Tag: dogs

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Teachings Of Shirelle” by Douglas Green

We are accustomed to being told to look around us and learn lessons from others- human beings, of course. But learning lessons from a dog? That too a stray from the pound that got the nickname, “Knucklehead”?? This is what “The Teachings of Shirelle: Life Lessons from a Divine Knucklehead” by Douglas Green is all about. First published in 2015 by Cavalleria Press, this book makes for delightful reading. It vividly captures that beautiful – and sometimes stressful- relationship between a dog and her owner.

Green writes with great feeling about the twelve years he and Shirelle -his dog – spent together. She became the centre of his life, particularly when she was diagnosed as having malignant tumours. The story of how he never gave up hope- enjoying every minute they spent together – knowing the end had to come, touches you so deeply. He says, “Shirelle lived with no apparent awareness of death but lived each moment, as always , to the fullest.” How true it is that we take time for granted, postpone or ignore things we should do for our loved ones, until we are bluntly told that the countdown has begun. The time ahead is limited. The tough part is that no one can say with certainty when the end would come. They could only say that it would be upon him- any day now!

The story begins with the author deciding to get a dog for himself. He visits a pound in Los Angeles, where he lives, to take home a stray. His family had always got strays from the pound and never cared for a dog’s pedigree. As he walks along the cages in the pound, something clicks within him when he sees a pup which he later discovers is part husky-part Saint Bernard. She is taken home and later christened ” Shirelle”.

Douglas Green is a psychotherapist, writer and stage director. He has started, ” AskShirelle” to keep alive her memory and help kids, teens and their parents. In his practice, he uses much of what he learnt from Shirelle- the knucklehead from the city pound who changed his life- and perhaps that of so many others!

Book Reviews

“The Dog Who Came To Stay: A Memoir” by Hal Borland

If, like me, you are fond of dogs, this book, first published in 1961, will definitely appeal to you. “The Dog Who Came To Stay: A Memoir” by Hal Borland is the story of how a stray black and white foxhound whom they called Pat and a black pup of perhaps setter blood whom they called Mike entered the lives of the author and his wife Barbara. They first appeared on a cold and snowy Christmas night sometime during the 1950s when they lived in a secluded 100 acre farm in the wilder areas of North West Connecticut.

Being dog lovers, Borland and his wife took in Pat and Mike without any hesitation. They after all led a rather lonely life in the isolated farm enjoying the rugged landscape and being close to nature in the Housatonic Valley. They did make efforts to find out if anyone had reported these dogs as being missing. However, no one responded to their advertisements in the local newspapers and other attempts to find their owners. Gradually, as the dogs settled into a routine they became part of the Borland family.

Pat seemed to be well trained and in their estimate was a young adult of around four years. Mike was perhaps a year old, less groomed and therefore more boisterous and less well behaved. Soon Mike led Pat into a fight with a bobcat and ran away leaving Pat to scrap it out on his own. The battle resulted in Pat getting severely injured and he was nursed back to good health over the next two weeks by the author and his wife. After a year or so, Mike was becoming too much to handle so he was given away to a neighbor who wanted a pet for his little boy.

This left Pat alone with the Borlands and the book has many delightful anecdotes of Pat and his life with them over the next eight years.  Borland writes beautifully of life in the wilds, of the rabbit hunts, the stray bears, and nature in its different forms across the seasons. And of course about Pat!  The relationship between a man and his dog is a special one, which only dog lovers will truly understand. Never could the author and Barbara hope to see a more affectionate , loyal and steadfast friend than Pat. We discover that dogs, like human beings, have distinct personalities of their own. They too have  their likings, and their preferences, be it for food or a place to sleep and call their own.

All in all, this was a most enjoyable book. I would heartily recommend it to every dog lover even if they don’t own dogs of their own.