Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

I bought Merle's Door because the sub-title "Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" caught my eye. I was in Pet Smart buying a bag of Eukaneuba kibble for my nine-month old Standard Schnauzer puppy named Otto, who is about as freethinking a dog as you are ever going to meet.

Ted Kerasote leads the reader/dog owner-lover on a wonderful adventure into the hidden life of dogs; not simply "what dogs think," from a Pavlovian standpoint, but why dogs are the way they are.

On more than one occasion, this book brought a smile to my face, or tears to my eyes as I learned something new about dogs. This book will bring you closer to your companion animal in a way you never dreamed possible. Dogs are a lot more than pets we shape, mold, and train to our liking; they can be companions with whom we can connnect and share experiences with, if we will let dogs be themselves.

I loved Merle's Door. It was well written book on a relationship between man and dog. A tear jerker, but one of my favorites.

First let me say that many more enjoyed this book than are critical.
I found it to have a large amount of " fill" does it really need 200 annotations? do we really have to hear about Ted's sexual encounters and world travels? I began to feel that he was more interested in telling about himself than Merle. I kept thinking that we are looking at a 50 year old far left liberal into new age religion etc. IE An old Hippy.

There are many parts related to Merle's adventures that are interesting, but I do not really consider this book memorable. I purchase extra copies of memorable books to share with my friends. In do not plan to purchase any additional copies of this one, and likely will not even pass it on for others to read.

This did not compare to "The art of Racing in the Rain." Bernie Doran

This book is a must read for anyone who has loved a dog. It is a beautiful book. If you have read Marley and Me....you will really like this book as well. Highly recommend for all dog lovers.

I picked this book for my book club here in Wyoming and it was a great choice. This book touched everyone and all admitted to using a lot of kleenex at the end! Don't miss this one. Patti