A dear person sent me a book titled American Lambs, by T Yamamoto. It’s subtitled “Poems and Stories about Working Border Collies, Sheep, Family and Life on the Land.” The author explains that it is a mix of real life and fiction, but is all based on a real island off the North West coast in which sheep were allowed to graze the pastures and beaches until the rural land slowly, inexorably, evolved into a landscape of urban dwellers who, in the author’s words “didn’t realize that they were changing the exact things they loved about the land.”
But don’t think this is a sad book. It is a rich and moving celebration of our connection to animals and the land. I loved it, absolutely loved it, and I don’t think you need to have sheep or herding dogs to love it too. I read it in one night, and was sorry to turn the last page.
I also just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain. It’s a best seller, gotten rave reviews, but I was, uh, well, not equally impressed. Have any of you read it? It’s a novel primarily about a man and a dog, told through the voice of Enzo, a lab-terrier mix. I’ll be the first to agree that the story is gripping–a race car driver’s struggles to maintain custody of his child–but the use of the dog as the speaker comes across to me as just weird. I can see that it’s a handy literary device to describe the action from an “outsider’s” perspective, but there’s just nothing “dog-like” about what the dog says or thinks. Enzo’s dream is that he’ll come back as a person when he dies if he is a good dog now. Perhaps I’m taking this too seriously, but presenting dogs as little more than a stepping stone on the path to being human just doesn’t work for me. Can you spell egocentric?
In the book, the dog Enzo seems to have no problem understanding the most complex of human interactions and intentions, and yet does nothing dog-like himself. You’ll have to look hard to find a reference, for example, to the sense of smell, which surely is the foundation of a dog’s perception of the world. Enzo is an interesting and endearing character, I just can’t find the dog in him.
I am clearly in the minority. Publisher’s Weekly and Entertainment Weekly loved it (every author’s dream), and its site on Amazon is full of raves. Is it just me? Am I getting churlish in my dotage? Did you read it, and if so, what did you think?
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: How could it be mid summer already? Where did June go? Time seems to speed up as we age (my mom said just wait: in your eighties it goes by so fast you get dizzy), but this is ridiculous. I think between my knee and Jim’s arm and a puppy who has to pee every 10 minutes (better now), we lost time-related consciousness for a month. But it’s glorious here now. The endless rains have paused, and it is Ireland-green and lush and now cool and sunny. Sweet.
We are surrounded now by food, growing and ripening all on its own. As a woman who grew up in the Arizona desert, this still seems miraculous to me. Luscious food that just appears by itself and waits for you to pick and eat it? Is it a trick? Is there a witch behind the berry bushes?
The existence of free, wild food is amazing enough, but now? Wait, isn’t it still May? I can’t believe that the black raspberries are already ready, and that the wild plums behind the house are ripening. Dozens of stems of wild mint has been picked and dried, and I’ve managed to get 6 quarts of strawberries and 6 bags of rhubarb into the freezer. It all seems too early and I want to tell the summer to slow down please.
This afternoon I take Hope in for his last vaccination. Cross your paws for me. I’m not willing to skip his last shot, parvovirus is a constant threat around here and it is fatal far too often. I’ve done what I can: Hope is on chinese meds and lots of cooked greens (and has been a very sweet boy lately, more on that later in the week.) Wish us luck, I am hoping to skip the 24 hours of frantic, growley dog that Hope turned into after his last vaccination.
Here’s some berries I photographed this morning, waiting for me and the birds to gobble them up. Tonight I’ll pick another quart or two. It’s so kind of them to ripen in stages!
Roberta from Vancouver Island says
I too just finished The Art of Running in the Rain. You summed up my sentiments exactly.
I didn’t mind the idea of the dog’s perspective. In fact there were a few times in the book where we saw what often happens to a dog (nimor spoilers to follow) – getting left in a car for hours when he really has to pee, being forgotten about during a family health emergeny, being locked into the garage by someone who doesn’t like dogs, or being tricked somewhat maliciously into eating a hot pepper. So that felt very real and sad reminder of what our dogs sometimes go through without us even realizing it.
But you’re right – there was nothing “dog-like” about Enzo, which was a bit disappointing.
