Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog - Paperback

by Ted Kerasote (Author)

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD

A moving, insightful love story about the vast possiblities of the relationship between humans and dogs.

While on a camping trip, Ted Kerasote meets a Labrador mix living on his own in the wild. They become attached to each other, and Kerasote decides to bring the dog, who he names Merle, home. There, after realizing that Merle's native intelligence would be diminished by living exclusively in the human world, he installs a dog door in his house, allowing Merle to live both outside and in.

Merle shows Kerasote how dogs might live if they were allowed to make more of their own decisions, and Kerasote suggests how these lessons can be applied universally, bringing to bear the latest research into animal consciousness and behavior, as well as insights into the origins and evolution of the human-dog partnership. A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable dog and his relationship with the author, Merle's Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face as their lives intertwine.

Back Jacket

Anyone who ever loved a dog will find something to enjoy in Merle's Door.--The Christian Science Monitor

Merle and Ted found each other in the Utah desert Merle living wild and Ted looking for a pup to shape into a companion. But the training went both ways. Ted taught Merle how to live around wildlife and Merle taught Ted that a dog grows more intelligent whenallowed to makehis own decisions.Their journey is part buddy adventure, part love story, and part insightful explanation of how sharing leadership with your dog will make him a better best friend.

"Merle s Door is a window into the mind of a dog. You will experience his loyalty, fears, and joys and his true inner self. Everybody who loves dogs must read this book." Temple Grandin, author of Animals In Translation

"Merle's Dooris a compelling, insightful and tender story that opens new doors into the understanding of the nature of dogs."--Bark Magazine

TED KERASOTE s writing has appeared in more than fifty periodicals, including Audubon, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Field & Stream, Salon, and the New York Times. His most recent book, Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age, won the National Outdoor Book Award. He lives in Wyoming.

Visit www.MerlesDoor.com.

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