful service,” and so was Rags. By running ahead to where Donovan couldn’t go and barking when he found a break in a line, Rags was the sergeant’s very own secret weapon in the war.' And here is an example which follows after after artillery severely wounds both Donavan and Rags: 'For Donovan and for Rags, this war was over. Another lay ahead: that of staying together as much as staying alive. The latter was enough of a challenge. Rohan tells of how the ambulance in which Donovan was being transported to the first field hospital came under fire as an aviator came out of nowhere and “emptied a machine belt” at the speeding vehicle. “Donovan and Rags were on the top ‘shelf’ of that ambulance,” Rohan wrote. “An airplane bullet plugged through the roof, tore between Donovan's feet, and killed the soldier on the bottom stretcher.” The bullet likely missed Rags by mere inches, since he was often at the foot of Donovan’s bed.” This would qualify for miracle status, but so did something equally important: that Donovan and Rags were able to remain a unit, always together, on stretchers and cots. Donovan was in no state to inform people about Rags and why he was with him. Yet each time Rags was on the point of being ejected from Donovan’s bed, someone who knew him or knew about him stepped in to straighten things out. In fact, Rags’s story had begun to take on a life of its own; it now began to take hold in the memories and consciousness of those who had not even fought alongside him.' Then there is the way he talks about the point where Donavon is put on a hospital ship and it looks like Rags will be left behind: 'Still, one of the saddest images of Rags’s entire life is not that of him as a forlorn stray on the streets of Paris or ducking shellfire on the battlefields of the Argonne but of him sitting by himself on the edge of the dock in Brest, before him a ship he could not board, beyond it an ocean he could not cross, and behind him in a city he didn’t know, where his only option was to return to the life of a stray that Donovan and Hickman had rescued him from. Given his battlefield injuries, it is likely he would not have survived very long in the cutthroat world of Brest’s back streets.' Eventually Donavan and Rags are separated, and he s taken in by an officer stateside. Although the parting was bitter, they find a way to help Rags understand: 'Anyone who knows dogs is aware of the stages of their grieving. Their favorite person leaves for only a few days, but for the dog it is forever. There is waiting and pining at doors and windows and jumping to investigate every remotely familiar sound, which could just be the longed-for person returning home. Then the change comes, almost imperceptibly, and can be just as sad, in its way, as the depression, because the dog seems gallantly determined to face loss by adopting new loves, new faces to watch and footsteps to listen for. Behind it all, the longing for the original person is still there, and if that person does return, the dog’s joy is uncontainable.' Like Rags, at least half of the book is stateside after the war where Rags becomes a family dog and mascot at the military base. While not as dramatic as the war time info, still a good life and some little twists and turns including a little help from General Pershing that apparently Rohan didn't call out more directly in Rags. This book has a nice summary in this next paragraph, that also relates to how Rags seemingly unprovoked a communist organizer: 'This scene, even if partly or wholly imaginary, tells a lot about what Rags, like Sergeant Stubby and a host of other mascots, had come to symbolize to members of the military. For Jimmy Donovan, Rags was at first a battlefield buddy and later an equal partner in the trenches without whom Donovan could not have done his job as soldier or survived mentally and emotionally—the equivalent of a modern therapy dog. For Major Hardenbergh and his family, Rags was a lovable companion who needed a home and who happened to have a glowing war record, of which all were justifiably proud and which their descendants venerate to this day. For others, Rags was and is a symbol of the First Division at its finest, a source of pride that grew in luster with each of his real or imagined acts of bravery. And for the men in Plattsburg and likely for many other soldiers who admired him—Rags’s military career was joined to a form of anthropomorphism, as if it were a given that Rags, were he human, would share their own beliefs, including the anti-Communist feeling of many in the military.' So good book, read them both. I do find WWI less interesting than WWII, but animals had more of an opportunity to help, which is unfortunate for the animal, but good to have them be recognized. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 19, 2024
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Aug 23, 2024
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Aug 19, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 0517148552
| 9780517148556
| 0517148552
| 3.55
| 20
| Mar 10, 1996
| Mar 10, 1996
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liked it
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I just didn't care for the stories in the book that much, with the exception of the portion from Lassie Go Home. I also didn't care for the photograph I just didn't care for the stories in the book that much, with the exception of the portion from Lassie Go Home. I also didn't care for the photographs. They are meant to be classic looking but they just look over-staged and somehow I don't care for the backgrounds which look artificially embellished to me. My perspective of course can be different from someone else's. Someone else may get the humor better than me which often cover the general topics of things like the destruction a dog can bring. At least one story seemed to make fun of killing a dog which I found in no way entertaining. It is also possible as I have read over 600 books so far on dogs, that I have become jaded in some ways. Here are the stories in the book. As I said Lassie go Home is a classic and every dog book lover should just read the book, not get this book for the portion of the story provided. Your boy and His Dog by Robert Benchley MacDunald by John Held, Jr Memoirs of a Yellow Dog by O Henry Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight Dogs by ring Lardner Being a Public Character by Don Marquis Toward the Dog Days by Dorothy Parker Louis by Saki The Dog that Bit People by James Thurber There was one story I liked a little better once I recognized the author. I collect quotes I deem 'favorites' and in my collecting have picked up some by Dorothy Parker. That made me slow down a little more with her story. While I am always looking for passages I like that I can mine out of even a boring story or book, I only found two in her story I wanted to copy out to share in this review. 'We would go out for a little walk, he and I, and my feet would never be on the ground during the entire excursion. Indoors, he developed the habit of sofa-eating: he became, indeed, a Veritable addict. Give that dog an ordinary sofa, such as your furniture dealer would be glad to le you have for a nominal sum, and he could make a whole meal off it. If you ran out of sofas he would be philosophical about the matter — he was always delightfully good-humored — and make a light snack of a chintz-covered arm-chair. Once, I recall, he went a-gypsying and used a set of Dickens, the one with the Cruikshank illustrations, for a picnic lunch.' 'Possibly she insists upon being called a Scottish terrier because, at the moment, Scottish terriers are high in fashion — it is queer, isn’t it that there should be fashions in dogs? Scotties are a sane style; they are, so to say, serviceable and they give good wear. They have all the compactness of a small dog and all the valor of a big one. And they are so exceedingly sturdy that it is proverbial that the only thing fatal to them is being run over by an automobile — in which case the car itself knows that it has been in a fight.' I liked the quotes so will post in Goodreads for the book as well so people can read them without having to read the book. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Aug 14, 2024
not set
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Aug 14, 2024
not set
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Aug 16, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 0747588767
| 9780747588764
| 0747588767
| 4.44
| 16
| Nov 19, 2007
| Jan 01, 2007
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it was amazing
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Wow, what a great book to look through. Libby has been collecting old photographs for more than 40 years and great to have the fruit of her effort. Gr
Wow, what a great book to look through. Libby has been collecting old photographs for more than 40 years and great to have the fruit of her effort. Great coffee table type book and would make a great gift. When I see a picture of a dog it makes me smile. The dogs themselves have a 'now' quality to them as a dog from over one hundred years ago looks the same as today. I seem to get a feeling of the now from the dog in the picture, like it is a stand-in as if the me now was in that same setting. While I think the same old photo's would still be interesting, I also think the dog adds that additional friendly feel as we also look at the clothing styles, the ancient cars, the people, famous and common. Other than a Forward, there is little text through the book other than the country or area, and any note written on the back of the picture. The pictures just speak for themselves. My favorites are; the cowboy wearing chaps with his dog and his guns, the one from Japan with his cart and dogs tied to the cart perhaps to help pull it, the St. Bernard's in the Alps, and the British men with their dogs in India. What is dangerous to me is a listing of 16 books of dog pictures referenced in the end that includes f her other similar books starting with 'Prince and Others.' I got enough books now but added them to my list, and found I already own 2 of them on that list, and then after research I ordered My Dog Rinty by Ellen Tarry, Marie Hall Ets, Alexander Alland (Illustrator), Alexandra Alland (Illustrator). I would advise my dog lovers to find a copy to pick up and browse through it or get a copy to have ready to show others. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 12, 2024
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Hardcover
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| B09WT4F1PC
| 3.00
| 1
| unknown
| Jan 01, 1905
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liked it
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Old books, like this one published in 1883 are interesting from the language and conventions of the day different from today. it's a good boy (Tim) an
Old books, like this one published in 1883 are interesting from the language and conventions of the day different from today. it's a good boy (Tim) and his dog (Tip) but but covers several situations without a a stronger tie in together. The book starts with them running away from his cruel guardian. He meets up with a boy looking for his cow and Tip is able to help find him quickly which leads the boy to say: “Now, that’s somethin’ like,” he said, after they had started homeward. “When you’ve got such a dog as that, all a feller’s got to do is to set down an’ send him after ’em. It’s the awfullest hateful thing in the world to go off huntin’ cows when you don’t want to.” Tim then signs up to work on a ship as Captains boy, but the Captain turns out to be cruel and beat Tim. And although the Captain said when he was hiring the boy he could bring the dog, Tim actually had to hide the dog to keep the Captain from throwing him overboard. When Tim finally is able to free himself from the Captain he joins up with a bunch of boys who live on an island. Since Tip can find cows and hunt and kill a woodchuck, he must be good at hunting everything, so a few of the boys get their parents muskets, (remember this is 1884) and go off to hunt bears. The answer in the interchange below shows Tim's confidence in his dog: 'He could think of nothing more to say, and was about to sit down when Bobby asked: “What about killin’ the bears ?” “I'd ’most forgotten about them,” he said, as he straightened himself up and looked down at Tip with pride. “If you’ve got any bears round here that wants to be killed, Tip will fix ’em for you; but if you want to save the skins to nail up on the barn, yon must rush in an' catch Tip before he chews ’em all up. Why, I saw Tip catch a woodchuck once, an’ before you could say ‘scat? he'd chewed him awfully. So you'll have to be kinder careful of your | bears when Tip once gets his eye on ’em.”' Then the last adventure for Tim and the boys is them going camping: “Fellers, my father has jest brought home a great big tent—a reg’lar canvas one—an’ he says we may take it, an’ all go off campin’ for a week. What do you think of that?" The boys take a live chicken, a musket, blankets, and various food stocks from their parents, and row a boat to a more remote part of the island. What can go wrong? It may be Tim and Tip the common theme through the book, but we are left wondering over a few things, like why his guardian made statements how it would be better if Tim was dead, it is also not clear how they were able to get Tim officially out from under the employ of the captain. While I didn't enjoy the cruelty to Tim, I did enjoy I enjoyed the fantasy of boys taking the initiative to go off on adventures, and be trusted with guns, whoops, maybe not as they have to learn the hard way to know what you are shooting at before pulling the trigger. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 27, 2024
