Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog Reviews

• Wonderful Story Masterfully Written

  
  By A3BMMUPJUSXLLX on 2007-07-05
  "Wow. What a book." These are the words that I breathed out when I reached the end of Merle's Door.
  
  Ted Kerasote is to writers what Mozart is to composers. His writing is that good. If he were to write about how the grass grew in his yard over summer, I have no doubt it would be a page-turner.
  
  But that's not the story he wrote. This story is so much more. This unforgettable story begins when a big golden dog emerges from the dark to introduce himself to a small group of people camping in the desert. One of those people was Ted Kerasote, and the dog went home with him. As the story unfolds, we are taken on an amazing journey that goes well beyond "a boy and his dog."
  
  Good relationships are built on mutual respect, and this relationship was better than most. This book is the story of that relationship. These two were the best of friends, and this account of their life together shows how each grew and learned from the other. Love, patience, and understanding are evident throughout the book.
  
  At times, this book is humorous, and at other times it's instructive. But always, it's interesting. One of the lessons Merle taught Ted was that great things can happen if humans will change their behavior instead of always trying to change the behavior of their dogs. The prevailing wisdom is that dogs must be trained and molded a certain way, and treated as though they have no independent powers of judgment. Merle proved this isn't so wise.
  
  The problem is that people don't let their dogs grow up. They make the dog into a perpetual child, and then are surprised when anxiety surfaces in the form of behavior problems. But how would you feel if you always had someone telling you what to do, and not letting you make any decisions on your own? This treatment, while often well-intended, disables a person. It disables dogs as well.
  
  Ted suggests loving in a different way, one that provides more personal freedom and is less about controlling the dog. He says, "His (Merle's) lessons weren't about training, but about partnership. They were never about method; they were about attitude."
  
  The partnership between these two took them on a far different path from one they would have taken if, for example, Ted had decided to make a bird dog out of Merle. Rather than make Merle into something to fit a desire of his own, Ted allowed Merle to be himself. And in so doing, Ted would eventually find his own deep needs met in ways that he could not have predicted. This made for a story worth telling and one definitely worth reading.
  
  In addition to providing us with a wonderful story masterfully written, this book presents an impressive amount of science and technical information on a range of subjects. The list of sources runs 15 pages (in small print, at that). Yet, none of this seems out of place. Whether it's a quote from a biologist, an explanation of cognitive maps, or a summary of experiments with dolphins and mirrors, it's all good and it all fits. The wolf research is especially interesting. For anyone wishing to look up those facts after finishing the story, the extensive index will prove helpful.
  
  This book has 18 chapters spanning 364 pages. Not a single one was wasted.
  
  

• hard to apply

  
  By A3KM9UA6MAVURN on 2007-10-15
  As a dog biography, Merle's Door is both humorous and tear-jerking. The ending definitely calls for tissues.
  
  But Merle's Door is not simply a dog's biography and can't be judged merely on that score. It also attempts to be something of a treatise on dog behavior, and the biography is excerpted and annotated with reports on dog behavior and research. And the title of the book itself "Lessons from a Free thinking dog" implies this isn't a mere dog's tale, or the reader isn't supposed to take it as such.
  
  The book tries to be two things, then, and one tends to hamper the other. The behavioral treatise on dogs interrupt the flow of the biography, and tend to be a little boring. And this is from someone who read all of Konrad Lorenz as a teenager. The behavioral asides seem somewhat cherry picked -- that is, rather than be a true behavioral treatise on all dogs, they are used to support some point that the author wants to make toward his own theories based on his one single dog, and all other evidence to the contrary being ignored. To generalize from a sample of one never makes for good teaching or good lessons.
  
  The point of the "open door" policy in a nutshell seems to be that if dogs had their freedom to roam, and make their own decisions, that would resolve a great deal of the undersocialization, underexercised, overly frustrated aggressive dog behavior we see in many dogs. He uses Merle as an example of this perfect dog. But aside from the fact that very few people can live in a purported dog utopia like Kelly, the reality beyond Merle himself wasn't quite as rosy, if you read beyond Merle. And Merle himself was just very, very lucky.
  
