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nerdbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely yet heartwrenching tale of a dog and a man and the work they shared. Be forewarned, this book will make you laugh, remember and want a dog. On the other hand, it will also make you cry, make you angry and make you question your own beliefs about dogs and their place in our world.
kayceslitlife's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok. Having just added a border collie to our family recently, I thought this book would be a fun read :) And there were some parts that made me laugh out loud. But I didn't agree with the authors rationale for his decision at the end. Dog owners tend to have strong feelings about topics such as what this book deals with and some will agree or disagree with this author. I know folks on both sides and personally I do not agree with him. So the end was disappointing for me. But all in all it was an ok book. I've read better.
klarastan's review against another edition
1.0
This review contains spoilers.
This book is terrible. The author is a terrible owner and caretaker of dogs. He is abusive and just mean to Orson from day one, and it seems that he is no different with his other dogs.
When I got to the part where Katz put his dog to sleep because he was too lazy to do anything else, I burst into tears and threw it across the room. Katz has written a self-aggrandizing, self-congratulatory work on how noble he is for killing his dog, who, like all dogs, only wanted love.
The cover image breaks my heart. Poor Orson, who in the end had no one who cared for him or loved him.
This book is terrible. The author is a terrible owner and caretaker of dogs. He is abusive and just mean to Orson from day one, and it seems that he is no different with his other dogs.
When I got to the part where Katz put his dog to sleep because he was too lazy to do anything else, I burst into tears and threw it across the room. Katz has written a self-aggrandizing, self-congratulatory work on how noble he is for killing his dog, who, like all dogs, only wanted love.
The cover image breaks my heart. Poor Orson, who in the end had no one who cared for him or loved him.
wafer's review against another edition
1.0
This book comes across as monetizing what amounts to an avoidable death brought about by irresponsibility and selfishness from the very beginning. I question any breeder so willing to give a person with complete border collie inexperience a problem dog like Orson.
Katz's time with Orson is described as chaotic. Katz tries a variety of expensive homeopathic remedies to alleviate Orson's neurotic behavior, and yet refuses to invest in alternatives like a specialized behaviorist.
All of the bite incidents described were completely avoidable and do not (in my opinion) justify the choice to kill Orson. After the first incident Katz made no move to try and prevent any other case from occurring. Orson's behavior is allowed only to escalate until it can't be ignored any longer.
What is it about the clueless dog people having the most popular dog books? Like "Marley and Me", Jon Katz only demonstrates complete incompetence here. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't try to tout himself as a border collie expert within the dog loving community.
And that ending with the shaman? Yeah, no. I'm sorry, but it only comes off as sentimental exploitation for a dog who didn't deserve such an early and preventable death. I don't care how tight or well-done the writing quality may be.
Katz's time with Orson is described as chaotic. Katz tries a variety of expensive homeopathic remedies to alleviate Orson's neurotic behavior, and yet refuses to invest in alternatives like a specialized behaviorist.
All of the bite incidents described were completely avoidable and do not (in my opinion) justify the choice to kill Orson. After the first incident Katz made no move to try and prevent any other case from occurring. Orson's behavior is allowed only to escalate until it can't be ignored any longer.
What is it about the clueless dog people having the most popular dog books? Like "Marley and Me", Jon Katz only demonstrates complete incompetence here. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't try to tout himself as a border collie expert within the dog loving community.
And that ending with the shaman? Yeah, no. I'm sorry, but it only comes off as sentimental exploitation for a dog who didn't deserve such an early and preventable death. I don't care how tight or well-done the writing quality may be.
shahrun's review against another edition
1.0
I really think this is going to have to be the last Jon Katz book I read. I found it rather frustrating and a bit of a waste of my time, because this book pretty much exactly replicated what I have already read in other books by him. In fact for the first 80 or so pages, I was convinced if picked up a book I'd already read. Which didn't really inspire me to keep reading it. Having said that though, I really felt for the poor guy and poor Orson. It was the only outcome I could foresee too.
laneamagya's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading Jon Katz's books about his dogs for a few years now, and have been particularly enamored with his destructive, willful Border Collie Orson. It's easy to love a dog who always does everything right. It takes a lot more to remain dedicated to a dog that causes a lot of trouble. And despite all of the trouble Orson caused, Katz has been continually able to realize that Orson's troubles were largely the result of physical problems and behavioral problems foisted upon him by misguided people.
This book was particularly hard to read. Because I'm familiar with Katz's tone, I knew the book was likely to chronicle a tragedy just by the title. Sure enough, it was heart-breaking. Just, well, just don't read it if you can't deal with sad stories about dogs.
I'm glad to have read it. I'm amazed by Katz's bravery in writing these chronicles of his life with dogs. We pet lovers can be obsessively critical of anyone who strays from our peculiar views of training, veterinary care, feeding, and breeding dogs and cats. Katz makes one difficult choice after another, admits when his choices are misguided or unpopular, and invites us to be angry at him. In this book, he explores a variety of methods in attempting to heal his beloved, disturbed dog. It's heartbreaking and informative. I came out on Katz's side--I think he did the right thing. I don't envy him his decisions though, and I'm intensely happy to have such an easy dog.
Excuse me while I go spoil my pooch.
This book was particularly hard to read. Because I'm familiar with Katz's tone, I knew the book was likely to chronicle a tragedy just by the title. Sure enough, it was heart-breaking. Just, well, just don't read it if you can't deal with sad stories about dogs.
I'm glad to have read it. I'm amazed by Katz's bravery in writing these chronicles of his life with dogs. We pet lovers can be obsessively critical of anyone who strays from our peculiar views of training, veterinary care, feeding, and breeding dogs and cats. Katz makes one difficult choice after another, admits when his choices are misguided or unpopular, and invites us to be angry at him. In this book, he explores a variety of methods in attempting to heal his beloved, disturbed dog. It's heartbreaking and informative. I came out on Katz's side--I think he did the right thing. I don't envy him his decisions though, and I'm intensely happy to have such an easy dog.
Excuse me while I go spoil my pooch.
hyzenthlay76's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes funny, utterly heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and everything else that life with dogs is.
lindzee's review against another edition
1.0
Difficult to read. There was no organization to the book(at least that I could tell) and his stories always seemed to end before the true end of them.