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Aug 29, 2024
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Aug 06, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 0062377264
| 9780062377265
| 0062377264
| 4.22
| 373
| Feb 21, 2017
| Feb 21, 2017
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it was amazing
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I loved this book so much I am putting it in my shelf for 'dogs-favorite-books.' I have at least one or two other dog rescue books, and while recent c
I loved this book so much I am putting it in my shelf for 'dogs-favorite-books.' I have at least one or two other dog rescue books, and while recent can feel like the 'best', I think this is the best dog rescue book I have read. I just love the way she writes and how she answers all the questions all of us dog lovers may have with dog rescue and those who volunteer. When I read a book, and as much as possible I read hardback copies, when I come across a quote or passage I like, I put in a post-it note to mark the place so I can pull it out later. (Yes, I know and envy ebooks where you can do this easier, but like to feel a book in my hands.) Looks like I had 26 post-it notes in the book which is a good indication for me it was a great book. I would suggest you just go get the book and read it, and then come back and read the following quotes I will add to the review as a way of reminiscing on all the good stuff in it. But for those who may not have time for it but want to enjoy some good bits or who will probably forget them anyway before getting around to reading them, then proceed reading the excerpts. I will also post at least some of them as quotes against the book in Goodreads. 'I have always loved dogs-some might say, especially cat lovers, to a fault. Some people come around to dogs. I, the daughter of several generations of dog lovers, was born with this affection, just as I was with a love for patent leather shoes and swimming Pools. I love dogs in the sense that I am aware of dogs’ many fault, (the great swags of drool, the middle-of-the-night yips, the muddy Print, they leave on leather couches and white linen dresses), but they still make my heart leap. I love them in the sense that I consider this deep affection an elemental part of who I am: a writer, a cook, a Midwesterner, an eldest child, a tall woman, and a dog lover. When their guileless eyes look into mine, I feel they see the elemental me, no the human, but the being. As Gertrude Stein wrote, “I am because my dog knows me.” That makes for a simple equation: no dogs, no me—which sounds about right.' 'My redhead pup shaped my days into a soothing, steady pattern of outings and feedings, but she also reacquainted me, now firmly middle-aged, with an unpredictability that made life fresh in a way | it hadn’t been since I was a kid. A cat would send us both sprinting, Dixie Lou after the cat, me after her. If I tossed her Frisbee too far into the bay, I might find myself wading in up to my thighs to fetch the disk from the tide’s tight grasp. When I saw a ranger headed in our direction, I'd slink down a side trail, even hide behind a bush, to avoid a ticket for having her off leash where I shouldn't. I climbed fences, broke trail for her through thigh-high snow, and wedged myself under parked cars to retrieve tennis balls. I found the old me, the tomboy who once spent whole afternoons looking for crawdads in a stream or throwing mud balls to the neighborhood Irish setters, the me I'd lost to mortgages and deadlines and dinner parties.' 'Before I even leashed one dog, I told all my friends about having signed up. They responded as if I had told them I was going skydiving. “Wow, that’s brave,” they said in a way that lent “brave” the ring of “insane.” Then I got long explanations, accompanied with furrowed brows and sad eyes as to why they could never do that. They would want to adopt all the dogs. Their hearts would break. The shelter, all those miserable barking dogs, would make them suicidal. Me, me, me, they mewed. I wanted to ask, “But what about the dogs?” Instead, I nodded and started to fret. I had been worrying only about the early hour, if I could think straight enough to hook a leash on a wound-up golden retriever. Now I began to worry if I would leave the shelter each Friday sobbing, if it would get all me, me, me. Yet, for a mere two hours a week, for the dogs, I thought, I could at least give the shelter a shot.' 'Penny. It’s just plain enough, winsome enough, for this spooked, slender dog but more than that, it has an understated positive ring. I’m thinking “lucky penny,” a bit of nearly worthless tarnished copper still worth bending over for. She hardly feels like a good-luck charm just now, but names alone can sway you. Maybe I can convince myself that bringing home this stray farm dog was a stroke of incredible good luck. Maybe, I think, like a child steeling herself against the monsters of the night, believing will make it so. Maybe.' 'Who are these people, the ones who give up dogs? Researcher have found that they are mostly nothing like me. They are younger, less educated. They are renters with lower incomes than mine. They are more likely to have misconceptions about housebreaking and to have gotten their dog for free. They tend to keep their dogs outside and not take them to the vet or to training classes. One study found they are less likely to have nicknames for their pets or to carry their dog’s picture in their wallet. The researchers asked about the nick names and the picture because each indicates how strong a bond you have with your dog.' 'They are always our “children,” the Peter Pans among us. They are also our kindred spirits. We are each as social as social comes. Neither of us, human or dog, wants to be alone for long, and too much solitariness will undo us. We each like, even require, physical contact, far more than most other mammals. Our faces are each highly expressive, with even similar smiles, though most people keep their tongues in their mouths. Like us, most dogs play throughout their lives, though they keep to tennis balls and sticks while we graduate from blocks to tag to golf. We each like eye contact, a lot of it. For most of the animal kingdom, looking another creature directly in the eye almost always spells trouble, as in “I’m about to bite a leg or two off you.” Not between humans and their pet dogs, though, at least not the socialized ones, for whom eye contact is necessary social glue. The beauty of dogs is that you can look into their eyes endlessly, something you can’t do with another human, not even your lover.' 'Most of the behavior problems she saw as a consultant were the result of people using old-school punishment: nose swats, collar jerks, and so on, techniques that often scare dogs. What creates a bond, she tells me, is trust, trust that nothing bad will happen to human or dog. Most dogs naturally trust humans. We simply need not to squander that trust.' 'A dog without a human bond is always somewhat at sea, always looking for an anchor. I’ve seen this at the shelter, where most of the dogs throw themselves at me as if asking, “Are you the one?” That explains the tidal wave of unqualified love that rolls out of the kennels. Even the shy pups have trouble keeping their affection in check.' 'It took me a few years of volunteering before Luke, Boaz, and countless other shelter dogs made me realize they are not so much homeless as humanless, and that that was worse.' 'A clean dog has a better shot at getting adopted, as does a dog who puts his bottom on the floor on command. When people looking for a pet visit the kennels, first they exclaim, “Look how cute he is!” and then the chant starts: “Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit.”' 'This great transformation was the result, mostly, of simply ignoring her. In her early, difficult months with us, | finally, in my sleepless, frazzled haze, thought to type the phrase “fearful dog into the Internet, and like an oracle, my computer screen provided me with answers. The oracle told me that I should pay Penny Jane as little attention as possible and stop looking at her, especially in the eye.' '“How could I fall in love with a dog and not take him home? I can’t explain it, except to say that when you volunteer with shelter dogs, you become accustomed to saying good-bye, like a traveler making friends or having affairs along the road. It becomes a habit, a way of thinking. I found I could bond over and over knowing full well I would never see these dogs again, which was both curious and liberating. I often thought of myself as a kind of guardian angel to accompany them through the limbo of their shelter stay. “I’ll watch out for you,” I told Brody each time I returned him to his kennel.' 'When I tell people I volunteer at a shelter, the first question they ay, me is if it is a no-kill one. The term grates on me if only because there is no easy answer. I ought to just say yes, because technically it is. But the ARL doesn’t call itself that, for complicated reasons. I also know what the person is asking. What they want to knowing if the ARL euthanizes, or “kills,” any animals. They are thinking in black-and-white. The ARL, like so many shelters, exists in deep shades of gray, where no-kill does not mean exactly what it sounds like. The term rings with the clarity of a gong, but no-kill is no absolute.' 'The ARL is one of about 150 shelters that have taken play groups to heart. A year or so after Sadler trained the ARL staff they trained me. I learned how to watch the body language of multiple dogs at once, to note whose tail was stiff, whose was wagging I learned the rules of play group: no toys, no treats, no petting. We don’t want to give them anything to compete over. I learned that should a fight start and two dogs latch on to each other, not to pull them apart, because as you do, their clenched teeth will tear flesh, causing more harm.' 'I'd picture the dogs in their kennels, bored or frantic and I'd chuck my plans for a shopping trip. I’d dig my dreadful gray volunteer T-shirt out of my dresser, pull on a worn pair of jeans, grab my oily bait bag, and go. The more I volunteered with shelter dogs, the better | understood the bottomless depth of their needs and how little difference I could truly make. That realization can drive some volunteers away. It made me want to do more.' '|f I had my way, this is what I would write on all the pitties’ kennels: "Classic American Dog.”' 'I asked Coleman what else shelters could do to find homes for more pitties. Her answer, in a way, was—nothing. Shelters need to treat them like dogs, any dogs, she told me.' 'The secret to the sauce was that there was none. As Coleman says, if the shelters treat them as they do any other dog, people think of them like any other dog, just like their grandparents and great-grandparents did.' 'As one shelter leader put it to me, it’s not a question of if a shelter dog will deteriorate. It’s a question of when. There’s some debate as to whether the dogs are deteriorating or, rather, displaying what is normal behavior under trying circumstances. That “normal” won't help dogs get adopted. That’s why the current thinking on remedying kennel stress is to find a dog a home pronto. In the meantime, shelters such as the ARL do what they can to relieve a dog’s duress with walks, play groups, snuggling, toy puzzles, all of which is referred to as “enrichment.” Other shelters have constructed larger, better buildings with training arenas and soundproof kennels. Rich Avanzino, of course, has the most radical answer to kennel stress: get rid of the shelters.' 'When people say to me, “I don’t know how you do it,” or tell me, “I’d adopt all the animals in the shelter,” I joke, “Then you would be an animal hoarder.” But what I think is, You don’t know the half of it. When I signed on to work with the red dogs, I unwittingly agreed to work with the dogs most at risk of being put down for their behavior. I agreed to step into a shadow, to give my heart to dogs I might never see again for the most final of reasons.' 'One of her bugaboos is the overemphasis on walking dogs in shelters, what she calls “mindless marches ' Mindless marches are dogs just plunging along, never looking back, while you cling to the leash, what volunteers across America, are doing as you read this. Dogs need more than exercise, Woodard says. They need to think. Training them actually uses more of their energy, she points out.' 'Like any matchmaker, | have my tricks. I once read a study that found that people were more inclined to adopt a dog if he lay down near them. That is why I take people looking at lapdogs to the Real Life Room and ask them to settle down onto the stained rug. I hand them treats or toys, whatever might make that dog nuzzle up to them. That same study essentially found that adopters also like dogs who will play with them. So I lead outside anyone looking at a pup who likes a good game of fetch. Fetch is like a love potion, especially if the dog drops the toy at someone's feet, especially if those feet belong to a young man.' 'In 1998 a study (albeit a small one, but one of the first of its king to be published) demonstrated that “the enemy” might not be the irresponsible jerks everyone assumed. They might just be people, regular people who make bad decisions, plan poorly, have bad luck, and get tripped up by life’s many demands and vagaries.' 'Not only were people’s reasons for giving up their pets complicated, but the people had spent weeks, months, and, in one case. close to a year procrastinating, racking their brains for other Solutions, or, as humans are inclined to do, hoping things would somehow just work out.' 'There are so many big-picture ways to help dogs, to find them more homes—new ways of thinking, fresh ideas to fill a crisp three-ring binder, long lists of training techniques—but I’m just a Shelter volunteer. All I can do is help these dogs one by one in the relatively short time I have, with a stroll, a game of fetch, some people-watching, or just a chance to be themselves.' ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 04, 2024
