Diana B. (AuntDi) - reviewed on 2/22/2009 + 141 more book reviews

There were things that I liked about this book. Ted's relationship with Merle was very touching and Merle seems like he was a great dog. Ted constructs a lot of intellectual/anthropological arguments for his dog's behavior, which seemed a little disingenuous and was sometimes, well, boring (quoting animal behavior studies, dog bite statistics and such). He also basically says that most dog owners treat their dogs like slaves who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. Page 257: "Is the loyalty people then receive from their dogs true devotion, or the numbed reaction of captives to captors?" But I did enjoy the story of Merle's life.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details