DeAnna says
I haven’t read the book, but I did happen in to the library when the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain was doing a reading there. He was reading the passage where Enzo gets to ride in the race car for the first time, and the driver has told him to “Bark once for faster, twice for slower.” Maybe it was the difference between reading the words vs. hearing the author read them, but that seemed like such a dog-like appreciation of speed.
Of course, I would never really do that with my dog, but I can see Corrie with his front legs braced on the dash, face against the windshield (or even better, out the window) barking. Once.
I was also endeared to the story when the author explained that Enzo was what he always planned on naming his kid. When his wife flat vetoed that name for their first child, he tucked it into the back of his brain until this character came along, who was obviously meant to be Enzo.
Alexandra says
I read “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and didn’t really care for it either. Enzo was far more human than dog, and I found that a little sad and a bit odd. A relative gave it to me so I felt I should read it. (SPOILER) The part I most disliked was that the book contained two events which, as a cancer survivor and a dog lover, I strive to avoid reading about/watching as much as possible: death by cancer and death of a dog. Sorry, but those two events are virtually always romanticized and filled with tired clich
LynnSusan says
I read the Art of Racing in the Rain a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed it, as pure escapism. As compared to another book written in the dog’s voice Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe (why do people keep giving me these books?:)) Enzo was much more dog-like. I thought the panic scene in the car was pretty realistic, as was sniffing out the bad chicken tenders, but Enzo wasn’t so much a dog, as a vehicle (no pun intended)for observation of our human foibles.
I understood where one device used by Garth Stein came from, because my Gracie is a discriminating viewer of television. Unlike Enzo, she has little attraction for racecars—it is the dogs and cats that get her running to stare at the screen. She knows the audio portions of the commercials by heart, and will come running, from wherever to she to watch “her commercials.” She loves all commercials and shows featuring tabby and Orange cats (just like her feline siblings) and will bark at anything featuring a Bernese Mountain Dog (her neighborhood nemesis) But she likes the nature programs and cocks her head and truly WATCHES. I have often wondered what she has learned.
Trisha, I think you are too close to the subject matter to enjoy a fictional book about dog behavior, like cops who can’t enjoy a potboiler. I don’t have anywhere near your universe of knowledge and insight, but part of it seemed contrived and uninformed, even to me. That being said, it was a sweet piece of literary fluff, good to keep me company on the patio for a couple of hours—before I ended up with a soggy Wubba on my lap.
Kat says
I’ll have to look for American Lamb. My dad grew up around working dogs and sheep and has a birthday coming up…And after he’s done I can borrow it back, win/win.
I read The Art of Racing in the Rain and completely agree that there was nothing dog like about the narrator and that no do I know would ever want to be human as their highest aspiration. Once I gave up on trying to visualize him as a dog and simply regarded him as a migratory soul temporarily housed in a dog’s body I enjoyed the book a lot more. But no way was Enzo actually a dog.
On the other hand, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe is a really awful book–I hated all the characters except the dogs–that manages to give voice to dogs without loosing any of their dogness. When Dawn, (main human character) leaves her cheating boyfriend there’s this gem from her dog Chuck “I should have said something sooner,” she hears Chuck say, consoling her. “Couldn’t you smell her on his pants?” Or this when she’s asking Chuck why male dogs, especially, have to pee so much “Well, there’s two kinds of peeing,” he said. “There’s regular peeing, because you have to pee. And then there’s auxiliary competitive peeing. For acquiring an empire. I’m all about the real estate.” And my personal favorite statement by the bassett when asked where she’d go if she got loose “Right to the first person who offered me snacks,” she said, “and I would love them deeply as long as they kept it up.”
Kat says
blast, no way to correct typos in the original post, Of course it should say and no DOG I know. Proof reading has never been my strong point.
Ruth T says
Can you tell me the purpose of the cooked greens?
Raegan says
I got the book as a gift, read the first three pages, and thought “This is lame.” Mainstream fiction isn’t really my thing, but it’s one of the few books I just didn’t want to read.
I think the more you know about a subject, the less you want to read fictionalized versions of it, because the author is undoubtedly “doing it wrong.”
Debbie Schoene says
No, you’re not getting churlish, Trish. Or, maybe you are and I don’t recognize it, ’cause I am too! 😉 I heard The Art of Racing in the Rain read on WPR’s “Chapter A Day” and didn’t particularly care for it. The idea of a story told from a dog’s perspective is intriguing (and endearing), but Enzo didn’t seem to be much like a dog to me either. Plus, at the end of the book, the narration didn’t make sense……how could he be telling the story if he was dying/had died? The author hit the jackpot tho with the book’s popularity…..I smell a movie.