  The first day that the author brings Merle to Kelly, he lets this dog, that he doesn't know an awful lot about, out free to roam. Two hours later the dog returns. In that time, Merle could have been shot by a rancher for cow or sheep running, as other dogs later were, and as Merle would have done. He could have been hit by a car, as other Kelly dogs were. Merle proved to be car smart, but the author didn't know that when he let him roam. He could have gotten into fights and injured -- or even killed. He was later taken to a vet to be stitched back together after one of these fights. He could have been picked up by the dog catcher as he also later was. Nor did he know how good the dog was with children, and a dog that had run down other prey animals might need to be evaluated in that regard. These are all dangers that could happen to dogs everywhere, and that some fall prey to. Isn't that what we protect our dogs from? And they do happen to dogs in Kelly.
  
  For the open door policy clearly doesn't work for all dogs in Kelly, the ones who were hit by cars, picked up by the dog catcher, killed for harassing livestock, or who were caught up in dog fights. Merle was lucky, particularly in the beginning. But Kelly was also small enough that he managed to scrape by.
  
  I'm not seeing any magical lesson there for the dogs or dog owners of Kelly, or for those of us outside of Kelly. Further, there were property owners in Kelly who were apparently bothered enough by free ranging dogs to call in the dog catcher. If you look at the total picture, and not just Merle, the lesson of Merle's Door is thus hard to see. Merle was a stable dog, probably partly because of his breed as much as his upbringing. Labs and retrievers aren't very territorial, and are bred to be social around a "camp". The open door policy that worked so well for Merle and the author and sounds so tempting, didn't work so well for all the dogs in Kelly, or for all the people in Kelly. But it probably wouldn't work for all dogs even as well as it worked for Merle, even if they had his genetics. And as you expand in size of towns, you exponentially increase the interactions and the problems. Take the other case of the tiny village in France who also had very social free roaming dogs. The author makes friends with the "mayor" dog of that town and compares him to Merle and uses him as a similar object lesson and example. Yet when he goes back, that dog is no longer there. We don't know his fate. The author doesn't seek to find out his fate. He's only used as an example when he fits the premise the author is painting -- when that dog disappears, the author uses the next dog in that village as a perfect example.
  
  In addition to the risky lessons Merle learns for himself, unsupervised, we also get some rather horrific recountings of the author teaching him not to run cattle. And even more disturbing was the use of the shock collar to teach him not to accept filet mignon handouts from a neighbor who was over feeding him. I won't debate the use of a shock collar, and clearly the author felt it was justified. But the recounting of how he used it for this purpose sickened me.
  
  So Merle's Door inspired a jumble of reactions in me -- humor and sorrow, disgust and at times, sheer disbelief in some of what was purported. At one point the author implies that because Merle eats bits of elk and meat (though he seems to live largely on kibble) he has higher status than other dogs in the village. But that's just the author's impression, and I think, fed a bit by his own ego. My dog is entirely raw fed, prey model fed, no kibble at all, but I wouldn't make that supposition for her. I feed my dog that way for health reasons, I don't get any egoboo out of it. I don't know of any research or science that supports the claim of higher status on prey fed dogs. Those sorts of claims permeate the book and leave me skeptical of all of it, even though I really enjoyed the tale of Merle's life.
  
  But that's Merle's Door, a mixture of dog biography, cherry picked quotes from dog behaviorists, and personal assumptions. It's interesting and at times heart-rending, and sometimes hard slogging through the excessively scholarly parts. It's not one to swallow uncriticaly. But if you can't whole-heartedly love the book, or accept the author's claims without a grain of salt, you can love the dog. As the author did, even if you can't agree or could ever follow his methods of caring for him. Or believe there are any great lessons there for other dog owners. As a dog biography, it works for me. The lessons were harder for me to divine. And because of that, I give it 3 1/2 stars.
  
  
  
  

• Even if you have never loved a dog, read this book

  
  By A2YNFL2LQINHMH on 2007-06-29
  First, the cold facts. Ted Kerasote has an uncanny ability to mix the sociology and history of dogs with humans and the very personal story of his life with his extraordinary Labrador mix, Merle, and makes it work like no other dog book I've read (and that's a lot of books). He is such a good writer that it's fun to read science part. But what really makes Merle's Door sing, or howl, is the poignant love story of Ted and Merle as they get to know more about each other over the years. Merle's story as told through Ted, who can put the words on the page since Merle could not, rings so true. When you read this book you are reading the story of two friends who share a life of adventure and love that is simply all too short. Millions of humans have had loving relationships with our canine halves, and never has it been so eloquently distilled in a single volume as this book. Read it, shed some tears of joy, give it to your friends, this is a magical book.
  
