Helpful Score: 2
Mutt, the star of this story, is quite a dog: independent of spirit, wiley, headstrong, creative, moody, occasionally petulant, a determined tracker and hunter, and quite comfortable in a pair of open-car riding goggles ! Today he would have been the topic of a Marley and Me sort of book, with footnotes written by highly respected dog behavorists. But this story is set in rural Canada, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, back in the days when both dogs and boys roamed free, unrestrained and unfettered, when being off-leash wasn't restricted to dog parks and children weren't constrained by overly protective parents and tightly schedules activities. Both Mutt and Farley were open to whatever life had to offer, including unexpected adventures and all the risks associated with unrestrained freedom.
Farley's father, a character in his own right, kept the pot stirred by moving the family from sedate Ontario to the wilds of Saskatchewan, with road trips and side trips galore, all traveled in Eardlie, the family's convertible Model A Ford (a bit player in this story.) Their lives and adventures were shared by resident owls, squirrels, and an odd assortment of friends. Farley's mother, a model of patience, somehow managed to remain relatively unflustered as Mutt chased skunks around the vegetable cellar and owls perched on visiting minister's shoulders !
This story takes the reader into a world very different from today's environment of raised consciousness -- I wouldn't exactly call it 'the good old days', but a time and place worth the visit, a laugh, a tear here and there, and a few hours of our time.
Farley's father, a character in his own right, kept the pot stirred by moving the family from sedate Ontario to the wilds of Saskatchewan, with road trips and side trips galore, all traveled in Eardlie, the family's convertible Model A Ford (a bit player in this story.) Their lives and adventures were shared by resident owls, squirrels, and an odd assortment of friends. Farley's mother, a model of patience, somehow managed to remain relatively unflustered as Mutt chased skunks around the vegetable cellar and owls perched on visiting minister's shoulders !
This story takes the reader into a world very different from today's environment of raised consciousness -- I wouldn't exactly call it 'the good old days', but a time and place worth the visit, a laugh, a tear here and there, and a few hours of our time.
Helpful Score: 1
I've enjoyed all of Farley Mowat's books, but I think this one will always be my favorite.
Helpful Score: 1
Like many of Mowat's books, this was entertaining but probably not exactly truthful.
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of my all time favorite dog books. I was lucky enough to find it in hardcover at Goodwill, but I'm not parting with it!
Helpful Score: 1
This book is the hilarious misadventures of a mutt who refused to be a dog. He climbed ladders, walked on the top of fences, dived for crayfish and hobnobed with skunks.
Set in Canada, this story of a boy and a dog takes place in the 30's.
Published by Pyramid Willow Books in 1968, from a Little, Brown ed. in 1957, it is, I believe intended for young adults, but enjoyable to a pet lover of any age.
Set in Canada, this story of a boy and a dog takes place in the 30's.
Published by Pyramid Willow Books in 1968, from a Little, Brown ed. in 1957, it is, I believe intended for young adults, but enjoyable to a pet lover of any age.