Roberta Beach says
I loved the book! Truly. I never put on formerly worn clothing after a shower w/o thinking of Enzo’s observation of how incredible stupid we are for putting on smelly clothes again once we have cleaned ourselves. I have also driven autocross, which is way so not what Denny drives but to me, the book w/car racing, a dog narrator and ending in Italy was wonderful. However, I don’t have a clinical or practical background in dog, either. I have a dog sanctuary, learning what I can to help my hounds but I don’t do research per se like you. Now, had it been in nursing or a medical format, I may have been appalled – always am when I see “fake” CPR going on and the pulse being checked on the wrong side of the neck.
Ignacio says
I actually enjoyed “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. Yes, it’s not super accurate regarding typical dog behavior, but you have to take it as just another work of fiction. And I really liked the ending. You probably feel like computer scientists feel every time one of those “hacker” movies comes out… 🙂 Just remember, it’s entertainment, not an animal behavior scientific journal. It is just such a sad story, though… it can bring you to places where you don’t wanna go.
Sharon says
Summer is racing along here in New England, also. We have such a short season here, and summer seems compressed to fit all that growth into just a few months. I’ve already seen two broods of robins fledge, the wrens have come and gone, the strawberries are done and the early blueberries are here. I’m still mentally in May, and wondering what happened to the peonies. Yes, as I get older, time does go by faster, and I sometimes feel breathless trying to keep up.
Joan says
I, too didn’t like what I read of …Racing in the Rain. I thought it was strange and honestly, in my opinion, not that well written. I read a LOT and can tell almost immediately whether it’s a book I want to spend time with, and that one just didn’t do it for me. I read about 100 pages before I gave up, and was so happy that I had no money invested(it was from the library!).
Margaret T. says
I enjoyed “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” too, and I think it has a lot to do with willing suspension of disbelief. I guess Enzo was dog-like enough to make him believable to me, because the only dog behavior I study is that which happens with my own dogs, and I wasn’t making any kind of comparison.
Startulip says
I’ve stood in the bookstore reading through “The Art of Racing in the Rain” so many times I might as well say I’ve read it. I simply couldn’t bring it home, however, because I couldn’t feel the “dog” in the dog character, either. I found the prose simplistic and unimaginative, but I might have braved the boring writing style if it weren’t for the dog hoping to become a human the next go-around. This is what stopped me every time from buying the book. Such human narcissism! The two books I’ve read several times in my life with animals as main characters are Watership Down and Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. These two novels with rabbits and dogs, respectively, put me into the animals’ worlds within minutes. Now this is some good fiction!
barrie says
I guess I am in the minority here although I agree that you are NOT being churlish as fiction is very much to each his own but I really enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain which was given to me by a client who very much enjoyed it and which I passed on to two other friends who also enjoyed it. I am extremely picky about anything written from an animal’s point of view holding them all up to Watership Down as my benchmark. TAORINR is no Watership Down (or, for that matter, Sight Hound) but to me Enzo read as a dog and perhaps I took it more that in Enzo’s journey being a dog was a step on his path to humanity while to me being a person is more of a step on my path to dogdom 😉 Enzo was an individual who strove to be a person was what I took from it rather than all dogs would like to be people which I do not believe to be true at all.
That said, I purchased Scents Of The Missing after reading your review to give to the client who had given me TAORITR and did not think anywhere near as highly of it as you apparently did. See, to each his own 🙂
Laurie says
I found “Art of Racing” pretty sappy to be honest – funny in some places but not sufficiently dog-like to be very interesting – and too predictable. oh well – it’s nice that the author is doing well (always happy when anyone in the arts is a success) but I’m grateful I read the book at a friends’ house rather than bought it.
s says
I have started “The Art of Racing in the Rain” at least 3 times since last summer/early fall and just haven’t been able to get past the dog as narrator – it just throws me and I can’t get into the story. I put it aside at least 3 times last summer and fall… – sometimes timing is just not right for a particular book but if I try again months or even a year later, it works for me, so we’ll see if I pick it up again.
trisha says
I love reading all the perspectives here, what a lovely example of how different we all are. It’s pretty close to 50/50 “liked it” versus “didn’t like it.” I do think some of you are right that it’s harder when you’re closely involved . . . just as people in health care have a hard time when watching doctors on TV or in the movies. I do love fiction, adore it, can’t get enough of it (read The Elegance of Hedgehogs? oooooooooh), but it is hard for me to suspend belief completely when someone is “talking dog.” I tried though, honest.
