Story of a man's life with his amazing dog. Tomkies lived alone in a cabin in the remote wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. He decided he needed a dog as companion and protector, so he specifically picked out a german shepherd. Moobli (I can't remember the reason for the silly name, makes me think of a moose though) turned out to be an enormous dog, incredibly strong but also very gentle. Being the man's sole companion, they were very close. Moobli was there whatever Tomkies was doing- observing wildlife (he worked a lot to protect local wildlife, particularly the red deer), making repairs to his house, exploring, etc. Several times Moobli saved his life. I remember one incident where Tomkies was working to fix his roof and named out loud a tool he needed (not wanting to climb down). Moobli went and got it. Surprised, Tomkies asked Moobli to fetch another item, and he did. I was amazed when I read this- could a dog really do that? he'd never been taught to respond that way, but did so on his own. Parts of this book can be hard to read- Tomkies believed in disciplining his dog by hitting him, and in the end (inevitable in any book about the life of a pet, it seems) the dog's health declines and it's sad to read about his suffering. But aside from those downers, this really is an incredible story. I loved reading of the wilderness, of the amazing things Moobli did, of this man's working relationship with his dog.Rating: 4/5 ........240 pages, 1988
Moobli sounds amazing. I can't understand his owner hitting him, especially since he was his only companion.
ReplyDeleteIt seems so at odds with the rest of the description that he would hit the dog, especially when the dog seemed so good and gentle.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think it goes along the same lines as parents who used to spank their children to correct them, but still of course loved them. He didn't really beat or mistreat the dog, but would smack it to let it know it had done wrong. Still, sometimes I cringed reading that.
ReplyDeleteI think this sounds like an incredible book, but also am saddened that he hit the dog. We have a house full of them, and it is possible to get them to listen without resorting to that. I think I may want to try this book and see what it's all about. I will definitely try to keep an open mind about it though! Great review, and thanks for sharing it!
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