Review of Merle's Door

“Merle’s Door – Lessons from a Freethinking Dog,” if I could only use one word to describe this book it would “yawn.” There was too much of the origins, history, ancestry of domestic dogs, behaviors, training options, etc. etc. for my taste.

It seemed to take me forever to finish the book. The actual story of Merle is heartwarming, an amazing dog with an awesome owner. The only reason I finished the book was because of the few and far between descriptions of Merle and his escapades. I am a sucker for a good dog story. One of my favorite dog books is “Marley and Me.” I loved that book and I hoped to find this book just as enjoyable. It fell far short of my expectations. I would loose interest as the author spent page after page quoting from the experts on all topics dog. More often than not he would debunk the study findings if they did not coincide with the way he decided to raise Merle. The best aspects of the book are the thoughtful similes describing Merle and the great outdoors he and Ted shared, the words and thoughts Ted attributed to Merle and the obvious love and admiration shared by Ted and Merle.