To Ruth T: The cooked greens are believed by many to soothe irritability (along with just plain being down right healthy for your dog). I found it very interesting that, after Hope got rude after his last shot, many veterinarians commented that it is common for dogs to be “grumpy” or “irritable” after their vaccination. The explanation always given from western medicine was that the dogs either didn’t feel well or had some pain at the injection site. Certainly pain can create a short fuse, but so often when dogs “don’t feel well” they get quiet, not irritable and “grumpy.” There does seem to be something consistent here, in that the small number of dogs who react to combo vaccinations seem to react by becoming “grumpy” or “irritable” (which often translates into “aggressive.”).
FYI, Hope did get his combo distemper/parvo, but I asked that the Lepto be separated out. He’ll get that later, and then a few weeks later after that get his Rabies. So far he’s been his usual self, and is playing right now beautifully with Willie. His last reaction (bark-growl charging at Willie over a little stick on the ground) began 30 minutes after his shot). I’ll be relieved though when the Lepto and Rabies are over!
And to Sharon in the speedy summer of New England: Can we find some way to slow things down for heaven’s sake? Jeeeez. But I’m glad in some strange way, that I’m not the only one who feels like this summer especially is moving too fast. Just more reason for us to stop and eat the berries!
Nadja says
I am with you on the “Art of Racing in the Rain”. I started the audio book but could not finished. I got annoyed by it and also the story just seemed to get interesting when I quit, I simply could not take any more of it!
Sandy says
I am pretty much 50/50 on how I felt about “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” It took me a long time to get into the story and I had a hard time with the dog as narrator as well. However, when I got done with the book I decided I kind of liked it. I found it to be a ok book to read for pleasure, escape, but not the best to read about dogs.
A book I did enjoy involving dogs (or a dog anyway) is ‘Lost and Found” by Jacqueline Sheehan. Its about a women whos husband dies suddenly and the drastic changes she makes to her life and the dog that helps her through it. I found it very entertaining and interesting if anyone is looking for a summer beach book!!
Pike says
“The Art of Racing in the Rain” is one the bestselling books in my bookstore, too. The mailman loved it and recommends it to everybody in town.
I liked it fine and it sure makes for a good cry or two…
Pike says
Barrie, I also liked “Sight Hound” by Pamela Houston a lot.
Melanie S says
I’m all for not underestimating the intelligence, perception, intuition and soulfulness of animals but am disappointed when the dignity of the particular animal or species is ‘affronted’ by humanising them. Sometimes a bit of anthropomorphism is mild, fun, speculation but extended or repeated episodes of anthropomorphism seem, to me, to be egocentric and a failure to truly value animals for their “otherness” as well as their similarity to us and our way of perceiving and understanding life.
That said, I don’t have any issue with attributing certain characteristics to animals that some folks think are ‘beyond’ them, Wisdom being one such characteristic.
Have you read “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”? That was a fictional book which I thought held dogs in high regard and allowed them to be completely dog in a way that didn’t limit them to being “just a dog” either.
R.L. says
I liked “The Art of Racing In The Rain” so much I went out and got Garth Stein’s first book which turned out to be a bore. I like what an earlier comment said about viewing Enzo as a migratory soul trapped temporarily in the body of a dog.
Jean says
I started Art of Racing in the Rain but didn’t finish it. I was fine with the dog, actually liked him a lot better than the humans! But the path the humans’ stories were taking seemed so obvious, and to be honest, not very interesting, that I just didn’t see the point in finishing.
Frances says
Time racing by as you get older – I notice it most in my friends’ children. Just how did Jake, who I still think of as 15, get to be having a 21st Birthday Party? And as for all those tots I played with who are now through college, building careers, and considering babies … I have just about come to accept the season blurring by, but the way the years dash past still leaves me breathless!