  

• Writing 4, content zero.

  
  By A196KFU4W81IOV on 2007-10-06
  There is no doubt that Kerasote can write (though the "Mozart" reference in the featured review is more than hyperbole -- it's absolutely absurd). But this tribute to his dog should have been half its nearly 400 pages, or even less. He's padded it out with excerpts from some very mediocre source books (Masson's book, which Kerasote quotes on the first page, is the only dog book I've ever thrown in the trash), and offers nothing new to readers who keep up to date on dog research and theories about dog behavior. It's all old information, probably gleaned from the Web and his own library. Furthermore, the man is a hypocrite and a windbag. He takes his dog camping in subzero weather at 12k feet without training Merle beforehand to sleep in a tent. When the dog panics at being confined, Kerasote leaves him outside in blizzard conditions. He takes his dog bird hunting and shoots a shotgun right over Merle's head (again, no previous training), and is surprised when the dog freaks. He pontificates about how we all ruin dogs by leashing them, then blithely mentions dogs that are shot for chasing livestock. He puts a shock collar on his dog to train him to avoid a neighbor that gives the dog treats. Think about that one.
  
  The fact is, I found myself hating this man, even as I grew fond of his dog. Jackson Hole is rife with his type of arrogant, he-man, gotta-eat-wild-animals, gun loving, opinionated jerks. He even goes so far as to say that vegans are responsible for the destruction of animals and insects because farming supplants wildlife habitat. Yet it's somehow okay for him to go out and blast away at elk, antelope, deer, various birds, and God knows what else. He is downright irresponsible with his wonderful dog. As for the idiotic idea that dogs should run free, I live in a rural area where people let their dogs do just that, and people do get bitten, and dogs do attack other dogs and livestock, and they do get hit by cars and shot by people who have had it with dog owners just like Kerasote.
  
  Yes, he does write well about what it feels like to love and lose a once-in-a-lifetime dog, but as a lifelong log lover, I take issue with his lack of protection of his friend. The deal we make with dogs is that they take care of us and we take care of them -- which includes using our bigger brains to keep them safe.
  
  Skip this book.
  
  

• Read This Book

  
  By A5GA72BCIN21U on 2007-06-18
  This book is superb. The writing is flawless, the information is solid and the story is powerful. It is funny, unselfconsciously honest and touching, but never maudlin. I didn't want this book end.
  
  
• Explosively Superb!
  By A2YP0ERKR0BG27 on 2007-09-11
  This book was UNBELIEVABLE. This was quite possibly the best book I have ever read. It was so intelligent, interesting, well written, suspenseful, insightful, heart rending and hilarious. I was up half the night AFTER I finished it contemplating its many facets. I cannot recommend this enough. Make no mistake, this is a story of deep, life changing friendship that few, if any, of us ever experience in our lives with anybody. It is a love story, and a tale of life's deepest lessons, told with such flair you cannot stop reading. Ted Kerasote is a man I would really like to meet. He is insightful and above all one of the most compassionate people I have ever read about. And what a life, full of excitement and adventure, and Merle is along for every experience, contributing his unique input at every opportunity.
  
  I also admire a tale about letting your dog be a DOG and not treating it like a stuffed animal....i.e. carrying it around in a pocketbook like a fashion accessory. I only wish I could provide my dogs with a mountain range teeming with wildlife and a town full of other friendly people and dogs to romp with off leash.
  
  I was literally sobbing at the end, and I felt this book opened my eyes in the sense that it brings home a point we all know but seldom think about. Life is so, so short for all of us, and if we pay attention, we can make sure our time on this earth is filled with happiness, earth shattering love, beauty, peace, and deep meaning if we let it.
  
  
• The most touching book I've read in a long time...
  By A3983X80T3PDNH on 2007-07-10
  I bought this book knowing nothing about it or the author. I love dogs and had the love of my life dog pass away about 2 years ago. I've read Marley and Me and other dog books, but somehow they didn't come close to expressing the bond between man and dog as this book does so flawlessly. I read the book right away as we are now raising two puppies and I thought the book would be instructional. Wow. Although the book is instructional, it is so much more than that. This book touched me like nothing has in a long time. I finished it last night and I still can't think about it without choking up. What a life! It makes me want to go put my arms around the author and tell him I understand.
  Bravo!! Well written. 5 stars. I loved it. I wish I had known Merle.
  