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Aug 14, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0285638602
| 9780285638600
| 0285638602
| 4.00
| 7
| Apr 01, 2010
| Apr 01, 2010
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liked it
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This book was first published in 1905 as A Gay Dog, then published in New York as a Conceited Puppy. I can see why they chose The Rascal for this edit
This book was first published in 1905 as A Gay Dog, then published in New York as a Conceited Puppy. I can see why they chose The Rascal for this edition published in 2009. The sleeve of the book says that Cecil Aldin 'is the finest illustrator of dogs and it has been said the he "captured the very soul of a dog."' I like his artwork with it's Victorian dress so that is why I ordered the book. What I didn't realize was how very small and brief the book is. The brief story that goes with the illustrations had one bit that made me wonder: 'Life in its real sense began for me when the youth with the window in his eye presented me to a lady friend of his. Pammy was her name, and her business seemed to consist of changing her clothes, while I sat by and guarded the door from intruders.' It is a fun little book, but I am giving it 3 stars for it's brevity. Love the illustrations, but also because of the small size aren't as impactful. ...more |
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1
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Aug 03, 2024
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Aug 03, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 0090294408
| 9780090294404
| 0090294408
| 4.23
| 13
| Dec 1971
| Dec 01, 1971
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liked it
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Three quarters of this book was like the book 'The Lurcher' in that the dog has to live on his own and eventually has to eat a few sheep. I am not a f
Three quarters of this book was like the book 'The Lurcher' in that the dog has to live on his own and eventually has to eat a few sheep. I am not a fan of dogs learning to live on their own and Lurcher did it better. Then Greatheart's owner goes off to WWII, and Greatheart finds a way to join up as a military guard dog. Through a circumstance, Greatheart is reunited with his owner by saving him, but his owner was blinded, so then the rest of the book is about him being a 'seeing eye' for him. I am giving the book 3 stars because first of all I am not a big fan of reading of contrived details of dogs serving on their own. During that, he also befriends some otters and has an occasion to save one of them. Secondly, the book is full of descriptive details, which although nice, seemed to take away from anything happening. Positive notes are that the author is British and the setting is in England. The Brits for some reason can really speak English well, and the countryside from the descriptions is beautiful. The book also does tie his wandering around the countryside on his own into something helpful towards the end of the book. Only two quotes I wanted to copy out and share: 'Somehow, Greatheart was never to forget that day. ,.. it turned out to be a lovely, lovely day for him.... At the moment when Vivien took off her shoes, and after ruffling Lionel’s hair stood down into the river with the currents eddying over her slim white ankles, Greatheart seemed to see more clearly than he had ever seen before. He saw the woods sloping down towards the river, saw the gleam of sunlight on the swiftly flowing water; saw, too, the easy manner of his master as he leant his back against a tree-trunk. But more than these, he saw the slight figure of Vivien standing out in the river, her oval face laughing up at him and her hair disheveled by the wandering wind.' "That’s all forgotten now. Besides, if he is indeed the same dog, how magnificently he has retrieved his unfortunate past... . It is almost as if he is a ‘Salvation Hunter’ . . . seeking his salvation in loyal service to the one man to whom he has given his heart.” ...more |
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1
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Aug 02, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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Aug 02, 2024
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| B003SX06EG
| 5.00
| 1
| unknown
| May 06, 2010
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it was amazing
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This book, published in 1880, is the oldest I currently own. As I am a big fan of Newfoundland dogs, and therefore a fan of Landseer's painting, ‘A Di
This book, published in 1880, is the oldest I currently own. As I am a big fan of Newfoundland dogs, and therefore a fan of Landseer's painting, ‘A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society’ who features what looks like a black and white Newfoundland dog, I was excited to find a copy of the book that wasn’t too expensive. The book has 16 prints of his paintings in it including the ‘Distinguished Member’. Whoever put the book together also had a little story to go along with each painting. The stories use animals like dogs in lessons in morality. I will include a couple of excepts from stories in this review. I also will add a picture of the page that has that painting in my profile pictures. What is interesting is what I learned about Sir Edwin Landseer in Wikipedia. Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. One of his earliest paintings is credited as the origin of the myth that St. Bernard rescue dogs in the Alps carry a small casket of brandy on their collars. Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller (1820) shows two of the dogs standing over a man who is partially buried in snow. One is barking to attract attention while the other, who is depicted with the miniature barrel, attempts to revive the man by licking his hand. So popular and influential were Landseer's paintings of dogs in the service of humanity that the name Landseer came to be the official name for the variety of Newfoundland dog that, rather than being black or mostly black, features a mixture of both black and white. It was this variety Landseer popularised in his paintings celebrating Newfoundlands as water rescue dogs, most notably Off to the Rescue (1827), A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society (1838), and Saved (1856). The paintings combine the Victorian conception of childhood with the appealing idea of noble animals devoted to humankind, a devotion indicated, in Saved, by the fact the dog has rescued the child without any apparent human involvement. Wikipedia also has a page specific for the painting I first mentioned: A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society is an 1831 oil on canvas work by English painter Sir Edwin Henry Landseer depicting a Newfoundland dog. These dogs are recognised in Europe as a breed in their own right, the Landseer E.C.T. named after the painter. The original was damaged in a flood whilst on loan to the Tate Gallery in 1928, and was returned to public view for the first time in 50 years after it was restored in 2009. The dog in the painting is meant to be "Bob", a dog that was found in a shipwreck off the coast of England. The dog found his way to the London waterfront where he became known for saving people from drowning, a total of twenty–three times over the course of fourteen years. For this, he was made a distinguished member of the Royal Humane Society, granting him a medal and access to food. The story that went along with the print of that painting in the book contained this: ‘Noble Dash has a kind master, who values his faithful dog, and who would not part with him for a pile of silver and gold, He never forgets the day when his fair-haired little Mary was washed by a big wave into the sea as’ she ran towards her ball, which Tom had thrown into the tide. Dash at the time was lying as if asleep on a heap of sea-weed a short distance off. At the cry of Mary's nurse he bounded away, and in a moment was battling in the midst of the waves. He soon had little Mary's dress held fast in the grip of his strong teeth, and swam bravely with her ashore. Good dog! who could repay him for such a noble deed? Mary's father and mother patted and praised him, and nurse and the children cried over him and hugged him, all dripping as he was from the salt sea; and that night, when little Mary was: warmly asleep in her bed, and the household met together at the hour of evening prayer, no one was surprised that Mary s father thanked God that he had made so noble a dumb creature as faithful Dash, who had saved the life of his darling child.’ Here are a few other bits from other stories from the book that go along with other prints: ‘Of course the rabbits must be killed, as they are good food for man, and the land would be overrun with them if they were not destroved; still we cannot but regret that putting them to death should give delight rather than pain. Dogs know no better than to take pleasure in worrying and killing the furry creatures that cannot defend themselves; but kind-hearted children will never enjoy such cruel sport. They would say, “You tell us the poor rabbits must be destroyed; but we have watched them frisking for joy in the twilight, and we would rather not see them die.”’ ‘And if little children would grow up good and loved and happy, they must learn, like the soft-eared dog, to do as they are told. It is not a nice sight to see boys and girls pouting and crying because they cannot always have the things they wish. We once felt sorry to see a rosy-cheeked child with his mouth full of sweetmeats worrying his mother for more. She looked very pale and ill, as if she could scarcely bear the noise he made; but when she told him more would make him sick, he cried with passion. Now Carlo would like a race round the yard after the young rabbits, who eat their supper in peace on the low table under which he lies; but he does not do what he likes, because, though he is only a dog, he learned to obey. And should a dog behave better than a child?’ ‘Do you not wish that the poor little children who live in dirty courts and play in the gutters had some of the care and kindness shown to this favoured dog? No one combs their tangled hair— no one washes their little faces, some of which would be go pretty if they were only clean. The lovely flowers are washed by the rain, the shining shells are washed by the sea, and the boys and girls and pet dogs in good houses are washed by servants. But there are many children in the smoky alleys of large towns whom no one washes. Poor things! they need plenty of fresh water, and kind people to see that they use it. Then they would be sweeter than the flowers, as rosy as some sea-shells, and as healthy and comfortable as well-cared-for Fido.’ I am very happy to have the book in my collection. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 29, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0762785381
| 9780762785384
| 0762785381
| 4.06
| 201
| Jan 01, 2013
| Jul 16, 2013
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really liked it
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I love Police dog books but usually they are about a German Shepherd or Malinois type dog. Books with those dogs love to talk about the dogs biting fo