Thanks for reminding me about berries. We had such a long, cold winter and spring that everything here has been very late, but the pick-your-own raspberries and red currants should be ready by now. We have at last had some rain – a proper soaking rain and a couple of overnight torrential thunderstorms – for which the crops and gardens (and no doubt the Water Board) are very grateful. I must make some space in my freezer, roll out the preserving pan and the jam jars (translation UK Jam = US Jelly!), and get picking!
Jane says
Different books appeal to me and sometimes the dog characters work and sometimes they don’t. I have tried two of M.Markoe’s books and can’t finish them. However, I did like The Art of Racing in the Rain and I don’t even believe in reincarnation! Some one mentioned it earlier, just wondering if any one else has read Sighthound by Pam Houston? Loved the story. Warning: it’s about an Irish Wolfhound with bone cancer and what his companion is doing to save his life – but the dog is of a Buddhist background and has a mission before he dies. I don’t know how but I was able to suspend reality and enjoy the story. Sighthound is a book I had to own.
Cora says
the timing of all of this is so funny–just last night i was in the bookstore and grabbed ‘the art of racing in the rain’ off the impulse purchasing table (you know, the one on the way to the checkout line, so attractively displayed). i was about to buy it (my friend has raved about it for quite some time), when i saw another book called ‘i loved, i lost, i made spaghetti.’ i bought it instead, for although i love dog books, i like food books and bad relationship books even more. plus, i recently read both books mentioned earlier by merrill markoe (i agree–loved the dogs but hated the people in both) and i didn’t want to risk becoming formulaic.
by the way, i LOVED LOVED LOVED the berry photo. that ‘sharp foreground fuzzy background’ effect is one of my favorites, especially for botanical subjects. maybe you should go into photography for your next career…
Renee says
What a great conversation this is! Dogs and books – what could be a better combination? I haven’t read either book. American Lambs will go on the gotta read list, and Racing will go on the maybe someday list. No one has mentioned the Chet and Bernie mysteries by Spencer Quinn. These are not ‘literature’ and won’t make it to the best seller list. But they are great fun. The books are in first person using Chet’s voice – he is Bernie’s sidekick, partner, and of course, he’s a dog. Yes, he can understand human language. Other than that, though, he is all dog. He barks, he marks, he snarfs scraps of food whenever he encounters them. The books are witty, charming, a bit silly, and addictive.
elizabeth says
I couldn’t agree with you more about The Art Of Racing In The Rain. Very disappointing. I was wondering whether anyone else has read The Shaman Bulldog? Though it is about a bulldog, the real story is about how dogs can and do transform people in unsuspected ways. It is quite beautifully written by a doctor, whose life was turned upside-down and inside-out by a divorce.
Kerry L. says
I enjoyed Enzo’s obvious adoration of Denny and his gentle spirit. And as an Arizona transplant to Fargo, I’ve stayed up here because of the greenness of the summers and the beauty of changing seasons (even the snowy and cold winters). What a contrast to the everyday sunny sameness of Mesa.
Janet says
I absolutely loved American Lambs. (*Kat, you can order it from Outrun Press at Patricia’s link or from Amazon.com.) It’s rare to find a book that is so very much itself, so outside of the normal pattern. The stories are particular to a certain time and place, a certain dog, a certain niece, yet you realize they go right to the heart of the matter.
R.L. says
Ooo, I meant to say I disliked the M. Markoe books. Like most of you I like “Sighthound” a lot. A while ago I liked “Lost & Found” by Jacqueline Sheehan and “Dogs of Dreamtime” by Karen Shanley. The Shanley book tore me up. More recently, I found “One Good Dog” to be decent. I have the Edgar Sawtelle book and another one, “Stay”, a new release, sitting on my to-be-read-pile.
DebraS says
I loved the book. As others said above, you are perhaps too steeped in dog behavior and what comprises dogness to suspend your disbelief. As you know, my Jim has brain cancer. No, I have not handed the book to him to read. I do understand the ignoring of signs, but was uncomfortable at the portrayal of Eve’s failure to seek medical help earlier. Some years ago I took a racers school and entered a motorcycle race–just one, but I have ridden at track days. Jim has been involved in motorcycle racing as a suspension expert at the national level for decades, so I did enjoy the racing aspects. The idea of a dog spending time lamenting the lack of opposing thumbs–it cracked me up. Enzo wasn’t really a dog. I can’t quite pin down what I thought he was–not human, but not dog either. I want to believe so much that Jelly went someplace good that the book comforted me in some aspects. In the end Enzo went to a place where he wanted to be and there is nothing sad about that. I never thought until just now about what happened to Eve. (?!) For me the beauty of the book was the lessons in persistence, the battle for balance, and making the right choices. Those are big issues and when a book makes you sit and think about those big issues, to me, that is good literature.
