While on a camping trip, Ted Kerasote met a dog—a Labrador mix—who was living on his own in the wild. They became attached to each other, and Kerasote decided to name the dog Merle and bring him home. There, he realized that Merle’s native intelligence would be diminished by living exclusively in the human world. He put a dog door in his house so Merle could live both outside and in. A deeply … 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, 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. Merle showed 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.
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This was a beautiful book about a the life of a dog. It makes one think about the way we view our pets. The ending was heart wrenching, but the rest of the book was inspirational and a joy to read.
I loved this book, read it several years ago but still remember it like it was yesterday. May go back and reread it.
this book really affected me. he was such a good dog. I could not read another book for two days. always thinking about this one. best book ive read in awhile.
Quite an interesting concept that intrigued me. Merle is the kind of dog most men would want. Not much for animal stories, but this one was great!
One of the best books I have ever read and I am a voracious reader. Highly recommend.
i really enjoyed reading it but did not exactly agree with the handling of Merle.
I loved this book. Love, life, sorrow, dogs, what more could you ask!
Interesting. Quite a bit of research included about dogs. I just enjoyed the human-interest story.
Incredible dog. Have to read if you are a dog lover and can handle the inevitable sad ending. What a pair Ted and Merele made. Full of wonderful information about the nature of dogs.
We think our dog, Abby, was a long list sister-pup to Merle… :).
Very entertaining and informative. I truly enjoyed this book.