  
• Shoulda Ordered Something Else
  By A1BL6DSKPO9Q7A on 2007-10-17
  First of all, most dogs I know have been raised in the city or suburbs. They are not left to roam freely as Merle was. If they were, they would have had very short lives. Since most people I know have regular 9 to 5 jobs, they are not afforded the luxury this author had of earning his living. In addition, if I wanted to know the boring results of countless studies, I would have picked that type of book to read. This was supposed to be a story about a DOG! Sometimes the results of the studies he referred to went on endlessly, and I finally got to skipping over them in order to finish the book. And most of all, he needs to read " A Dog's Prayer" which in part says: "...should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the mercy of eternal rest." He was irresponsible not to give Merle that final gift.
  
  
• THE Best.
  By A1E8D6SRWNCTAI on 2007-07-20
  We've all been there. Well, those of us who have lived with and loved pets have. You'll recognize the place....that spot in your soul in which a wondrous animal's love resides, gently encased by the love you feel for him or her.
  
  I was searching Amazon for another book when I spied the cover of Merle's Door - there was Merle, looking frank and confident into the camera as he rested on a rocky crag. It took me about 5 seconds to click the Add to Cart button and rush through my order - and I am truly a normally deliberate consumer.
  
  OK, the truth is that just a month earlier, my beautiful Rusty left us after too brief a time of 12 years. He was a rescue Golden, with a little Irish Setter in his lineage somewhere, which tinged his coat nearly the same color as Merle's. Maybe it was the semi-resemblance that drew me in to this book.
  
  I had grieved, but knew there was much more inside to process still.
  
  Ted, if you ever read these Amazon reviews out of idle curiosity (for I know you already know you produced a masterful story about a magical relationship), please know that your book helped me get further along the path to acceptance. Last night I finished the book and spent a good two hours afterward crying and remembering and being thankful I had had the time I did with Rusty, The Bean Dog. It helped me, though I'm not all the way home...still at the place of wanting him here and back and at my side. But it helped. Thanks, Ted.
  
  BTW, Rusty loved the Hallelujah Chorus, too, or at least he tolerated it when I sang the tune to made up words of praise for him. I know he always smiled anyway.
  
  Read this book, people, and recommend it to your friends, give it for gifts. You will be doing a good thing for yourself and others.
  
  
  
• Better than Marley & Me, best dog book ever!
  By A2UQMTXN76OREP on 2007-06-28
  This is by FAR the best book about the relationship between a person and a dog that I have ever read. Merle's Door makes Marley & Me look like See Spot Run. Kerasote lyrically and eloquently memorializes his relationship with Merle from the sad-yet-hope-filled beginning to the intensely heart-wrenching end. And Merle wasn't the only dog in this book that touched my soul and moved me to tears. Kerasote's fickle girlfriend (who defines the term "shallow") had a golden retriever I fell in love with as well. In addition to detailing the 13 lucky years Kerasote was blessed with Merle, the book is full of fascinating information about dogs and the relationship they've forged with people since the beginning of mankind. The book's subtitle: "Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" refers to the unique advantages that gave Merle the ability to be truly free, and what that freedom taught his alert and observant human friend -- about Merle, dogs in general and Kerasote's own character. Not every dog is able to roam free, but every dog will benefit in some way from Merle's lessons. I love my golden retriever, and thanks to Kerasote and his beautiful book, my dog's life is about to improve. I can't thank him enough. Even if you don't have a dog, Merle's Door is well worth the read.
  
  
• View from near by
  By A111203O3XMDYY on 2007-07-14
  Kerasote's writing is exquisite, the story poignant and Merle was a great dog. I would guess that somebody will fault the book for being too anthropomorphic, but I'd suggest that those folks get a dog and make him or her part of their lives and see if it doesn't all make more sense, then.
  
  I live just across the Jackson Hole valley from Kelly, the hamlet where Merle was mayor. I know a few of the people who pass through the book's pages (although I've never crossed paths with Kerasote). The detail and depth of the author's description of the physical environment in which he lived with Merle is a great delight, too, and adds another good reason to spend some time with the book.
  
  
  
• Amazing dog, poor story telling.
  By A3RZPCSR17E1L1 on 2007-08-18
  I love animals and was draw to this book by all the great reviews, but what a disappointment. I read the 1st 2 chapters thinking, ok it will pick up - he is just setting the stage, half way through the 3rd chapter, I began to realize this was his writing style. Boring. He is just describing action, and throwing in facts on wolfs, like a high school student would write a book report. Obviously this is an amazing dog story, just couldn't finish the book.
  
