Excellent Biography of a real collie dog
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I read this as a young boy (probably around 10) in the 1960's, as part of a children's book club (I also loved 'Three against the Wilderness' and 'Coral Island'). Until I got to the end of this book I hadn't realised that Lad was born over 100 years ago (1902), so the footnote at the end describing Lad's death was quite a shock, even though I couldn't really expect Lad to live to over 500 in doggy years. It's a testament to the quality of this book that it has never been out of print since being first published in 1919.
I expect the stories are rather embellished for story-telling, but the simple adventures ring true. In each tale, Lad exhibits his pure strength of character as he fights off burglars, rescues an invalid child from a poisonous snake, wins ribbons in dog shows, and otherwise leads a dog-hero's life. One can't help thinking that a certain fictional collie called Lassie, `the world's most famous dog' who was created in 1938, was rather inspired by the real Lad. Because the stories in Lad a dog were originally serialised in magazines, they do tend to repeat a bit - not unlike the routine of dog-owning really, so that's OK. But "Lad is a character who has poked his muzzle into a million hearts, and new generations of dog lovers will still appreciate his loyalty and courage". As Terhune himself wrote, "few... bothered to praise the stories, themselves. But all of them praised Lad, which pleased me far better.".
Terhune, Lad's owner, was a full time wealthy person, who bred collies for fun, and Lad was his first and favourite. This book is a celebration of Lad's life, and being a 'true' simple story it reads well. It is a reasonably easy read for older pre-teen kids and above (Amazon states 6 plus). The book chapter titles are: His Mate, "Quiet", A Miracle or Two, His Little Son, For a Bit of Ribbon, Lost!, The Throwback, The Gold Hat, Speaking of Utility, The Killer, Wolf, In The Day of Battle, Afterward. The book has aged well, probably as it is set in the timeless countryside, and descriptions of life there aren't dissimilar to that of our family's rural village life today.
You can still visit Lad's grave at Terhune's 'Sunnybank', although as he was buried at 'his favourite spot', his tombstone is laying in mud now. It reads "Lad 'Thoroughbred In Body and Soul' 1902-1918". It's in Wayne, New Jersey, if you're passing. Sadly Terhune's house was demolished in 1969, although a memorial park was set up around Lads grave (see math.ttu.edu/~wlewis/terhune.html).
The success of this book led to a series of books, but I only ever read this excellent one. From anecdotes by the likes of literary giant James Thurber, I get the impression that Terhune was more than a little anti-social, but this book is about his dog Lad. Plus collie dogs, and his second wife mentioned in these stories, were his passion (although apparently he viewed his daughter with benign indifference). So a must for doggy fans, which probably just about includes every boy on the planet. It's also nice to know that rough collie descendents of Terhune's dogs from "Sunnybank Kennels" live on today.
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Excellent Biography of a real collie dog
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I read this as a young boy (probably around 10) in the 1960's, as part of a children's book club (I also loved 'Three against the Wilderness' and 'Coral Island'). Until I got to the end of this book I hadn't realised that Lad was born over 100 years ago (1902), so the footnote at the end describing Lad's death was quite a shock, even though I couldn't really expect Lad to live to over 500 in doggy years. It's a testament to the quality of this book that it has never been out of print since being first published in 1919.
I expect the stories are embellished a bit for story-telling, but the simple adventures ring true. In each tale, Lad exhibits his pure strength of character as he fights off burglars, rescues an invalid child from a poisonous snake, wins ribbons in dog shows, and otherwise leads a dog-hero's life. One can't help thinking that a certain fictional collie called Lassie, `the world's most famous dog' who was created in 1938, was rather inspired by the real Lad. Because the stories in Lad a dog were originally serialised in magazines, they do tend to repeat a bit - not unlike the routine of dog-owning really, so that's OK. But "Lad is a character who has poked his muzzle into a million hearts, and new generations of dog lovers will still appreciate his loyalty and courage". As Terhune himself wrote, "few... bothered to praise the stories, themselves. But all of them praised Lad, which pleased me far better.".
Terhune, Lad's owner, was a full time wealthy person, who bred collies for fun, and Lad was his first and favourite. This book is a celebration of Lad's life, and being a 'true' simple story it reads well. It is a reasonably easy read for older pre-teen kids and above (Amazon states 6 plus). The book chapter titles are: His Mate, "Quiet", A Miracle or Two, His Little Son, For a Bit of Ribbon, Lost!, The Throwback, The Gold Hat, Speaking of Utility, The Killer, Wolf, In The Day of Battle, Afterward. The book has aged well, probably as it is set in the timeless countryside, and descriptions of life there aren't dissimilar to that of our family's rural village life today.
You can still visit Lad's grave at Terhune's 'Sunnybank', although as he was buried at 'his favourite spot', his tombstone is laying in mud now. It reads "Lad 'Thoroughbred In Body and Soul' 1902-1918". It's in Wayne, New Jersey, if you're passing. Sadly Terhune's house was demolished in 1969, although a memorial park was set up around Lads grave (see math.ttu.edu/~wlewis/terhune.html).
The success of this book led to a series of books, but I only ever read this excellent one. From anecdotes by the likes of literary giant James Thurber, I get the impression that Terhune was more than a little anti-social, but this book is about his dog Lad. Plus collie dogs, and his second wife mentioned in these stories, were his passion. So a must for doggy fans, which probably just about includes every boy on the planet. It's also nice to know that rough collie descendents of Terhune's dogs from "Sunnybank Kennels" live on today.
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The life and adventures of a real-life collie.
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LAD is a wonderful book about a the bond that can exist between dog and human. In adventure after adventure, Lad shows his two devoted humans how his animal instincts can frequently solve a problem much faster and better than human logic. Set in turn of the century America, this book also offers a wonderful glimpse into the history of our country and the rarified world of the landed gentry. A true gem; every child should read this book.
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Charming, Noble and Sweet
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I first read this book about 10 years ago as a child. I absolutely loved it, and I loved Lad. Recently, I was thinking of giving my old copy to my neice, and chanced to re-read it. It has lost none of it's charm and beauty. Lad was a magnificent dog. Also, I appreciate the values set forth, some of which seem, sadly, almost archaic in today's harsh world.
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A magnificent, proud dog with a true soul
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Reading Lad:A Dog has really touched my heart. How the author made the dog so perceptive and loyal and so extremely loving and heroic, i loved it. I've read it at least four times, and each time it still touched me. Especially at the end. A wonderful story, an undescridable dog. A dog with a soul.
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