I am curious whether you liked the dialogue employed by Donald McCaig in “Nop’s Trials” and “Nop’s Hope” from Nop’s point of view?
I love berries. I don’t have the space to grow them, but plums are dropping and they are delicious. I must go to the store and get some cake pans for plum cakes today. The on shore breeze is back and not too hot to run the oven. The peaches are burgeoning (excellent word, yes?) and I picked green beans this morning and will have them for dinner tonight.
Annette says
I usually finish books despite what reservations I might have about them. However, I could only get about a quarter of the way through the Art of Racing in the Rain before adandoning it. I completely agree (with Patricia) that the voice of the dog didn’t sound dog-like. The book just felt fake and emotionally manipulative to me.
s says
love the comments – dogs and reading, what’s not to love? My daughter just checked Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller out of the library – I told her that I sobbed reading both of those when I was her age – I preferred Big Red and that series in terms of dog stories to avoid the sad endings!
Read the Edgar Sawtelle book – very long, and at the end I didn’t particularly care for it, although there were threads of the story I liked.
I am going to put American Lambs on my to read list although it doesn’t sound like anything I would normally pick up!
And yes, summer is flying but I have mixed feelings there – love the early morning walks in the light, the warm temps, the beauty around me but kids home from school makes our schedule a bit complicated in some ways as we try to keep them busy while working from home. The dogs are happy though – lots of ball fetch games in the yard whenever I hear “nothing to do”…
Joan says
Trisha–I, too, LOVED The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I very rarely read the same book twice, but am making an exception for this one!
JJ says
It is funny how things in the universe just come together sometimes. Yesterday I read this post of a book review. I got home and found a book in my mailbox that I had ordered from your last book review – the one about Chase!.
I haven’t read the whole book, but I read the first chapter. Low and behold, what do I read on the first page and explained in more detail later?: The author asserts that one of the impacts on the severity of a dog’s predatory drive is influenced by imitating other dogs. And “imitation” was the topic of your previous post. It just all came together.
Normally I would have read the imitation comments without a second thought. Because of our discussions on this site, it caused me to pause and think critically about what the author is saying. I love to improve my critical thinking skills, so this was great.
Sharon says
Just an aside on dog books – did anyone ever read the Albert Payson Terhune books about Ladd the collie? I loved them as a kid, but maybe I should read them again as an adult to see if I still enjoy them.
T Yamamoto says
A gift of a Poem for Patricia
( This poem is based on a man my father bought a colt off of in Northern California. This old man also raised cattle and had the dogs. These stories I like best. Poems made up of lives )
Why do you keep him?
That old dog
Burrs in his tail
Hitch in his trot
He is not a powerful dog
Why do you keep him?
I keep him because
When I speak
He looks into my eyes
And listens
I look back
and
He is always there
When I get into my truck
he jumps in beside me
When I saddle a horse he waits
watching
When the stock is rough,
and days are long
Hot
Wet
Freezing
He tries
I
Betsy C says
I felt that the author of “The Art of Racing in the Rain” wrote as a dog to try and disguise his low quality writing ability! Enough said. Thank you so much for your beautiful descriptions of Wisconsin. I spent all of my childhood summers driving up through Madison, Stevens Point, Wausau, and Tomahawk to our summer “cabin” (with outhouse!) outside of Minocqua. Such wonderful family memories. So different here in Southern California….sniff. I can still taste the wild blueberries that we would pick in the woods.
trisha says
To T: Gifts such as yours make life so sweet. Thank you. Your poem is exquisite. It reminds me of a poem by written by Tagore when he was dying:
Daily, in the morning, this faithful dog,
silent, sits near me,
til I recognize him
with a touch.
At my little notice,
his body erupts in waves, streams of joy . . .
We are so lucky sometimes to have words, and often so lucky that dogs don’t.