  
• Raising each other
  By A26H17W5A8SALY on 2007-09-15
  There are a LOT of dog books out there; seems everybody and their brother has written one. Does this book add anything new or different to the Gosh-I-Have-The-Most-Amazing-Dog genre?
  
  I think it does. Ted is willing to take the risk of letting Merle be fully a dog, with very little interference. To such an extent that some readers won't help but to be able to pass judgment on the potential (and at times life-threatening) danger Ted allows Merle to work out for himself. I can't say that I agree with a lot of what Ted thinks passes for responsible dog ownership and training, but I understand his desire to let his dog have a true "outdoor life" experience.
  
  Because Ted had the constitution, along with the remote setting, as well as observation skills honed from years of outdoor and natural wildlife exposure, he was able to give Merle the inch he needed to show Ted that it was safe to let him take the mile. That Ted took the time to really watch and think about what Merle was doing and why gave him entrée into, if not all dogs' minds, at least into Merle's mind. And it appears Merle watched and learned about Ted's ways as well. Together, they forged a love, trust, and understanding of each other.
  
  There are mixed opinions as to whether the scientific studies Ted liberally sprinkles throughout add or detract from the story-telling. I felt they did both. At times, they seemed like nothing more than justifications or supporting evidence for Ted's views and feelings toward Merle. And while it does give the impression that Ted has read all the research out there, some of his references are outdated -- especially some notes pertaining to old-fashioned training methods.
  
  In the end, is the message of this book "Let your dogs run free and be dogs, and all will be right with the world?" The fact that Ted lived in the extreme of a rural setting allowed him to do so with relative impunity. (I say 'relative' because other dogs allowed to live the same free lifestyle in the story are not so lucky. One is shot by a rancher and one is hit by a car.) I don't believe that's the key, not to mention not practical or safe for most dogs. Rather, I believe the heart of the story is "Take the time to watch, observe, learn, and trust, and you will build a mutual relationship with your dog that astounds."
  
  
  
• Amazing
  By A1LFLKY7GOUP9P on 2007-07-20
  I really like biographies: Potter's Nimitz, Edmund Morris's The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, William Manchester's MacArthur. Ted Kerasote has written my favorite so far. Merle's Door is a brilliantly written biography of someone I'd never heard of, the author's best friend, a Lab mix dog who found him on a trip in the American wilderness. In this book, we are privy to a wonderful lifetime relationship between the author and Merle, the Freethinking Dog from the point of view of both. Kerasote, like T. Roosevelt, is an informed naturalist who has a reverence for our beautiful world and a keen desire to understand it. Dog books generally pull heartstrings. So true in Merle's Door but Kerasote very effectively touches both the reader's heart and brain. Ted Kerasote in this book recalls conversations between his dog and him, translating for us Merle's part. This is not Lady and the Tramp. Kerasote peppers throughout the book scientific sources from archeology, anthropology, psychology, and biology that are clear and as interesting as the love story itself. He challenges in a convincing way conventional thinking about and practice of keeping dogs. I think anyone who has ever loved a dog who reads this book will feel validated concerning conversations (two-way) they have had with their own dogs. For some people, this biography will likely serve as a self-help relationship type of book (watch out Dr. Phil). I truly enjoyed this book.
  
  
• A Wonderful Tribute to a Wonderful Friend
  By A3G5SKPP4UHEVM on 2007-09-11
  What first attracted me to this book was the cover. It could have been a picture of my dog, Rhone, whom I also found as a stray in February 1992, and I'm guessing he was about 10 months at the time.
  
  After reading some of the reviews, I went to Ted's website and looked at the photos of Merle's life in pictures. Merle and Ted's enthusiam for life, and the mutual love and respect Ted and Merle shared beams out of every picture. I then listened to the radio podcast and knew that I had to get this book. I have read my share of books about people and their canine companions (Dogs Who Found Me, Marley and Me, Dogs of Dreamtime, etc.) and this chronicle was by far the most informative and intimate.
  
  I really appreciated how Ted treated his readers, much in the way that he treated Merle, with respect. He provides us with a plethora of information to help us understand our dogs and their evolution, they way that they think, etc. I was also taken by the fact that there were no pictures in the book, they're all on the website. I really liked that, not sure why, but I did. It's too bad that there is not video along with the pictures! It'd be great to see Merle in action.
  
