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Merle's Door
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Merle's Door (2007) (edit title/settings)

Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

by Ted Kerasote (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

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... read more

Summary edit see section history

Merle and Ted found each other in the Utah desert. Merle was about ten months old, surviving on his own, and looking for someone to hang his heart on. Ted was forty-one, liked to write about animals, and had been searching for a pup whom he could shape into a companion. The training went... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Merle and Ted found each other in the Utah desert. Merle was about ten months old, surviving on his own, and looking for someone to hang his heart on. Ted was forty-one, liked to write about animals, and had been searching for a pup whom he could shape into a companion. The training went both ways. Ted showed Merle how to live around wildlife, and Merle reshaped Ted's ideas about the complexity of a dog's mind by showing him how a dog's intelligence could be expanded by allowing it to make more of its own decisions. Acting as Merle's translator, and using Merle's life and lessons as a door into the world of dogs, Ted Kerasote takes us on the journey they shared. He explores why the dog-human bond is so intense and how people and dogs can communicate readily with each other. He also uses the latest wolf research - showing that wolves treat maturing pups as partners rather than as subordinates - to explain how sharing leadership with your dog, rather than being its alpha, can help to create a healthier, more self-reliant, and better-socialized companion.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Merle: Dog of mixed breed, very well behaved and mannered. He sticks with Ted while camping then and after permanently calling him his friend. Usually nicknamed Sir and many others. His life contains adventure and fun.
  • Ted Kerasote: The main author who writes the story. He finds Merle, adopts him, raises and cares for him until the end of the Doug's life.
  • White Shepherd: The female shepherd who destroys the quiet of the town, summoning Merle's first fight and only for survival. She acts on fear, attacking any person or dog she sees. The owner isn't responsible and blames Ted for her dog, which is unfortunate.
  • Coyotes: Throughout Merle's life he first was attacked and feared of coyotes then transitions into playing with them as an old dog.
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “I called Merle by many names in addition to his own: Ski Dog, Senor, Monsieur, the pup of my dreams, Sir. Sometimes, when he was looking very royal on his dedicated quadruped couch, I would joke with him, "Ah, le roi des chiens," oh, king of dogs, and, alerted by my tone of voice that I was pulling his tail, he'd look away and ignore me. Others called him Merley, Mooey, Moo-Moo, Merlster, Mooward The Pooward, Love Sponge, Golden One, and Merle The Pearl. But of all the nicknames he received, none was so widely used as The Mayor.”
    Ted Kerasote
  • “... older dogs have a more difficult time at thermoregulating and use more energy when they're hot.”
    Ted Kerasote
  • “Perhaps , had I been a smarter or more caring man, I might have learned this lesson from a human partner. But I learned it from my dog: At a certain point you need to acknowledge that your partner knows more about what makes him or her happy than uou do. Stepping back, you let that partner be.”
    Ted Kerasote
  • “Merle and I were now exactly the same age--forty-eight--according to one dog-human age comparison in which the first two years of a dog's life equal twenty-four years in human years, and then each subsequent year of the dog's life equals four years for the human.”
    Ted Kerasote
  • “I dabbed each of his pills in a tiny smear of butter, and he lapped them from my hands like candy.”
    Ted Kerasote

Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Moab, Utah: Location of Kerasote's outdoor adventure where he encounters Merle during a rafting trip
  • Northwestern Wyoming: Kerasote's home, where Merle grows up and the adventures take place

First Sentence edit see section history

He came out of the night, appearing suddenly in my headlights, a big, golden dog, panting, his front paws tapping the ground in an anxious little dance.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Prologue
From the wild
The first dog
The synaptic kiss
In the genes
Building the door
Growing into himself
Top dog
The gray cat
Estrogen clouds
At home in the arms of the country
The problem of me
The Mayor of Kelly
The alpha pair
White muzzle
What do dogs want?
A looser leash
The first passing
Through the door
With many thanks
Notes
Index

Glossary edit see section history

  • nutraceuticals: naturally occurring products that are eaten to improve health

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Ted Kerasote (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harcourt
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 9780151012701
Page Count: 398

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: SF 426.2 K47 2007
  • Dewey: 636.7092'9

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