Shari says
For a more authentic (and humorous) dog’s “voice”, I’d recommend the novel “Dog On It” by Spencer Quinn. The book is just fun – a detective/mystery story, a little over the top at times, but funny. There were many times I laughed out loud as I was reading it. There’s a sequel, too, that just came out, “Thereby Hangs the Tail”.
Melanie S says
What beautiful, straight-to-the-heart poems they both were. Thanks for sharing them, both of you.
Denise says
Ah, I had some thoughts but I’m crying now so they’ll have to wait. Lovely, lovely poem. A gift to all of us! Will must for the book.
Denise says
My, lots of editing errors in this set of comments – is it because we’re discussing things literary? I meant to say Will look for the book. Definitely.
cathy says
I loved Art of Racing in the Rain and drove over 100 miles to meet the author at a bookstore signing. I looked at the book as a celebration of what dogs do in our lives. Garth Stein was so spot on in his descriptions of some of the actions of Enzo like jumping with excitement, nosing the wife’s hand, watching the Space Needle’s elevator. A year after reading the book and I still remember these specific passages.
Peg O'Harrow says
We all bring our own life
EmilyS says
Trish: is lepto a serious problem in your area? That vaccine is notorious for causing reactions. I understand the new version provides better coverage for different varieties of the disease but I haven’t heard that it causes fewer reactions.
trisha says
To EmilyS: Yes, Lepto is a big problem here. Vets worry about it a lot, but I greatly appreciate your taking the time to comment. I have heard that the Lepto vaccine is most likely to cause physical reactions . . . and so will be very cautious with it. Have you heard of behavioral reactions as well, or just allergic-like ones? (Facial swelling, etc…) And I still have Rabies to go, as well as anesthesia for neutering. Going to spread them all out with 2 weeks between if at all possible, but sure will be glad when this is all over!
Mary says
I haven’t read “The Art…” yet. But I can empathize with your description.
If you get a chance to pick up, “Timbuktu” by Paul Auster, you’ll find another story told from the dog’s perspective. But I think he captures the perspective much better. There are things that confuse him, etc.
I read this book during the second week of a trip to Africa – I was tired, a little bit sick and emotionally strung out from the experience of great beauty and suffering living side by side. I wonder if I didn’t love the book because I was already out on the emotional edge. I’ve been tempted to re-read it, but I’m so afraid that it won’t be the same. As it was – I loved it. (And have since become a huge Paul Auster fan.)
Dena (Izzee's Mom) says
T, the poem you wrote for Trisha is just lovely. It captures the deep connection between dog and man very cleanly.
Joan says
I’d like to recommend Dogsbody by Dianna Wynne Jones. Its a gem. Sirius the dog star is sent to earth in the body of a dog. He thinks he is being punished but he is actually on a mission. Much of the book is devoted to the conflicting natures he now finds within himself. Its a great summer read. For different reasons, I also liked How to Raise a Jewish Dog by the RAbbis of Boca Raton. A very funny send up of taking it all too seriously. Where else will you find a book that says one day you can be the pack leader and the next day the dog can be the pack leader and the next day you can discuss who will be the leader that day just to keep it interesting. It also talks about training your dog through guilt, making the dog feel bad that he/she is disappointing you is much more effective than positive reinforcement. too funny
barrie says
Sandy, I loved Lost And Found. I was reading it in my gyno’s office and had to stop because I had just lost my father and that first chapter really hit me hard and I didn’t want to break down in tears in the waiting room! I loaned it to my mother and told her to skip the first chapter 🙂
Laura says
A good dog book is Meryl’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog. Some of my very favorite books are the Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Joe Grey and his friend Dulcie are talking cats and anonymous snitches for the police department. They are very easy books and LOL funny. I think there are approximately 10 books in the series.
Lynn says
Tea, lovely poem for Trisha! I’ve been meaning to buy your “Americal Lambs” book ever since it came out, but Trisha’s review and your poem have both reminded me, and it’s now in my Amazon in-box.
On vaccinations: I’ve also heard that the newer versions of the lepto vaccine are less likely to trigger adverse reactions than older ones (which had a lot of cellular debris that may have been the actual triggers). Similar situation with Lyme vaccines (both diseases are spread by spirochete bacteria, the same bacteria that also cause syphilis in humans). The newer lepto (and Lyme) vaccines are sensitive to several subunits, hence may confer protection against different subspecies of the bacteria that cause both diseases. This should enhance their effectiveness (but in the case of Lyme, I’m not sure there are enough data yet).
