Lots of people tell me about doggie books. Last Tuesday, a friend left a copy of A Dog Called Perth in my golf locker. The author is Peter Martin, who is the brother of my friend’s brother-in-law. (A Dog Called Perth, by Peter Martin, 2001, Orion Media) This book has a few lovely dog-talk passages, which I will share with you.
But first, this Memorial Day weekend, there’s a lovely story about the family of fallen soldier, Army Spc. Justin Rollins, and the Iraqi puppy he held the day before he was killed. The family, who live in Concord, New Hampshire, now have the puppy, as a rememberance of Justin. See the story on msnbc.com.
A Dog Called Perth is a true story about a beagle, whose owners, author Peter Martin and his wife Cindy, decided that Perth would have complete freedom for all of his lifetime. He would never be tied down. Peter taught Perth how to respect roads and cars, and then trusted Perth to find his way around, which led to one adventure after another. In one incident, Perth jumped off a boat dock and swam to a ferry boat carrying Peter and Cindy.
After various adventures in the U.S., Peter, who is English, has an opportunity to work in his homeland, but moving there would mean that Perth would be quarantined for six months. Peter describes this very doggie-personal, seaside, conversation:
“We had our ways of communicating. I told her gravely, in a falling, confidential voice that it meant six months of imprisonment for her. She shook the specter off. She looked beautiful. Her eyes and briskness of movement spoke of adventure, going forward, taking risks, not looking back. The briny water sparkled on her brown hear, which she held high into the wind. I knew we had to go.”
Another exchange takes place when Peter and Cindy visit Perth in her cement, quarantined prison:
“Perth showed her emotions by looking straight into our eyes with the deepest and most loving look, breathing heavily. She stepped back and forth between my lap and Cindy’s, occasionally letting out a howl. The tenseness in her body gradually dissolved and after a few minutes she settled down on Cindy’s lap. None of us said much, but there was no need to speak.”
I liked the story, but there was an aspect that was frustrating for me. It’s one thing to give a dog total freedom if you live in one place. It’s another if you move from New York to Ohio, to Florida, to Maine, and to England. Some of these moves meant that Perth had to be “parked” with other people, which did not work very well. So I felt sorry for Perth.
It’s a fun book and easy to read and has a few very sweet doggie communications.