  Ted takes on the herculian task of being story teller, griever (he writes the books over a 2.5 year period after Merle's death), and teacher...succeeding remarkably in each area. Ted guides us through the life he and Merle shared and allows us to share the many epiphanies that Ted has, some funny, some serious, and some very sobering and sad, as when he realized after seeing Merle's 'guimping' (his word, not mine) after one hike, that their days of hiking, skiing, and hunting, are over....and that Merle's time is close to being up. I can't think of anything harder to come to terms with. He adds humor when he reminds us that it is the psychology of man, not dog, that brings about this sadness...Merle doesn't think about his numbering days, his guimpy leg, etc. It's a great reminder that it is how we interpret these things, along with the concepts of death and separation, that impede our growth if we wallow in them.
  
  I also enjoyed reading not only about Merle and Ted, but about Merle's dog friends, Ted's gray cat, his support mechanism of friends, etc.
  
  I loved reading this book, but really didn't want to read the ending, because I was sure it would be difficult emotionally. And although it was, Ted once again guides us through this, like a friend taking our hand, trying to help us see the beauty, and not the tragedy at hand. Of course, part of grieving is crying and acknowledging our loss. It's striking to read so many reviews, where we, the readers, share that sense of loss of Merle, that Ted felt. There, for me, was a secondary loss, in a way. In reading such intimate details of Ted's life, I felt that he truly let us in and was unguarded, as much as he could be. When the book ended, it was like I had been caught in some time machine...I found myself sad and grieving for a loss that had happened years before. I found myself then thinking, now 3+ years after Merle's death, how Ted is doing. Did Ted come across another canine friend? Did Ted finally meet a human with whom he can share his life? And, how's his cabin/house that he and Merle built?
  
  Ted brings us a great gift in this book. Many of the comments remark on how lucky Merle was to have a village and free roaming life. Living in a city (SF), I can't offer nearly as much freedom, but I can offer many of the other things that Ted suggest: love, partnership, off-leash dog walking areas like Fort Funston where Rhone can socialize with other dogs, and make his own friends, resolve his own conflicts, etc....to be a (free thinking) dog.
  
  Thanks for a great share Ted!
  
  
• Amazing
  By A2CYOGK9ADN2JT on 2007-07-07
  I bought Merle's Door a few days after my own fourteen year old labrador passed away. I was looking for a book that would help me with the loss. I couldn't find the kind of book I was looking for, but I picked up Merle's Door because of the picture on the front cover. I am so glad that I made the purchase. What a story. Many parts of the story I had to stop and read outloud to my husband or my children. We would all laugh or cry together. My husband is not a reader, but he is a hunter and he loved our dog with all his heart. It was one of the first books that he said, "I think I'd like to read that book after you." Ted Kerasote does such an amazing job in his descriptions of Merle. He describes the dog's thoughts so wonderfully. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has a fur person in their family.
  
  
• Insight not found in other "dog" books
  By A15PMV5YEK7YM1 on 2007-08-07
  Ted Kerasote, in his moving novel, "Merle's Door", allows us a window into the mind and soul of his companion of 13 years, Merle. Merle enjoys the freedom that few dogs ever have, and in his stunning masterpiece, Kerasote manages to let us really "see" and feel the emotions that Merle is feeling. This book is special because Kerasote, due to the geographic location in which he makes his home, is able to provide Merle with the freedom and decision-making capabilities that are not part and parcel of the life of most American dogs who live in an urban setting.
  
  Those of us who have opened our hearts and our homes to these precious family members, will relate to the deep love and compansionship that develops between Merle and Ted. Although our dogs may not have been privy to the many adventures that Ted and Merle shared, they are no less loved.
  
  This book is a treasure, and everyone who loves dogs should own a copy. It's a book that I have no doubt that I will re-read in the future.
  
  
• Sir, you dance, you dance...
  By A3DSAC4SS5MLZ9 on 2007-08-10
  Quite simply, the best book written about a dog, and what a dog was Merle. His joy of life and his love for Ted. His stubborn streak; not hunting birds, not playing fetch and his love for hunting elk with Ted. His rounds through the town of Kelly. His love for his best friend Brower and the boys' reunion when Brower returns from cancer surgery. Merle is some wonderful dog. What spirit! Racing with a coyote to emphatically claim his territory. The information about dogs developing from wolves and how dogs truly have close to human personalities will have a reader who is a dog person agreeing with Ted. As Ted revels in the joy of his dog and loves him to the bitter end a reader will see that Merle does dance. A must read for any dog lover.
  