I love Police dog books but usually they are about a German Shepherd or Malinois type dog. Books with those dogs love to talk about the dogs biting foes or sometimes friends which can be very funny from a black humor perspective. Bloodhounds still get their criminal, and in one sense better than the shepherd dogs, but without the bite drama. The real drama in the book came from having to convince people in the department to accept having a bloodhound on the team, and earning the respect of the other K9 officers who thought there Shepherds who can do it all were better. I will provide some quotes from the book on examples of actions that earned the respect of others, but first a nice bit on the breed: 'Eight weeks old, ten pounds of wrinkled skin and soft fur, JJ had a face that any mother could love—but only a select few would want in their home. In the category of best pets recommended for families, bloodhounds don’t make the list. Although good-natured and gentle to a fault—tolerating all manner of abuse from children—bloodhounds are large and powerful dogs that are slow to mature, slow to obey, and quick to chew and swallow things that make emergency trips to the veterinarian a common excursion.' Then a little further he provides some examples: 'But the puppy soon discovered a favorite activity. He jumped on top of Lisa, distracted her with slobbery kisses, grabbed her hair scrunchy, and ran. Fast and nimble though he was, he eventually got caught and had to give up his prize. Combining both crafty intelligence and colossal stupidity, JJ quickly learned that the only way to Keep his treasure was to swallow it. JJ applied this logic to pantyhose, wild mushrooms, an empty beer can used to capture grease drippings from the grill, telephone wires, a coaxial cable for the TV, the wire harness for an air conditioning unit, and a flytrap with thousands of dead flies, along with the rancid hamburger meat used to attract them. It wasn’t pretty.' I love the cops and robbers part of Police dog books, and in this book some of the best recollections are from those who needed to be convinced: '"As Richey described it, “He handed me Josie, and she took the scent and just took off like a rocket. It was all I could do to hang onto her leash. She was on the track just exactly as it was jaid, but I felt absolutely useless to the dog. Whereas with a German shepherd, I felt like I needed to help the dog reacquire the track when it was lost and play a big part in the running of the track. When I handled Josie, she didn’t let me influence her with the leash. She knew exactly what she was doing. That's the day I became sold on the bloodhound.”' 'Richey pulled out his spreadsheets of patrol dog and bloodhound statistics to support his aims, but so far he hadn’t had much luck. But seeing is believing. The Salt Lake County field commander, K9 sergeant, and all those who had influence in the sheriff's office happened to be at the scene the night that JJ tracked two and a half miles through difficult urban terrain right to the apartment complex where their stabbing suspect was hiding. “You can hear a story like that, and it’s neat,” Richey said, “but it doesn’t have near the impact that it does when you watch it. When you watch it happen, it’s absolutely incredible.” Soon after, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office asked Richey to start a bloodhound program for their department.' This bit was the funniest: If the first time seeing JJ at work didn’t convince Gleason another one did. Gleason showed up to a crime scene, blocks away from where Serio and JJ had already started tracking a suspect. He got out of his car to look around. A guy on foot ran toward the back end of a cheap hotel, reeking of eau de crook. “Don’t move,” said Gleason. “Well, I was just—’” “No, sit down.” Gleason could hear JJ baying blocks away but getting closer. “Did you just happen to rob a store back there?” “No,” the guy said, “that wasn’t me.” “Do you hear that dog?” asked Gleason. “Yeah.” “Well, I’m betting in, like, three minutes that dog is gonna run right into you." Sure enough, a few minutes later, JJ came into view pulling Serio behind him, ran up, and bayed right in the guys face.' The way that the dog JJ and bloodhounds bay is mentioned often. What was funny how criminals would fear the sound: 'Captured criminals often told Serio that JJ's baying terrified them as they were fleeing and haunted them when they went into hiding and heard the noise getting closer. Cynophobia is the abnormal fear of dogs, but that’s not what these guys had. They feared the unknown. Some had it more than others.' So I enjoyed the book, but missed the biting from other Police dog books. ...more |
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1
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Jul 27, 2024
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Jul 31, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 0763669911
| 9780763669911
| 0763669911
| 4.17
| 694
| Sep 04, 2014
| Oct 28, 2014
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it was amazing
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My Goodreads friend Karen recommended this book to me, and it was even better than what I expected it to be! I think she writes better reviews than me
My Goodreads friend Karen recommended this book to me, and it was even better than what I expected it to be! I think she writes better reviews than me, but I didn't catch on when she said it was a '3-D modeled book' She talked about what fun the book is to search for either cats or the dog, but I didn't translate those two pieces of information to say, 'Oh! You get flaps of the animals or furniture to turn up and see what is under it!.' Since I haven't been around small children for quite a while, (my youngest son is 28 now, and no grandchildren yet!!), that's why I probably didn't understand the 3-D modeled description. People that know my reviews know I like quotes, so here is one from this book: 'Dogs are snappy and yappy, smelly and noisy, hair and scary... and dogs HATE cats! Quick friend, hide us! Can you move this sofa?' Guess I will find out more about this whole cat and dog thing as I am getting a kitten in a week. I am open to advise on raising a kitten. ...more |
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0
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not set
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not set
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Jul 22, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 037460388X
| 9780374603885
| 037460388X
| 3.90
| 573
| unknown
| Mar 08, 2022
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it was amazing
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I like talking about dogs, so reading about peoples thoughts on their dogs is interesting to me. I also believe that all of us prolific readers want t
I like talking about dogs, so reading about peoples thoughts on their dogs is interesting to me. I also believe that all of us prolific readers want to be writers, so conversations on writing is also interesting to me. Since the book is all about those two things, I liked the book. The authors previous Vizsla died so she got a puppy and decided to write a book on the experience. In this passage she describes why she likes the breed: 'My first vizsla was my first dog as an adult. After much debating, my partner at the time and I decided on this breed because they had many traits that we considered highly desirable. Vizslas are not big droolers—the memory of Lisa’s constant drooling has remained fresh in my mind for decades now—nor are they excessive barkers, like Timmy had proven himself to be. They don’t require much, if any, grooming, aside from nail clipping, and they are the only dogs without an odour. They are athletic and extremely bonded to their humans. Vizslas are intelligent and adapt well to new situations and places. Also, they are exceedingly good-looking and have been called the super models of the dog world. Not that this should matter, but as Keats so aptly put it, “[a] thing of beauty is a joy forever.”' What is not mentioned in that passage is that apparently Vizsla puppies like to bite. A lot. This was one of the most entertaining aspects of the book. Here is some bits about that: 'Worst biting incident so far today: Her little needle teeth hooked into one of my nostrils and ripped a section of skin and cartilage. Lots and lots of blood. She also bit my mother, who is on blood thinners for her heart, and things have looked a bit like a murder scene in the house today.' 'During the night, she has two modes—biting and sleeping—and she swings between them every couple of hours. When morning comes and I know my neighbours are awake, I throw her in the crate for half an hour while I go to the bathroom and make coffee and tend to my wounds.' 'The biting frenzy of the baby vizsla is so common to the breed that owners have given the attacks a term: sharkies.' In addition to talking about biting, the author shares her thoughts on dogs. I think she was just spent time thinking about what thoughts she could make about dogs in general and her dog and of course dogs in relation to writing. I will share some of them in this review. I think maybe there isn't that much new under the sun we can think of about dogs, but it is still interesting to read the different ways people have to say it. Sometimes I am not sure I agree with what she is saying but still enjoyed thinking of it. So here is some of her thoughts on dogs which hopefully still stand on their own without the additional context: 'It is through our dogs that we remember who we are to one another—that we still somehow belong together. 'It is easy to bring back the dead by thinking of their dogs. There is something always alive in the memory of a dog.' '|T IS THOUGHT that the bond between humans and dogs is especially strong because a dog is both mother and child to its person. The connection goes in both directions—being looked after by the dog in a maternal way, and looking after the dog in a way similar to how we care for our children.' And as I mentioned earlier, and the title alludes to, there is a lot on writing. Here is some quotes I liked relating to that: 'Character, in dogs, often comes in challenging form. But is there something in the chaos of a difficult character that stirs the imagination of a writer, that freshens it? Can a bad dog help to make a good writer?' 'Dogs live very firmly in their bodies, Writing is very much about the life of the mind. So, having to cross we from one state to another, while jarring at first, actually opened up the writing process for me. If I just sat at my desk until my pen ran dry, it would have been harder to keep going. But by taking frequent breaks to go outside and exercise my body while walking the dog, I came back to my task of the book refreshed.' One thing the author does to fill the book is bring in stories of famous authors and their dogs. She comments her thoughts on them in this paragraph: 'I have been thinking a lot about writers and their dogs as I have been collecting the little stories to include in this book. What is interesting in the photos I have been finding of writers with their canine friends is how the people look antique, old-fashioned because of their clothes and hairstyles. But the dogs always look contemporary, because a dog is a dog is a dog, no matter the time and place. The dogs bridge the distance between worlds, and they look the same now as they did then. Ancient dogs could be modern dogs.' I had not thought of that, but I agree with her. The pictures of the famous authors and their dogs were a nice addition to the book. The authors and their dogs that are discussed in the book and have a photograph are: Virginia Woolf and Grizzle Thomas Hardy and Wessex E.B. White and Minnie Muggs, James Thurber's dog Gertrude Stein and Basket Zora Neale Hurston and one of her dogs Mary Oliver and Percy Anton Chekhov and Khina Karen Blixen and her deerhounds Alexander Pope and Bounce Margaret Wise Brown and Crispin's Crispian Agatha Christie and Peter J.R. Ackerley and Queenie Alice Walker and Miles So liked the conversation on dogs, the writing, and famous authors and their dogs. I was thinking it was mostly on her new puppy she named Fig, but there was also a lot talked about on her previous Vizsla 'Charlotte.' I think in the course of the book she still hadn't come up to the affection for Fig as she had with Charlotte. I was thinking, for those who want to know, does the dog die in the end? that with a puppy you wouldn't have that, but there is enough details on Charlette's death to make up for the continued health of Fig. (Charlette's death is not too painfully detailed, and I still think people need to get over accepting having dogs die in the end of the book.) 'In the park, I met someone who had known Charlotte and she commented on how hard it must be to get another dog after I had loved Charlotte so much. I didn’t say it but I thought what a strange comment that was, really. If you have loved someone or something, why wouldn’t you want to love again? To not have another dog to love would feel like the difficult thing.' 'The weird thing about the puppy is that we are strangers, and yet we are locked in an intimate relationship right from the beginning. There is no gradual getting to know each other, and unlike caring for a human baby, there is no genetic link to the infant, never mind being from the same species and thus knowing a little of what that infant needs and feels. So, it’s a bond by necessity but does not feel easy. People keep saying to me, “You must be so in love with the puppy.” But I’m not. I don’t know the puppy, nor the dog she will be, and she doesn’t know me either. She would rather be back with her littermates and mother, and I would rather be with a dog that I do know well. I would rather be back with Charlotte.' Very glad to have read the book. I would be interesting in hearing from anyone who had a Vizsla puppy if they had the same experience with sharkies. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 22, 2024
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Jul 28, 2024
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Jul 22, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 1851491392
| 9781851491391
| 1851491392
| 4.68
| 19
| Jan 01, 1992
| Jan 01, 1992
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it was amazing
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Very nice coffee table book. Especially nice of course if you like dogs and art. I did not read through it but just browsed the pictures at this time.
