Aug 26th is National Dog Day. Some days are better than others. This would be one. Today, I spent some time in the library, re-acquainting myself to several books about man’s best friend. With Bailey at my feet, I was curled up in my reading chair, reading. May have been people hours, may have been dog hours…
You cannot be too young to teach kids about dogs. I want to start with a few in the kids section. First we have “Whoop-ee, Hunkydory” 1952; “The Poky Little Puppy”; “The Very Best Home for Me”; and “Four Puppies”.
You can never go wrong with Disney. “101 Dalmations” and the whole biography of “Goofy”.
And in the spirit of getting along, I have “Walt and Pepper” by Lisl Weil. 1974. I have had cats along side my dogs for over 25 years. With the recent passing of “Kitty”, we have just my companion “Bailey”.
I also have a few dog stories for ‘young at heart’. First is “Gumpy-Son of Spunk” by Arthur C. Barnett, published 1930. To quote: “The little sled dog with a big heart. But Gumpy was, in spirit as well as blood, the son of the great Spunk. He was born to lead a dog team”
I have another dog book, “Buff, a Collie”by Albert Payson Terhune, published in 1921. This is a series of dog stories over 100 years old, from a breeder of collies.
‘The Glorious Pool’, Thorne Smith, published in 1934, by Sundial Press. A crazy story of two old lovers that got their youth back, a statue that comes to life, and poor Mr. Henry, a bloodhound-who cannot smell, trying to find his master. I think this is a top ten of novels to read. It is a rollicking, rollercoaster ride, that is about nothing at all. It is just to be an enjoyable reading exercise.
Even the author himself states, “Like life itself my stories have no point and get absolutely nowhere. And like life they are a little mad and purposeless.”
I have an interesting collection of books published by A.R. Harding. They were meant for hunters, fisherman, outdoorsman. This one is “Hunting Dogs” by Oliver Hartley, published in 1909. The subtitle is “Describes in a Practical Manner the Training, Handling, Treatment, Breeds, etc., Best Adapted for Night Hunting as Well as Gun Dogs for Daylight Sport.”
After I am done typing this, I will continue reading tonight, with this book.
While I am reading, I will leave you with a few dog thoughts:
What do you call a wild dog that meditates? Aware wolf.
Why are border collies such good listeners? Because you can tell they really herd you.
What’s the most popular dog breed among magicians? The labracadabra-dor.
What do a call a dog that sneezes? A-choo-wawa.
“I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person.”― Bill Murray
Librarytomes 