  
• Heartwarming book!
  By A1C3Z0YG6KJ9FP on 2007-08-18
  I so enjoyed this book.It was beautifully written.I was in tears and moved greatly by the end of the book.Thanks Ted for a book that is needed.
  
  
• More than just a "dog and owner" story...
  By AEH52JVLQL0EL on 2007-08-27
  In a time when the media is reporting more and more regarding dogs that are neglected or abused-- Micheal Vick and DMX news, television shows like "Animal Cops", etc-- some people still are so brazen as to object, "their just dogs." "Merle's Door:Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" might bring such individuals up to speed.
  
  As a dog lover and occasionally referred to as a "dog whisperer" in his early stages, I have frequently read stories about a person who's dog story is inspirational and moving. Such stories remind us of Ghandi's words, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others", even if the "other" is a pet.
  
  Kerasote's gift is in the ability to challenge the cliche of genre. Is this a novel or a text book? Is it inspirational or educational? There is as much quality research provided by Kerasote in this gem as there are moments of laughter, frustration, and sadness. While educating the reader about historical research and perspectives on canines, Kerasote never fails to continue offering stories of his life with Merle that are rich and vivid. Further, Kerasote himself offers us omniscience into his introspective nature and shares both the insight and the challenges presented by his relationship with Merle. Many dog owners may frequently find themselves satisfied to share an emotional connection to their pet but never appreciate the philosophical questions that such relationships can offer us when we're open to them. Kerasote delivers time and time again.
  
  In short, you'll laugh and cry, but you'll also learn a thing or two, and you'll likely be left ready to have a better relationship with your dog or future-dog. A must own for anyone who's ever lived with, lived near, seen or even heard about dogs. As a matter of fact, if you have a heart and a brain, you should read this book!
  
  
• 3.5 Good Story ,Except For History Lessons
  By A2NOLI10R74GTE on 2007-09-01
  I would've given this book a 4, but found the research and history lessons of dogs and wolves intermixed with the actual story telling to be annoying. The story is about the author's dog. Interjections of pages of history about dogs didn't fit in with the story line. It takes away from the flow of the book. I enjoyed the way the author describes how Merle sees things. It is so true. I started skipping the history lessons, so I could enjoy Merle's story. It made the book much more enjoyable.
  
  I do think Ted, as much as he absolutely loved Merle, was inhumanly cruel in letting him suffer as long as he did. All the medical procedures, drugs, incontinence,Merle's collapses, vet trips, etc. were totally unnecessary. Sometimes the hardest thing to do for those we love is to let go. Ted needed to let go alot sooner. Merle deserved a life without suffering.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A2NDEN5ENMKIFJ on 2007-09-07
  I have read many similar dog story books (Marley and Me, A Good Dog,From Baghdad with Love, etc) and I think this one is the best. I hated to put it down and started reading it again as soon as I finished it. The author has the life I wish I had, living in the Rockies and writing for a living. Merle was an increbidbly special dog. I have 3 dogs and while I love them, they are not well enough behaved to roam loose like Merle did. I also love the West, so I enjoyed the setting of the book.
  
  
• Fantastic!
  By A2ZNYWCIKO0U4V on 2007-09-08
  This is a wonderful book! This is how I wish my dog and I could live, roaming free in the Teton Mountains. Merle is an extraordinary dog that is allowed to truly become his own dog with Ted as his owner. The freedom that Merle is giving and the life he leads is wonderful and shows our dogs can be very intelligent and think for themselves. Even though Merle has great freedom, his true love is his owner, Ted, and that relationship is heartwarming. This book is a wonderful legacy to an amazing dog!
  
  
• Magnificent
  By A1SFDUE66GM8WE on 2007-12-06
  I am a bit surprised by some of the negative reviews of this book, especially the chap that suggested that you "skip this book." If you skip it you will have missed a gem. It is not a dog training book or a "treatise on animal behavior" as someone suggested. It is the telling of a thirteen year relationship between a man and a dog and the life that they shared together. The author intersperses the narrative with research that support his observations over the years. He makes no attempt to state that his research and conclusions are absolute or scientific findings;just the results of asking questions and having a curious mind. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be left with a special feeling of being allowed to vicariously share the life of Ted and Merle. Anyone who has loved and lost a great, special dog will understand and cherish the book.
  