Very nice coffee table book. Especially nice of course if you like dogs and art. I did not read through it but just browsed the pictures at this time. Will try to read through it at some point. it is organized by period and also within chapters often by breed. There seems to be a lot around hunting dogs and field trials, which were popular topics and a popular topic for me. Seems like from what I briefly read there is a lot of history worked in. Good book to have in a collection. ...more |
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1
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Jul 09, 2024
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Jul 09, 2024
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Jul 09, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 0891903984
| 9780891903987
| 0891903984
| 4.22
| 77
| 1943
| Jun 06, 1987
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really liked it
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Good story of the Northern genre published in 1943. Very much like Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (and his dog King), but with Sergeant Jim Thorne and
Good story of the Northern genre published in 1943. Very much like Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (and his dog King), but with Sergeant Jim Thorne and his dog Chief. For context, the radio show Challenge of the Yukon first aired in 1939 and that show later changed to be named Sergeant Preston of the Yukon in September 1950. The television series then started in 1955. In 'The Return,' Sergeant Thorne has completed recuperating from being burned in the capture of a murderer in the last book. He asked to be allowed to resign and join the Army to fight in WWII but instead is given a mission with no details other than the area to investigate. Mysterious boot footprints, (not snowshoes) eventually gets him following a trail of bad people by dog sled told through the book. When he first gets to his location, a prospector comes to town with a wife and 8-year-old girl. The wife is very sick and dies. The prospector goes back to his claim but before leaving asks Sergeant Preston to take care of the girl for an extended period. Later when Thorne is on the chase of the bad guys he leaves the girl with two old friends in town. Leaving a young child with a couple of old men strangers felt a little odd in comparison to nowadays. Harkening to the style of a Goodreads friend Karen I would ask, ‘Will the young girl ever get back to her father?’ I won’t give away who the people Thorne and Chief are chasing, but I will give you a hint. They are WWII related, (but not spies like another Silver Chief book.) The bad guys also take a captive. I thought it was clever the way that person helped leave a trail to make it easier for Sergeant Preston to catch up to them. When he does, and the bullets start flying, he does something that is a fun cliché’ for what heroes did. He asks them to surrender, then: ‘Thorne repeated his command. Shots were again the response. This time he let his own weapon speak for him, sending the first bullets over their heads, then aiming directly at the shorter man’s wrist. The German’s gun dropped; clasping his injured hand he turned and stumbled away through the trees.’ And yes, the wound to his wrist wasn’t bad, just enough to make him drop his gun. But who was helping the bad guys? Good story that kept a good pace. I am just giving it one star less as I didn’t find any great quotes other than the shot to disarm. After this book I only have one more book to complete reading all of the 'Famous Dog Stories' series of books by Publisher Grosset & Dunlap. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 21, 2024
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Jun 23, 2024
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Jun 21, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 3.56
| 9
| Sep 1973
| Sep 1973
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liked it
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I am giving this book 3 stars to indicate how I would probably not recommend the book to most others. My book says copyright 1969, and it looks like a
I am giving this book 3 stars to indicate how I would probably not recommend the book to most others. My book says copyright 1969, and it looks like a book for youth, but the story is a bit brutal. The city Killicut is a fictional town on Lake Michigan. The main character, Guy Hardin, is trying to make a go fishing like his father by purchasing a boat with a bank loan, but is heading underwater financially. People start reporting sightings of the large black dog and the stories turn into a legend of a 'ghost' dog. Guy hears of a $3,000 reward for a lost champion Black Labrador named 'Jet' that he believes is the dog, so he makes it his mission to find him. Guy takes his own Labrador 'Muggsie' with him. I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, and then later most of my life in Southern California. So I liked how the story revolved around boats, water, islands, and winter weather, in a place different than I have known. The author Mel Ellis was an associate editor of Field and Stream magazine so tells this outdoor adventure in a very authentic way. At one point Guy gets drenched so scrapes together a lean to and tries to start a fire to keep from freezing: 'In the tiny oasis of calm just back of the windbreak, I made a tiny tepee of splinters. Then I opened a shotgun shell and poured the powder in a heap beneath the wood. I tried a match on a rock. It crumbled. The next one I put under my cap into my hair and rubbed gently to dry it. When I struck it against a rock it flared briefly and then fizzled out.' People say his quest is dangerous and foolish: 'He sounded concerned. “Don't do anything foolish' he said. “Don’t risk your life. No dog, not even Jet, is worth that.” I couldn’t quite agree with that. In my book a map should be as willing to risk his life to save a dog from suffering as he would to save a person. I suppose that sounds immature, or at least sentimental. But I know that if a barn full of horses was on fire, I’d work just as hard to save it as if the barn was full of people.' Part of the danger is to navigate through a narrow dangerous straight called 'Death's Door' that had to be navigated each time he traveled to the islands where the dog was being sighted. While dramatic sounding, I got tired of how often Death's Door was mentioned. One aspect of the book that I know some people don't like is that it involves hunting. When that turns into hunting a dog though, I think that goes to a point where most people would not like. I am not sure if any new legends are getting made by normal folk as the news media has taken over the job of making up big false stories. People like to hang on to their stories though as this passage speaks to: 'Natalie Parish summed it up for me one night. I'd taken her to Safe Harbor Inn for supper because I needed her company, and she had said: “Guy, it’s too good a story to give up. People don’t want it to disappear. Every winter they have a different one. Sometimes it’s a flying saucer. Sometimes it’s a giant ghost coyote raiding the farms. Sometimes they pick a deserted house and haunt it with ghosts. It’s a winter pastime, a game — telling stories like that.”' I like a good ghost dog story and this one was good but with some rough aspects making it hard to recommend. ...more |
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1
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Jun 19, 2024
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Jun 21, 2024
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Jun 20, 2024
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Paperback
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| B01FKUNV5K
| 3.45
| 42
| May 12, 2015
| Jan 01, 1719
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really liked it
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I read about a dog found in a dumpster who was adopted by Bernadette Peters in the book 'DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids Who Rescued
I read about a dog found in a dumpster who was adopted by Bernadette Peters in the book 'DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids Who Rescued Them' by Diane Trull and Meredith Wargo. That book mentioned this book so I wanted to get it to support Bernadette's good deed. The book is a fun children's book with nice illustrations by Liz Murphy. I think the illustrations display a bold fun style, but don't look for works of art. I especially loved the map of the United States with the route though the states between New York and Texas. I enjoyed the story. I think people who rescue dogs are hero's, and to go all that way to rescue a dog is really going the extra mile. The story speaks of how her existing dog has a period of getting used to having a new dog. That and other details make it feel like the author was writing of the actual experiences and didn't have to make anything up. Seems like a very good book to read with children and then talk about it. How far would we go to help a dog in need? How much would you expect an old dog to welcome a new dog? Wonder what the states they go through are like, and where is our state located? Sigh, still hoping for grandchildren. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jun 15, 2024
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Jun 15, 2024
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Jun 15, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 1905363141
| 9781905363148
| 1905363141
| 4.50
| 2
| Jul 01, 2005
| Jul 01, 2005
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it was amazing
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Rags is a great book published in 1930 based on a real dog. The first world war is not as interesting to me as the second, but it had more opportuniti
Rags is a great book published in 1930 based on a real dog. The first world war is not as interesting to me as the second, but it had more opportunities and approval for dogs to play a part. I actually started reading ‘From Stray Dog to World War 1 Hero’ by Grant Hayter Menzies first, but when it made so many references to ‘Rags’ that I decided to read it first. When reading Grant’s book it had started to identify embellishments in Rags, and I wanted to read the legend first. Now that I am back to reading Grant’s book, it sounds like maybe it was primarily the way the author of Rags describes how Donovan, his first ‘owner’ came to get Rags and that the rest of the story is pretty accurate. Grants book has a lot more historical context and so far, seem to like it better from what I have read of it. Rags is written more like a fictional book. The dog lived an amazing life in a harrowing time. Donovan was in the signal corpse and responsible to fix the wires that connected front-line troops to HQ and the artillery. When the line was cut from artillery bombardments, he was one who had the job to locate and fix the break. He also taught Rags to be a messenger dog. Here is a bit describing Rags after Donovan takes him in: ‘In the none-too-bright light he examined his canine recruit. The little fellow was weak from hunger—but game. His coat, normally ragged and shaggy, was tangled and snarled, from foraging—probably futilely through the streets and alleys of Paris. But there was a brave gleam in his eyes, and his tail thumped a sort of cheerful quick-step as he sat and looked Donovan over.’ There are some dramatic moments in the battlefield including this one: ‘A gray-clad giant closed with Donovan, and the sergeant, caught off balance, stumbled and fell, with the enemy on top, clutching the American's throat with one hand and trying to swing a clubbed Mauser pistol with the other. Rags leaped for the hand that held the pistol. As his teeth sank into the man’s wrist the pistol clattered to the ground. The grip on Donovan's throat relaxed. The sergeant shook the man from him, and after a few minutes of desperate fighting the Americans mopped up the nest.’ Here is another big moment: ‘A shell splinter cut Rags’s left forepaw. Another caromed off his gas mask, mangling his right ear. A needle-like sliver was imbedded under his right eye. The terrier was dazed for a minute, Then he struggled to his feet. Donovan lay where he had fallen. His gas mask had been shot away; arms and legs were cat by shrapnel. Blood from a gash in his forehead was blinding him. Over all hung the burning tang of gas—thinned somewhat by a northwest breeze, but still strong enough to sear the throats of sergeant and terrier. Between wheezes and coughs Rags pawed the now useless mask from his head. He licked first the sergeant’s out flung hand, then his face. Donovan roused himself. He lengthened the wire that tied the message to the dog’s collar, so Rags could carry the paper in his mouth. It would be lost if the little terrier succumbed before delivering it. The Sergeant started the dog toward the guns. As near-by bursts intensified the gas, Donovan staggered to his feet and urged the dog to a run. The terrier, favoring his wounded paw as much as he could, moved at a limping trot. Donovan, stumbling along behind, saw the concussion of a nearby shell-blast turn the little terrier on his back.’ Will Rags be able to recover and take the urgent message forward? The story after the battle may be less explosive, but still amazing. He is able to stay with Donovan as he travels by ambulance, to hospitals, and even back to the US in a ship where animals like a cat caught on board are killed and tossed overboard. Then back in the states the story of Rags still stays remarkable. Rags is able to use his celebrity status to move around freely. And given freedom and opportunity, that can allow dogs to display some wonderful behavior. I liked this one quote that alluded to that point: “Remarkable breed, terriers,” the officer explained to his orderly. “Boss ‘em around and they pay no attention to you. Make them understand there’s a good reason for doing something, and they are almost human.” Great dog. Good book. When I finish reading Grant’s book on the same story I will post a review on it as well. Almost forgot, one of the best parts of the book, no Kleenex is needed at the end! 'As these lines are written, in the Year of Our Lord 1930, Rags is basking in the twilight of his life, taking his ease as befits an aging veteran. Still hale and hearty, he appears conscious of the dignity expected of his years and rarely displays the frolicsome agility of the old days. He has become more the philosopher, less the dog of action—although he has lose none of his youthful intolerance of cats, Rags still gives the feline population of Fort Hamilton enough exercise to preserve their kittenish figures. But he no longer hunts them with his old-time gusto. His pursuit is perfunctory—a sort of routine matter, attended to out of principle. His zest for exploring has waned, too. He has the fondness for his own fireside so characteristic of elderly folk who have lived full lives.' ...more |
Notes are private!
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Aug 11, 2024
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Aug 16, 2024
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Jun 15, 2024
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Perfect Paperback
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| 0140363351
| 9780140363357
| 0140363351
| 3.76
| 2,423
| 1948
| Feb 01, 1993
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it was amazing
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Wow, great book published in 1948. Maybe not the best book from a ‘dog’ book perspective, but a great book that left me with a good feeling for a long
Wow, great book published in 1948. Maybe not the best book from a ‘dog’ book perspective, but a great book that left me with a good feeling for a long time. Funny how sometimes you have a book with a name or cover art you find not so inviting can hide an amazing story. I don’t see a summary on Goodreads, but here is what Wikipedia says: Daughter of the Mountains is a children's novel by Louise Rankin. It tells the story of Momo, a Tibetan girl who undertakes a long and difficult journey to save her little dog Pempai, a Lhasa Terrier from the wool trader who stole him. The novel, illustrated by Kurt Wiese, was first published in 1948 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1949. I can definitely see why it was worthy of an award. I will provide quotes from the book to use to talk about aspects that made me love the book. The book is about faith, courage, and persistence. It is bursting with glorious culture from a faraway place and time written by someone who has lived in the respective locations long enough to make it feel completely authentic. It is also a joyful looking at new things from complete innocence. The quotes are not isolated ‘best of’ quotes but just examples of how the whole book is wonderfully written. When Momo is four year old she sees the dog the head Lama and then asks her family for one like she saw. She is told maybe her uncle can bring her one. When she is eight Momo asks about the dog. The next excerpt is also a good example of details of her faith: ‘“My uncle never comes,” Momo said to her mother. “Shall I never get a terrier from Lhasa?” “Everything depends on the will of God,” her gentle mother replied. “Pray to Him. If the blessed Lord Buddha wishes, He will bring you one.” So Momo began to pray. Every morning and evening she took up the round prayer wheel her father had got from the Red Hat priests of the monastery, and twirled it in one hand as she helped her mother to keep up the fire. Their prayer wheel was only a small copper cylinder on a wooden handle, but inside it was stuffed with a thousand prayers, written in bold black letters in the lamas’ careful hand, and blessed by the head lama himself. As she kept the wheel revolving, Momo thought with satisfaction, “Now not only the one prayer of my mouth, but all these thousand prayers reach the ear of the Lord Buddha at the same time.” She waited more patiently, believing that He would one day hear these prayers and answer them.’ Momo does get her dog, and she asks for an astrologer to help with the naming, The decision is made to give the dog the same (real or other) name for Momo which is Pempa. Pempa means Saturday, and was the day Momo was born, and also was the day of the week when they get the dog. The astrologer goes on to make a prediction: ‘It is indeed right,” Dawa told her, ‘‘that you two be given the same name. For, by the will of the Blessed One, you two will go through many adventures, and this dog will bring fortune to you all.”’ So Momo gets her dog and is happy. This next bit is a nice description of the dog: ‘His tail arched gaily over his back and waved like a beautiful plume. Long golden hair fell like a curtain over his face, hiding his eyes until they flashed out merrily when he tossed his head. He was, Momo knew, the most beautiful dog in the world, and as her father had said of the head lama’s terrier, like a prince among men. He was as gentle as he was strong, and had fine manners. Before entering the house in winter he always stopped to shake the snow from his long, thick hair. He sat up and begged for his tsampa, and said thank you with a bark and a wave of his paw. He could stand on his hind legs and dance to the music of Nema’s fiddle. Day and night he was at Momo’s side, in the house or on the hills, and always lovingly obedient to her least command, a merry and adoring companion. He understood, naturally, all her words and even her thoughts, and Momo returned his love in full measure.’ The book has a lot of details and uses a fair amount of terms. I don’t remember tsampa being fully explained in the book, but from Wikipedia again: Tsampa or Tsamba (Tibetan: རྩམ་པ་, Wylie: rtsam pa; Chinese: 糌粑; pinyin: zānbā) is a Tibetan and Himalayan staple foodstuff, it is also prominent in parts of northern Nepal. It is glutinous meal made from roasted flour, usually barley flour and sometimes also wheat flour and flour prepared from tree peony seeds. It is usually mixed with the Tibetan butter tea. Speaking of tea, it is spoken of often in the book and people carry their tea bowl in their robe. I am a huge (green) tea fan, but unfortunately, I didn’t find a good quote I wanted to save. The tea they speak of is different though. Again, from Wikipedia, the butter tea is described as ‘Traditionally, it is made from tea leaves, yak butter, water, and salt.’ So Momo has her dog and all is well, but of course: ‘For so long Pempa had been one of the family, and the days and seasons had rolled by as before, that Nema had at last forgotten Dawa’s promise of the adventure and fortune he was to bring. Then, when least expected, like the sudden flash and crackle of lightning in a mountain storm, adventure came.’ Momo’s dog is stolen and that starts a great journey to get the dog back. Of course, along the way, everyone tells her it is hopeless and she should turn back but Momo is persistent. What I liked was in addition to worries a normal young girl might have to fear, there was also supernatural fears. These are some descriptions of what she felt she was facing she learned from her father Nema: ‘But from her father Momo had learned some fear. To Nema the Lord Buddha was good, no doubt, but very far away, beyond all sight or knowing. And the powers of evil—these were very close and terrible to Nema. He spent his days battling against them. There were the vast mountains, goddesses of great power; the guardian country gods; the deities of place, who dwelt in rocks, trees, or springs—spiteful creatures who in ill temper love to vex mankind; the earth demons; the bold demons of the sky, and all the devils, and ghosts of the spIrits of the dead. Some of these spirits were kind to man, but Most were not.’ ‘She felt that something, something, was here. It was all about her, and it was something very strange. "Ai! Ail” she wailed. For now she remembered. This, the very earth under her, was the burial ground of the British soldiers who had fallen in that battle long ago with her own people. And of all the ghosts, these, the foreign dead, were the most evil. Black and malignant devils, they were never to be appeased but by the sacrifice of a pig. She shrieked in terror.’ There may have been terrors along the way, but also beautiful places, exotic places, and new and wonderous things like cars and trains. As Momo runs in pursuit of those who stole her dog, she pauses at times to take in all the new wonders. Here is one passage where she stops to notice the scenery: ‘And she leaped again down the mountain, and was soon far from the jangle of bells and the clatter of hoofs, deep in the stillness of the forest. This was a place of dim enchantment. Light, high mists had drifted over the sun, and mingled with the heavier mist of lacy moss that trailed from the upper branches. Now and then a ray of sunshine filtered through this silver mist, and fell at Momo’s feet like a broad arrow, leading her on and down. But no sounds—not even the cry of a bird, nor the rush of water—disturbed the quiet dreaming peace of this forest. Even the roadway here was not stone, but soft earth, over which her feet padded silently.’ Here is a bit on riding in a rickshaw for the first time: ‘She looked with pleasure at the blue cushioned seat and the hood to protect the rider from sun or rain. How very strange it felt merely to sit above those turning wheels, and bowl gently down the street! And to watch the trotting legs of the rickshaw man before her in the shafts! Since she had grown too big to be lifted astride her father’s shoulder or her mother’s hip, Momo had never been carried by anything but her own strong legs, She laughed aloud with pleasure at this strange sensation, and the coolie turning, grinned at her and called to her cheerfully, “Tsk bai, baccha!”’ (All right, little girl!)’ Along the way Momo meets good and bad people. What I found fun is the curses or insults they throw at each other. Here is a good example: ‘The hot blood rushed to Momo’s cheeks, and she got very angry. She stamped her foot at the boy, and shouted at him in Tibetan, “What rudeness! Only a pig and the son of a pig and the reborn soul of a pig would be so disobedient to the laws of politeness to the stranger!”’ There were places in the book where I cried over her predicament, but through everything she believed in her faith and the prophecy. She goes from Tibet all the way to India! Here she is faced with the impossible situation to get on a train to Calcutta: “How shall I be taken on this te-rain, without money for a tikkut?” Momo asked herself, and the shadow of a doubt ruffled the smooth trust of her mind. But she quickly smoothed it out again, with the thought, “He who has given me Pempa, and who has protected me so far, will find a way.” I know I have shared a lot from the book but there is so much more. As a dog book fan, there could be more told of the dog, but everything with Momo’s story was so wonderful and interesting that it is enough for me to want to make a category for non-dog book favorite books. It is one I would like to read again, and if I am ever blessed with grandchildren, would want to read to them. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jun 12, 2024