I live in the Lyme capital of the world, and the vast majority of unvaccinated dogs (assuming their owners don’t use effective preventatives) will catch Lyme. As far as lepto goes, I was told if you had a dog who pretty much stayed indoors or went out into your fenced back yard, lepto vaccination might not be necessary, but if your dog could come into contact with rodents or other wildlife, or if you took it out into the woods on walks, it was advised. I didn’t vaccinate my Border collie for lepto when he was a puppy, but did the spring he turned a year old, as we go for long walks in the woods practically every day now that he’s trustworthy off-leash. I did have a friend whose terrier nearly died of lepto after catching and eating a mouse. But the prevalance of both diseases varies tremendously with geographic area, and the risk also depends on where your dog goes, so I always recommend that people talk to their vet.
Ellen says
Somewhat OT, but thought I might add something for those that mentioned Sight Hound. For those who haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. The main canine character, Dante, is a little too philosophical for some, but it’s my absolute favorite modern doggy novel…but then again, as a Irish Wolfhound owner, I’m biased 🙂
I got a bit of a thrill about a year ago when a woman approached myself, a friend and my IW Darcy at a coffee shop. She came to give Darcy cuddles, and said she was missing her friend’s wolfhounds. She mentioned casually that her friend was a writer; I jokingly asked if she wrote about her hounds, to which this woman responded ‘Well, one of her most popular books was about her dog. Have you ever heard of the book Sight Hound?’ So, yup, got to meet one of Pam Houston’s friends. It was such a hoot! Pam apparently still has the hound called Mary Ellen in the book.
AnneJ says
I’d agree with you. American Lambs is an excellent book- even my husband liked it and he doesn’t like most of my dog books. And he sure doesn’t read sheep books. It’s funny, moving and just wonderful.
Racing in the Rain I heard a little bit on Chapter a Day on the radio but it didn’t grab me enough to want to read it.
D in NH says
T, thank you for sharing that beautiful poem in this public forum. It truly spoke to my heart. After reading that, I’ll definately purchase American Lambs. Thank you, Trisha, for mentioning it.
Laurie Luck, KPA CTP says
I read, and loved, The Art of Racing in the Rain. I didn’t once think about it from my dog-behavior knowledge, I simply enjoyed it for it’s literary value. I escaped into the story. I found it incredibly moving.
Maybe because not too long before I read this did I lose my Aussie. Died in my arms. This book is just what I needed — let me really bawl my eyes out, remember fondly the troublesome Aussie that taught me SO much, and allowed me some hope that one of these days, my Aussie would be ready to move on to become a man. Not anytime soon, mind you – he’s got too many tires to chase, motorcycles to bark at, and kids to terrify! He’s enjoying being a dog too much to be ready to move on!
But it was a wonderfully written – even though not “doggie” accurate – and allowed me to grieve my old man that taught me so much…
Tracy McBride says
I didn’t expect ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ to be anything other than entertainment and thus was not disappointed. There have been many dog books mentioned in the comments and they all sound interesting. I’ll be busy this summer! One of my favorites which just made me laugh is a book titled “Walking in Circles Before Lying Down”. I’m laughing now thinking about it!
Kelly Schlesinger says
What I like best about The Art of Racing in the Rain is the title.
I have a beautiful 4-year-old border collie with epilepsy and I often feel that I am in a downpour, not really racing, but trying to maintain some equilibrium and forward motion, hoping for some clear track.
CrystalG says
I started reading “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and I couldn’t finish it.
I thought the idea of having the book narrated by a dog was a good one but felt the author didn’t do so well in making the reader feel like it was a dog telling the story. And I stopped reading it after I was over halfway through with it and can’t comprehend why so many people like it….maybe I should just suck it up and read the rest of it.
The Learning Vet says
I’m waaaay late in this discussion, but I’m so glad to see I’m not alone! I didn’t care for “The Art of Racing in the Rain” at all and had to force myself to finish it. (However, I did like the part where Enzo ripped up the toy zebra but didn’t really know he did it. 🙂
Dave says
I also was not impressed with “The Art of Racing in the Rain””.I tried to read it twice and put it down twice…It felt contrived.
A better book that I would recommend :” A Dogs Purpose” by W.Bruce Cameron…just read it through,you will not be disappointed.