  
• Believe the reviews! You won't forget Merle
  By A1F9X77F49BPPS on 2007-08-04
  Yeah, we've all read Marley and Me. We sniffled as Marley passed away. But the problem with Marley and Me seemed to be that the author never really connected with the reader. That is completely not the case with Merle's author Ted Kerasote. Mr. Kerasote has written a book in which you care as much for him as you do for his dog Merle. There is so much to recommend in this book, that it's hard to know where to start. There's an amazing amount of research interspersed among the observations of Merle's behaviors. However, the research is not only easy to read, it's easy to understand! The outdoor adventure and "backwoods" living surely must appeal to some deep dark primordial subconscious. But, all in all, it's the true life relationship between a man and his dog which completely wins the reader over. You may find yourself reading the book in one or two settings, it's that engaging! While many have moaned about the anthropomorphizing and the hunting occasionally presented, I can't imagine the book without those pieces. I can't ever recall a book which provided me with the emotional impact the last two chapters of this one did. I still can't think about it without tearing up. However, as sad and gut-wrenching as it is, the book's conclusion is ultimately uplifting and provides a reason to hope and be thankful for the critters who enrich our lives as much as we enrich theirs.
  
  
• I still cry when I think about it
  By A3767ALR4CEV9W on 2007-08-07
  I never heard of Ted Kerasote before I picked up the book, Merle's Door. I suppose it's because Kerasote writes about the outdoors and I'm not an outsy-doorsy girl. But I love dogs and was immediately drawn in to this wonderful story about Kerasote, a rugged man's man and a stray dog that found Kerasote while on a camping trip one day in Utah. Kerasote's description of his ever-evolving relationship with his new dog was unlike anything I've ever read before. This story touched my soul. I predict that Merle's Door will be a best-seller in no time at all. It deserves to be.
  
  
• A Dog and His Best Friend
  By A17TFEVEEU5AH1 on 2008-03-26
  A fellow dog lover gave me Merle's Door for my birthday. I hesitated at first knowing that eventually Merle would be joining my past dogs waiting for me in Heaven. But, I dove in mostly because of the fetching photo of Merle on the front jacket.
  
  Ted Kerasote is a supremely engaging writer. His powers of observation and ability to get it on the page is an absolute pleasure to read. Ted's love of the canine, and all the natural world is embracing, immense really. How the relationship begins is astounding, as Ted makes it abundantly clear that was the dog who chose the man, not the other way around. Poetic and simply beautiful, Kerasote takes us on their journey of life together.
  
  When I got to the part when inevitably, Merle's health is on the wane, I had to put the book down for a few weeks. I sent an email to Kerasote and expressed my feelings for the book and how many recommendations I had made to all my dog loving friends. Ted wrote back a few days later, thanked me, and I gathered my strength to complete the book, which was difficult I admit.
  
  Merle's life with Ted has stayed with me as if I was physically present for all those years. So, assuming I get to Heaven, I hope to see Merle along with my beloved pooches - Bert, Spike and Pepsi.
  
  
• I know a dog and his name is Merle!
  By A16M83QPBKNSAG on 2007-08-08
  Short and sweet...GET THIS BOOK AND READ IT! If you love your dog you will love this book. You will better understand your dog and your relationship with him/her. But more than that, this book is also about relationships, not only with your pet and best friend, but also with your human companions. "At a certain point you need to acknowledge that your partner knows more about what makes him/her happy than you do. Stepping back, you let that partner be." This applies to dogs and human partners! Thanks for the lesson Merle. You dance Sir! Ha-ha-ha
  
  
• Listen to our companions
  By A3CG2JDKI17GD5 on 2007-08-09
  This was an amazing book that swept me off my feet and into the fairy tale land of dog and human who understand each other subliminally. It's a perfect little town to let the dog make decisions about what he wants to do every day and where the author can allow him to do that. I'm trying to listen more to my dog and see if I can't "hear" her better. Can't provide her with unabated freedom but I can be more intuitive about her needs and desires. One of the best books I have read this year or ever!
  
  
• Merle's Door
  By A1GIEEGTQ1K7SS on 2007-08-09
  Not nearly the belly laughs found in "Marley and Me", but a thoroughly researched tale of a man and his dog. The compassion Ted has toward Merle, as he treats him as an equal, is remarkable and inspiring. This book is a must for dog owners.
  
  

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