Albert Payson Terhune
Hardcover | Pages: 238 pages Rating: 4.25 | 8630 Users | 185 Reviews
Be Specific About Books In Favor Of Lad: A Dog (Lad #1)
| Original Title: | Lad: A Dog |
| ISBN: | 0517122863 (ISBN13: 9780517122860) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Lad #1 |
Description Toward Books Lad: A Dog (Lad #1)
This will be revisited at some point, but it came up as a GoodReads recommendation, and I wanted to share my memory of this book.I read my pop's old paperback copy of this, and encountered my first (traumatizing) experience with old paperback book-binding glue. It was tragic. I was 9, and not at fault, but since my father loved this book, I got chewed out thoroughly for the pages that were falling out like leaves from an autumn tree, regardless of how lovingly and reverently I treated this copy.
Sadness aside, I have mixed memories of this book, some sad (as Lad drags himself across the snow unerringly), some happy (he was a wonderful family dog), and some adorable (him mouthing the lady's foot).
This is a book for dog lovers, written by a dog lover. Flat out. And I loved it. Even the sad bits (which I generally hate, but always stand out so strongly for me in retrospect).
I had sung the praises of Rin Tin Tin to my pop, and read many Jim Kjelgaard (why does my spell check want to change this name, when I memorized the spelling to better peruse his works in our various library card catalogues?) doggie stories which I enjoyed, wanting each of the breeds written on, and at this point added English Collie to this list. My sweet father who knew that I was so like him, let me borrow his ancient paperback copy that he had enjoyed as a boy himself.
We knew each other as if I were cut from the same cloth he had been. And I appreciated that about him. So when I read this story, I knew that I would enjoy it just as he had. And I did. Until I returned the book, and the pages were beginning to slip free. I felt bad. He felt bad. It was a bad experience.
But even with that, I recall this book in the light of the love of a good dog.
Years later, when I wound up with a rescued Collie whom I named 'Prince' (his real name, turned out when his delinquent owner showed up, was Cheeseballs) it was this story that came to mind as I brushed him for what was perhaps the first time in his life, loosening mats and burrs and scabs from old scars, telling myself stories of Lad and where all that came from as he trembled in my lap, unwilling to get off me. He was a culmination of my hopes and dreams and memories of this book, and too short with me.
But still, I have always dreamed of having a dog as loyal as this. This book is the ideal, the standard, the pinnacle all good dogs can be measured against. Lad is not just a dog, but a saint in canine form.
A story to be savoured, for sure. It has stood the test of time.
Point Out Of Books Lad: A Dog (Lad #1)
| Title | : | Lad: A Dog (Lad #1) |
| Author | : | Albert Payson Terhune |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 238 pages |
| Published | : | January 24th 1995 by Gramercy (first published 1919) |
| Categories | : | Animals. Classics. Fiction. Dogs. Childrens. Young Adult |
Rating Out Of Books Lad: A Dog (Lad #1)
Ratings: 4.25 From 8630 Users | 185 ReviewsPiece Out Of Books Lad: A Dog (Lad #1)
I read this book as a child, in 4th grade. I loved the heroic Collies of Sunnybank.I really enjoyed this, and probably would have liked it even more if I'd read it as a kid. It's a collection of stories about a heroic collie named Lad. There's humor, and a whole lot of poignancy. It takes the big dog through young adulthood into old age, and I certainly came to love him as if he were real. A very good book.
I loved this book as a child and I love it now! It made me adore collies. I've owned cocker spaniels, English springer spaniels, brittney spaniels, red-bone coonhounds, and a variety of mutts, but no collies. My next dog will be a collie! It's fun to see how I react to this book almost the same way now as I did when I was ten. If you haven't read it, then you're missing out!
When I was a kid, the library had two hardcover editions of this book. I would read one copy, take it back, exchange it for the next. I read this book so many times I could recite it. I read his others as well, but this one, and this dog, remain a favorite. As an adult, I bought the book myself and it has a hallowed spot on my keeper shelf.
The dog does not die at the end of this book. Lad is a dog who lives on an estate in northern New Jersey during the early 20th century. He is a beautiful thoroughbred collie who has won multiple ribbons at dog shows. He is the watchdog for the estate and is ever the loyal companion of the Master and Mistress. Lad saved a baby from a poisonous snake, found his way home from New York City, rescued his home from being attacked by various harmful people, saved a puppy who had fallen through the ice,
probably one of my favorite books in the history of the world, simply amazing
Great dog story, rivals that even of Jack London! Very humorous, makes for one lovable dog!
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