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| Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog | 
 enlarge | Author: Ted Kerasote
Publisher: Harcourt
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $3.85
You Save: $21.15 (85%)
New (56) Used (48) Collectible (4) from $0.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  131 reviews
Sales Rank: 685
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0151012709
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7092
EAN: 9780151012701
ASIN: 0151012709
Publication Date: July 2, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Has remainder mark. Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.
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| Customer Reviews:
Amazing July 8, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I bought Merle's Door a few days after my own fourteen year old labrador passed away. I was looking for a book that would help me with the loss. I couldn't find the kind of book I was looking for, but I picked up Merle's Door because of the picture on the front cover. I am so glad that I made the purchase. What a story. Many parts of the story I had to stop and read outloud to my husband or my children. We would all laugh or cry together. My husband is not a reader, but he is a hunter and he loved our dog with all his heart. It was one of the first books that he said, "I think I'd like to read that book after you." Ted Kerasote does such an amazing job in his descriptions of Merle. He describes the dog's thoughts so wonderfully. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has a fur person in their family.
Wonderful Story Masterfully Written July 5, 2007
99 out of 108 found this review helpful
"Wow. What a book." These are the words that I breathed out when I reached the end of Merle's Door.
Ted Kerasote is to writers what Mozart is to composers. His writing is that good. If he were to write about how the grass grew in his yard over summer, I have no doubt it would be a page-turner.
But that's not the story he wrote. This story is so much more. This unforgettable story begins when a big golden dog emerges from the dark to introduce himself to a small group of people camping in the desert. One of those people was Ted Kerasote, and the dog went home with him. As the story unfolds, we are taken on an amazing journey that goes well beyond "a boy and his dog."
Good relationships are built on mutual respect, and this relationship was better than most. This book is the story of that relationship. These two were the best of friends, and this account of their life together shows how each grew and learned from the other. Love, patience, and understanding are evident throughout the book.
At times, this book is humorous, and at other times it's instructive. But always, it's interesting. One of the lessons Merle taught Ted was that great things can happen if humans will change their behavior instead of always trying to change the behavior of their dogs. The prevailing wisdom is that dogs must be trained and molded a certain way, and treated as though they have no independent powers of judgment. Merle proved this isn't so wise.
The problem is that people don't let their dogs grow up. They make the dog into a perpetual child, and then are surprised when anxiety surfaces in the form of behavior problems. But how would you feel if you always had someone telling you what to do, and not letting you make any decisions on your own? This treatment, while often well-intended, disables a person. It disables dogs as well.
Ted suggests loving in a different way, one that provides more personal freedom and is less about controlling the dog. He says, "His (Merle's) lessons weren't about training, but about partnership. They were never about method; they were about attitude."
The partnership between these two took them on a far different path from one they would have taken if, for example, Ted had decided to make a bird dog out of Merle. Rather than make Merle into something to fit a desire of his own, Ted allowed Merle to be himself. And in so doing, Ted would eventually find his own deep needs met in ways that he could not have predicted. This made for a story worth telling and one definitely worth reading.
In addition to providing us with a wonderful story masterfully written, this book presents an impressive amount of science and technical information on a range of subjects. The list of sources runs 15 pages (in small print, at that). Yet, none of this seems out of place. Whether it's a quote from a biologist, an explanation of cognitive maps, or a summary of experiments with dolphins and mirrors, it's all good and it all fits. The wolf research is especially interesting. For anyone wishing to look up those facts after finishing the story, the extensive index will prove helpful.
This book has 18 chapters spanning 364 pages. Not a single one was wasted.
Even if you have never loved a dog, read this book June 29, 2007
55 out of 60 found this review helpful
First, the cold facts. Ted Kerasote has an uncanny ability to mix the sociology and history of dogs with humans and the very personal story of his life with his extraordinary Labrador mix, Merle, and makes it work like no other dog book I've read (and that's a lot of books). He is such a good writer that it's fun to read science part. But what really makes Merle's Door sing, or howl, is the poignant love story of Ted and Merle as they get to know more about each other over the years. Merle's story as told through Ted, who can put the words on the page since Merle could not, rings so true. When you read this book you are reading the story of two friends who share a life of adventure and love that is simply all too short. Millions of humans have had loving relationships with our canine halves, and never has it been so eloquently distilled in a single volume as this book. Read it, shed some tears of joy, give it to your friends, this is a magical book.
Better than Marley & Me, best dog book ever! June 28, 2007
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is by FAR the best book about the relationship between a person and a dog that I have ever read. Merle's Door makes Marley & Me look like See Spot Run. Kerasote lyrically and eloquently memorializes his relationship with Merle from the sad-yet-hope-filled beginning to the intensely heart-wrenching end. And Merle wasn't the only dog in this book that touched my soul and moved me to tears. Kerasote's fickle girlfriend (who defines the term "shallow") had a golden retriever I fell in love with as well. In addition to detailing the 13 lucky years Kerasote was blessed with Merle, the book is full of fascinating information about dogs and the relationship they've forged with people since the beginning of mankind. The book's subtitle: "Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" refers to the unique advantages that gave Merle the ability to be truly free, and what that freedom taught his alert and observant human friend -- about Merle, dogs in general and Kerasote's own character. Not every dog is able to roam free, but every dog will benefit in some way from Merle's lessons. I love my golden retriever, and thanks to Kerasote and his beautiful book, my dog's life is about to improve. I can't thank him enough. Even if you don't have a dog, Merle's Door is well worth the read.
Read This Book June 18, 2007
34 out of 40 found this review helpful
This book is superb. The writing is flawless, the information is solid and the story is powerful. It is funny, unselfconsciously honest and touching, but never maudlin. I didn't want this book end.
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