Monday, March 26, 2012

You Had Me At "Mutt"

I recently finished reading an excellent dog memoir!! I enjoy true stories about canines and their owners!! But have a difficult time finding books that I wholeheartedly appreciate. Because an author has opinions which I disagree with.... Or else the memoir is dull, and not at all interesting!! Been there, done that!! "Marley & Me" by John Grogan is actually my number one favorite dog memoir. Ever written!! It can be a little rough around the edges in some parts. Grogan's writing is, at times, quite frank. But honestly? Those are the reasons why I love "Marley & Me"!! I own twain different copies of the book, plus I've read it twice!! Well.... Now I have a second favorite dog memoir!! It's called "Come Back, Como: Winning the Heart of a Reluctant Dog", written by Steven Winn. Nice title, huh? This story is about a family of three: Steven, his wife, Sally, and their only daughter, Phoebe. Then they adopt Como, an unusual-looking, pink-nosed, shaggy white, beautifully unique terrier mix!! A Mystery Dog, actually!! Plus, the Winn's adopted Como, age one, from their local shelter!! And, as approximately seventy-five percent of the canines that enter United States "pounds" are mongrels, I commend their decision to go that route!! Highly!! They, like myself when I adopted Rose, contributed to that seemingly lesser mentioned seventy-five percentage!! That's right. What attracted me to "Come Back, Como"? The very fact that he is a mixed breed!! Yep!! You had me at "mutt".... Como was a "bad dog", with this mysterious past. He hated men, especially Steven Winn. Como was also a destructive little escape artist. Being his daughter's main responsibility, and wife Sally's baby, it would have been simple for Winn to give up on Como. But he didn't!! Winn tried, and tried, and tried some more to be Como's friend. But Como was an incorrigible boy!! Set in his ways. Stubborn.... Winn, along with Sally, delved into the terrier mix's uncertain past, best as possible, which is a must when adopting an adult canine!! Seriously. And, eventually, they learned to accept him.... Just the way he is!! There were several heartwarming moments throughout this memoir. Acquiring fully grown dogs is much like getting foster children. They have a history. People owned them before you. And, chances are, those human beings made some training mistakes.... Or worse. I personally have enjoyed "becoming acquainted" with Rose. One-hundred percent!! I have enjoyed solving my little girl's past, mysterious as it may be, based on who she is. I am constantly observing Rose's behavior, and her "personality". I honestly believe that she was once owned by preoccupied, on-the-go, negligent people. They must have had babies/children, because Rose is so wonderful around them!! Perhaps there was marital fighting, for my mongrel literally cowers, shoulders slumped and head low as she walks away whenever anyone raises his/her voice. Or were they always yelling at Rose? She can somehow sense our frustration.... Nobody ever played with her, either. Poor girl.... Which explains why she never interacted with us.... At first. This has been a beautiful journey, as I have "gotten to know" Rose!!

11 comments:

lifewithmydogs said...

It sounds like a great book. You've made me want to read it now! Maybe I'll like it because one of my favourite books is 'Marley and Me' as well (even if I did bawl my eyes out at it hahaha :P).

Mary Lou said...

lifewithmydogs....
Thank-you for the comment!!
"Come back, Como" was actually nothing like "Marley & Me", other than its canine star being an incorrigible "bad dog"!! But I think you will enjoy Steven Winn's memoir.... By the way, Como has a beard!! ;op
Oh yeah.... And be sure to have tissues handy!! ;-}

Rama's Mama said...

Sounds like a good read! Thanks for sharing!

Mary Lou said...

Rama's Mama....
Thank-you for the comment!!
And your welcome!!

Mary Lou said...

Rama's Mama....
If you are reading this, I am having difficulty accessing your blog!! :-(

Ruby said...

Sounds neat. Have you read any of the Shiloh books? I have not read those, but have read a book by the same author and it was fantastic! Also, Madeline L'Engle has a short "kids" book titled "The Other Dog", which is very, very cute!

Mary Lou said...

Ruby....
Thank-you for commenting!!
I read the first Shiloh book, grew bored with "Shiloh Season", and gave up!! Sigh.... I should read them again.... Especially because I've recently bought the "Shiloh" DVD set!! I have yet to watch Hollywood's movies about Shiloh.... But hear that they are good!! Plus, Shiloh is "half" of my Rose!! Score!! ;-}
"The Other Dog".... I will look into that!! Thank-you!! ;op

Charlene and Storm said...

hi raelyn, yeh ive read this book a few months back it was really good. proper stressed me out when the dog escaped and he was chasing it thru the streets for ages :)
i managed to read several dog books while on holiday, one was called "my boy butch" and one was called "the daily coyote" which were both true storys and ive just started reading one called "roam" which isnt a true story but it sounds like it will be a good adventure story still. xxx

Mary Lou said...

charlene and Storm....
Thank-you for the comment!!
And WELCOME BACK!! ;)
I am glad that you read "Come Back, Como"!! Great. Read!! Yeah? Try chasing your own girl down the cul-de-sac where you reside, and toward a busy street!! My Rose did that to me.... ;op

Lauren @ Life With Desmond said...

how do you feel about non-fiction books about dogs/dog science? i highly recommend both Inside of a Dog and Dog Sense. Inside of a Dog has a bit of a memoir feel to it, and Dog Sense is pretty much a dog science book written so anyone can understand it--and it's fascinating!

Mary Lou said...

Lauren @ Life With Desmond....
Thank-you for the comment!!
I have not read either of those books, but hear that they are good!! Thank-you for recommending them!! ;op