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Jun 13, 2024
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Jun 11, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1594333890
| 9781594333897
| 1594333890
| 3.91
| 34
| Oct 01, 2013
| Oct 01, 2013
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it was amazing
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**spoiler alert** I am going to mark this review as ‘with spoilers’ just because I want to share a lot of good stuff from the book. Best if you are a
**spoiler alert** I am going to mark this review as ‘with spoilers’ just because I want to share a lot of good stuff from the book. Best if you are a big fan of sled dogs and the races to read the book, then come back and read the bulk of my review and leave comments. But if you don’t plan on reading the book, or have a poor memory like mine, or like to read good quotes again, then proceed. Of course, there isn’t any real spoilers in that we know the first Iditarod race in 1973 happened, but the book tells the story how it came about. The book has a couple of themes. First is Dan’s history, how he got into dog sledding, how he was involved with making the first Iditarod happen, and his run within that first race. Then there is the huge dream of a 1000-mile race and making it happen. I think anyone with big dreams can appreciate that aspect of the book. Then there is the first race itself as told from various people’s perspectives. I loved it all, but I am guessing that the change in directions and large scale may make another reviewer drop a star off from not having one solid and consistent thrust through the book. When I read a book, I leave post it notes in places for excerpts I want to potentially copy out. I had at least 32 post it notes in this book when I finished. So many I didn’t chose to copy them all out but enough to share in this review and to post as quotes against the book. From the Foreword by Terry O. Adkins: ‘The early Iditarod dogs were tough and hearty and so were the people who ran these teams. The first races took many days/weeks. During these early Iditarod runs, there were no headlights, no booties except the rare hand-sewn seal-skin bootie, no reflective trail markers (spruce boughs if anything), no quick-change runners, and no pre-race drop-bags assigned to each checkpoint. The mushers that ran were experts in survivalist arctic living and elite dog-men; many times these individuals were the trail-breakers as Iditarod was a trail and not a highway at that time. I remember air dropping dog food to the mushers at Poorman, they were snowshoeing in front of their teams. Mushers camped ang rested at night. The dogs were more trap-line dogs than anything. Today's Iditarod dogs are trained better and selected for more speed.’ Dan kept notes as he raised and trained his dogs. Here is an example of one. While in that first race, he made some recordings in a tape recorder and some notes. Then amazingly one friend and journalist kept recordings including a blow-by-blow account of each dog taking off at the start of the race. From Files: (Desirable Sled Dog Traits, 1965) I. Above all others, must be genetically forward-oriented. Self-driven, trail aggressive. 2. Medium size, males 50 -75 Ibs; females 50-60 lbs. Good body conformation. Well furred. 3. Good feet. 4, Siberian husky appearance. 5. People-oriented (friendly). 6. Trail endurance, capable of a long day’s work. One reason why reason sled dog books are my favorite type of dog books, is there is often so many crazy and interesting little stories that happen along the way. Here is one that made me chuckle a bit: ‘Genghis, leading the whole team, took off, hot on the trail of that cocker spaniel, which ran right through his “doggie door” in the Gillespie’s’ screened-in porch. I didn’t even have time to think before all seven dogs and the front of the sled crashed into the screened porch, leaving a gaping hole. The ruckus brought the Gillespie’s pouring out of their house. When they saw what had happened, after a brief period of shocked silence, they began laughing. ‘ Most everyone familiar with the Iditarod race are aware of the ‘Father of the Iditarod’ Joe Redington. While he was only one of the organizers, his part was big enough that I think the title is well deserved. What is not as well known and could be questioned is the person sometimes referred to as the ‘Mother of the Iditarod, Dorothy page. In one sense, maybe yes, because she organized the first race. Not the first Iditarod race, but the Centennial race held in 1967, that included 9 miles of the actual Iditarod trail out of the 50 miles in the race. But as far as the Iditarod race that we know of, well… First, I give you some details for that Centennial race, then a bit from a taped interview with Gleo Huyck another organizer of the first Iditarod race. ‘Modern revival of both long-distance sled dog racing and the Iditarod Trail began with an idea for celebration of the Alaska Purchase (1867) Centennial. While a war canoe would be fashioned for that purpose in Southeast Alaska, appropriately, plans for a special sled dog race were laid for the South Central region. Dorothy Page is generally credited with getting things started in that direction. At the time, in 1964, Dorothy was chairperson of the Wasilla-Knik Alaska Purchase Centennial Committee and, providentially, secretary for the Aurora Dog Mushers Club. It was this resident Wasilla historian who first conceived of and began to promote the idea of a showcase sled dog event, among like-minded local history buffs and dog mushers. What better way of reliving, though briefly, the glory days of Territorial Alaska than to stage a specially billed race over an existing segment of the old and mostly forgotten Iditarod gold rush trail?’ ‘Huyck: The latter part of October, first part of November, somewhere in there. We went to meet with Dorothy and explained our idea of having a long-distance race of three hundred to four hundred miles. She wanted nothing to do with being any part of this race and washed her hands of it. She said, “I don’t think it can succeed and somebody is going to get hurt, and I just don’t want my name associated with it.” Those were just about her exact words. She wanted nothing to do with it, so we (Redington and Huyck) left there... That was our meeting with Dorothy. That's the last I saw of her for all the months we put in planning the first race.’ Another misconception mentioned, is that the Iditarod race was to commemorate the first serum run. It wasn’t really. It was to commemorate the sled dog mail and freight carriers. There were also goals by the organizers: ‘From the beginning then, our two chief missions as a committee, were expounded: an event to give purpose for sled dogs and preservation of a trail over which to drive them.’ To make the race happen was an enormous undertaking. The day the race started, they didn’t have enough money to pay to pay the promised prize amount. ‘Joe and his committee found themselves undertaking some very frenzied fund-raising activities as soon as the last team disappeared down the trail toward Nome. Fact is, when I and my thirty-three trail mates struck out for Nome on that memorable date, Saturday, March 3, 1973, a major portion of our eagerly anticipated pot of gold was mostly—empty An estimated seven thousand dollars, that’s all. Stacked alongside our “accounts payable,” it was a pitiful trifle—and all that public bluster, ballyhooing, and promises given. Many reputations were on the line. A healthy portion of Alaska’s elite had come out in support of this untested affair by becoming honorary members of Joe's equally untested race committee. Redington had stood before thirty-four trusting mushers at their pre-race banquet two days previous and proclaimed to them and the world that, upon his honor, the money would be waiting for them upon their arrival at rainbows end. One has to believe that Joe, Tom, Gleo, and others, concerned with financial success of the race, counted their blessings daily as each passed and the race dragged on and on. One more day of grace. Another day to beat the bushes in quest of desperately needed cash. Another day of clutching at straws.’ Then it was making the 1,000-mile trail. Remember, the trail didn’t exist prior to the race and needed to be marked and ideally groomed by snowmobiles. ‘Though out of character, lofty-minded Tom Johnson, at one of our meetings, posed the question, “How in the world will we ever pull this thing off?” A bunch of ideas and suggestions were offered amid a goodly portion of friendly banter. It was agreed that to sell the race, it would be necessary to get all sorts of people emotionally involved. Get them to volunteer, to buy into the race. Joe, Sr., never one to think small, brought our task down to nutshell simplicity when he stated, “We have to get the whole darn state involved.” This was our message: Look out, Alaska, here we come. We are going to buttonhole you and ask for your help. We believe in our product, now we want you to believe, too. To become involved in our dream. You, the musher, politician, lawyer, army, air force, event organizer, banker, merchant, recreationist, publicist, publisher, miner, villager, pilot, radioman, and a myriad of others, are needed. Together, we can relive our glorious past and provide something positive for Alaska’s future. Without you, all is lost and we are doomed to failure. That was our basic approach in rounding up volunteers for the first race. It was an easy sell.’ So much had to be worked out and there were no good manuals left by the old timers. Everything had to be figured out including how do you feed the race dogs? ‘So much about the first Iditarod was a trail-breaking effort, an experimental belief in past attainments mixed with a good dose of foolhardiness. Old time dog-men quickly worked on trails, managed dog teams, and generally left little in the way of how-to-do-it manuals, To my knowledge, there had never been, in all of history, a sled dog race of Iditarod magnitude. So the question remained: “How does one feed a dog for and during a one-thousand-mile race?” I didn't know. No one knew. We all had unproven ideas sticking out our ears. Perhaps the one agreed upon understanding was an everyday diet for a working dog would, in the end, be grossly inadequate. Available were fifty-pound bags containing Friskies for $3.10, Don’s for the same, Purina at $4.50, or the king of dog food for the time was Iams at $6.25. That was about it.’ In addition to the organizing story, there is also the story of Dan Seavey. Should he leave his teachers job and family for a month to go on a crazy dangerous race? He had doubts but thought: ‘However, what an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. A chance to truly go somewhere consequential, somewhere distant by dog team. What a thrill it would be to soak in the very essence of a trail known only vicariously through book and legend. How overpowering the thought: To ride runners over a pioneer’s boulevard, where august spirits of old-time dog men sit in watch. Here was an occasion where all the noble qualities of a noble animal could be demonstrated to an ever-growing remote and mechanized world. Dare I hope that such an event would excite a renewed interest in the historic trail? That my adopted hometown, indeed all the communities along the way, would begin anew, an appreciative relationship with that heritage treasure? Yes, I just had to do it. There could never be another first Iditarod Race, and for that matter, the first could well be the last.’ I also found it interesting how Dan came up with one of the good ideas to fund the race that became one of the traditions: ‘However, I had another monetary scheme, which resulted from my study of trail history. The chief purpose of the original trail was to provide means of mail transport to remote mining settlements scattered across the vast Alaska Territory. Why not carry real mail to Nome by dog sled—for a price—and mail it from the Nome Post Office upon my arrival? Local artist and race advocate, Dot Bardarson, created the first “Iditarod Race Mail” ever, in the form of a souvenir letter that could be written upon, folded, stamped, addressed, and sealed, ready for my sled mailbag.’ My favorite parts of sled dog books are details about the dogs, and on giving them credit. Here is one bit I liked: ‘We human pioneers of the “great camping trip,” as George Attla would dub it, will remain incorporated, as it were, in the fabric that weaves our history. But what of the four hundred pioneer dogs? Those wonders of God’s creation, who weathered Arctic gales, slept in snowbanks, suffered exhaustion, sore, raw feet, and, to some degree, human ignorance, and neglect. What of them? Leaders Genghis, Kiana, and Sonny. Others, who strained in wheel, team, and swing positions, and at times, in lead as well, were Kuchik, Koyuk, Snippy, Eska, Shiak, Flame, Bandit, Casper, and Crazy. Names listed on a sheet of paper seem such a hollow tribute to twelve of a person’s most loyal, tested friends. And hollow that tribute would be, if all twelve of them were not imprinted indelibly in my heart. Those twelve devoted, steadfast trail companions bestowed upon me the one true adventure of my life. In so doing, they became the pathfinders for all ensuing generations of endurance race dogs. Genghis, Kiana, Sonny, Kuchik, Koyuk, Snippy, Eska, Shiak, Flame, Bandit, Casper, and Crazy—a renewed and heartfelt salute.’ I also liked this bit when trying to answer why the dogs run: ‘Sled dogs love new trails. The drive to explore unknown ground, to huge distances with pack mates, is genetic. In the wild, it is necessary for food gathering and survival. All canine senses come into play in this vital game of life. But, by far and away, the most important is the dog's astounding sense of smell, a million or more times that of a human, we are told. A canine’s innate desire to travel, to sniff out new ground, and thig inborn compulsion to run with its kind, provides a key answer to the often-asked question: “What makes Iditarod racing dogs run a hundred or more miles per day?” In truth, nothing or no one really makes them run. They are, in fact, by their very nature, compelled to run. They were born that way. Selective breeding for those wondrous, wild instincts—in the case of the Seavey kennels, some twenty sled dog generations to date—simply brings to the top the very best of what has been there for centuries unnumbered.’ Amazing what the dogs can do. Here is a nice bit during Dan’s race: ‘The offshore north wind built to a gale force. My poor dogs. They would hit a wind-polished spot, loose traction, and literally get rolled into a knot, requiring a frustrating untangling, under something less than good picnic conditions. Other times, away would go the sled skidding sideways, with me firmly attached, until it struck an immoveable drift or a crusted snow patch, and over I went, taking the entire team with me, ending, one time, a half block off the trail. Wha, storm. What an experience. Blinding and, at times, breath-sucking Dangerous, scary, but exciting and exhilarating at the same time. One remembrance I have kept—all these years—is thankfulness for the relatively mild temperature at the time. And another is an absolute, set-it-in-concrete admiration for my dogs. In the course of many untangles I rearranged my front end. Genghis, my old faithful, went in front with Kiana. Bandit was placed back in swing. We went. In spite of roll! overs, roll-ups, wraparounds, and tangles, we went. And even when a couple of males—Kuchik and Casper—repeatedly attempted to dive behind snowdrifts, out of the punishing tempest, we went. How gratifying it was to witness my years of training pay off. Uncounted hours: back on Kenai Lake and Resurrection River flats, driving this never-say-die team head-on into fiendish, violent snowstorms.’ One more quote I liked talking about the dogs: ‘While dogs were a hole to sink money into, they were also more fun than a barrel of monkeys. There is nothing quite like hooking up a team of dogs who are raring to go. They bark and dance and just can’t wait. When you finally pull the hook and they take off at full speed (probably 25 miles an hour), there is a swish of sled runners and the wind in your face. Perhaps six furry behinds running ahead like a house afire. It is wonderful. You charge out into the boreal forest where there are no human sounds; no roads, no TVs, no nothing but you and your dogs and your wits.’ Also, including in the details of that first race story is how the winner broke the rules to win. Here is the bit that alludes to that: ‘Finally, Wilmarth threw his cards on the table, uttering, “You boys stay ahead of me and I will buy you all the whiskey you can drink when we get to Nome.” As God is my witness, those were his, almost, if not exact words. They had effect. Within fifteen minutes, the sound of the last machine blended into the music of wind playing through the cabin.’ So much of that first race carried on to the races that followed, but hopefully better enforcement of the rules. ‘Everything unique to the first race was a first. Meaning, for example, a sled dog race—nothing first, nor unique, here—but one of one thousand miles or more, using the same dogs, is decidedly a first and, without question, unique. There are many Iditarod Race traditions, whose origins are traced to the 1973 inaugural event. Easily coming to mind is the first weekend in March start, Anchorage start site (ceremonial, nowadays) trail mail (mine in 1973 was adopted by ITC in 1974), keeping record of the fastest time between Solomon (Port Safety or Safety, nowadays) and Nome, the town siren and police escort at Nome, use of veterinarians during the race, publishing dog deaths, employment of the “Iditarod Air Force,” multiple finisher banquets, red lantern award (adopted from earlier races), and reliance on volunteers.’ Although I hate how most people use the phrase, I would have to say a ‘must read’ for those who like books about dog sled races. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jun 10, 2024
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Jun 16, 2024
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Jun 10, 2024
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my rating |
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| 4.22
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really liked it
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Aug 31, 2024
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Aug 31, 2024
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| 4.31
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it was amazing
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Aug 19, 2024
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Aug 19, 2024
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| 4.00
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really liked it
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Aug 23, 2024
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Aug 19, 2024
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| 3.55
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liked it
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Aug 14, 2024
not set
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Aug 16, 2024
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| 4.44
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it was amazing
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Aug 12, 2024
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Aug 12, 2024
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| 3.00
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liked it
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Aug 29, 2024
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Aug 06, 2024
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| 4.22
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it was amazing
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Aug 14, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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| 4.00
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liked it
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Aug 03, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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| 4.23
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liked it
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Aug 04, 2024
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Aug 02, 2024
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| 5.00
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it was amazing
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Jul 30, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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| 4.06
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really liked it
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Jul 31, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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| 4.17
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it was amazing
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not set
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Jul 22, 2024
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| 3.90
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it was amazing
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Jul 28, 2024
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Jul 22, 2024
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| 4.68
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it was amazing
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Jul 09, 2024
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Jul 09, 2024
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| 4.22
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really liked it
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Jun 23, 2024
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Jun 21, 2024
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| 3.56
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liked it
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Jun 21, 2024
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Jun 20, 2024
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| 3.45
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really liked it
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Jun 15, 2024
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Jun 15, 2024
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| 4.50
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it was amazing
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Aug 16, 2024
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Jun 15, 2024
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| 3.76
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it was amazing
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Jun 13, 2024
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Jun 11, 2024
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| 3.91
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it was amazing
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Jun 16, 2024
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Jun 10, 2024
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