A Useful Dog
Alternately comical, melancholic, pragmatic, and poetic, Donald McCaig’s collection AUseful Dog offers a delightful exploration of the simple yet rich relationship between dogs and humans. Having cast aside urban life in the 1970s in favor of working and living on a sheep farm in Virginia, McCaig has spent the past three decades raising working sheepdogs and writing about his experiences with them. A Useful Dog comprises a selection of short pieces—vintage McCaig—that reveal not only the ins...
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Alternately comical, melancholic, pragmatic, and poetic, Donald McCaig's collection AUseful Dog offers a delightful exploration of the simple yet rich relationship between dogs and humans. Having cast aside urban life in the 1970s in favor of working and living on a sheep farm in Virginia, McCaig has spent the past three decades raising working sheepdogs and writing about his experiences with them. A Useful Dog comprises a selection of short pieces — vintage McCaig — that reveal not only the ins and outs of sheepdog work and trials but also the joy and devotion that dogs bring to our daily lives. For any dog enthusiast, this little book will prove a telling reminder of why the dog became known as man's best friend. Publishers Weekly It's no wonder that Virginia-based sheepdog trainer and author McCaig (his novel Canaanalso publishes in March) has been called the Mark Twain of dog writers. He understands that some things-in this case, dogs-don't need exaggeration or ornate description to make a strong impact. In this series of narrative snapshots, McCaig writes simply and elegantly-sometimes profoundly-about the lives of dogs and the humans who are "dotty" for them. That's not to say he doesn't show them a reverence familiar to dog lovers: "On good days, I imagine humans are connected to our dogs on a primitive genetic level; that we don't need to hear well because our dogs hear for us, that we don't need good noses because our dogs sniff out danger." McCaig is a true seeker, someone who wants to understand, deeply, the nature of the human-canine bond, and his combination of folksy anecdotes and pared down science conveys just the right sense of wonder and wisdom. Toward the end, McCaig writes, "One day I will be buried on the hill where my dogs Pip and Silk and Mack and Gael are buried"; anyone who understands the well of unspoken emotion in that statement will surely appreciate this sharp little book. (Mar.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
\ Patricia B. McConnell"Written by the Mark Twain of dog writers, A Useful Dog is an evocative collection of deftly written stories that will capture the hearts of dog lovers everywhere. Few writers can match McCaig's ability to speak to the bond between people and dogs with such quiet and unassuming grace.\ \ \ \ \ \ From the PublisherMcCaig's tales of working dogs are luminous and tocuhing. If you ever loved a dog, you will love this book.\ University of Virginia Press\ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIt's no wonder that Virginia-based sheepdog trainer and author McCaig (his novel Canaanalso publishes in March) has been called the Mark Twain of dog writers. He understands that some things-in this case, dogs-don't need exaggeration or ornate description to make a strong impact. In this series of narrative snapshots, McCaig writes simply and elegantly-sometimes profoundly-about the lives of dogs and the humans who are "dotty" for them. That's not to say he doesn't show them a reverence familiar to dog lovers: "On good days, I imagine humans are connected to our dogs on a primitive genetic level; that we don't need to hear well because our dogs hear for us, that we don't need good noses because our dogs sniff out danger." McCaig is a true seeker, someone who wants to understand, deeply, the nature of the human-canine bond, and his combination of folksy anecdotes and pared down science conveys just the right sense of wonder and wisdom. Toward the end, McCaig writes, "One day I will be buried on the hill where my dogs Pip and Silk and Mack and Gael are buried"; anyone who understands the well of unspoken emotion in that statement will surely appreciate this sharp little book. (Mar.)\ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\ \
