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| Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog | 
 enlarge | Author: Ted Kerasote
Publisher: Harvest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $9.13
You Save: $5.87 (39%)
New (36) Used (11) from $8.77
Avg. Customer Rating:  172 reviews
Sales Rank: 1071
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0156034506
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7092
EAN: 9780156034500
ASIN: 0156034506
Publication Date: April 21, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Raising each other September 15, 2007
28 out of 32 found this review helpful
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 entree 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 And while it does give the impression that Ted has read all the research out there, some of his references are outdated -- especially some notes pertaining to old-fashioned training methods.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."
Need to read June 14, 2007
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
At the risk of crowding too many laudatory adjectives into one review, I must tell you that MERLE'S DOOR is a tender, touching, poignant story of the love between an extraordinary dog and his equally extraordinary human. Even if you don't live with a dog--and I don't--I promise that you will lose your heart to this wonderful book. If you do live with a dog, you'll thrill (and cry) with recognition. Don't miss this experience.
Explosively Superb! September 11, 2007
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
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... July 10, 2007
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
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 October 17, 2007
13 out of 44 found this review helpful
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.
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