Dog People

My dad does this crazy thing where he's always trying to reason with the dog. Like, if Moby chases some kids on bikes, Dad looks him in the eyes and tells Moby that it scares the kids when he barks and runs at them. Moby never seems to get the message. I mean, maybe one day he will, but Moby isn't the smartest pup in the litter. Although, what he lacks in smarts he makes up for in cuteness and abandonment issues.

I've been thinking a lot about my dogs lately because I was reading a fabulous, epic book called The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. It's about a mute boy whose family raises and trains a non-breed of dogs they call Sawtelle dogs. The book is the story of his family and his life, and it's also about his dogs. He communicates with the dogs the same way he does with his parents - through signing. He seems able to have converstations with the dogs. He can reason with them and I don't think that he's crazy.

The dogs in the book are very well written. In some cases, the story is told from the dog's perspective and it's so well done, it seems entirely plausible. The description of the dogs really made me miss my first dog, Lindy. She was the dog I grew up with, and she was smart. She was the kind of dog that would save lives, were she ever in a situation where lives needed saving.

I'm trying to remember the last book I read that I enjoyed this much. I really got attached to Edgar and his dogs. This is such a great book, it's the kind of book that you live with for a week or two, and when you're finished you're at a loss: you don't know what to do. You almost need to mourn the fact that the book is no longer a part of your everyday life. You need to take some time before you can even think about another book.

So, someone else read this book quick so I have someone to talk to about it!