Customer Reviews

Lessons from a Sheep Dog

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When Phillip Keller established a sheep ranch in Canada he soon realized he would require a sheep dog--and fate brought him to Lass, an abused Border Collie with a fierce and stubborn disposition. Clearly there was much for Lass to learn! But there was also a great deal for Keller to learn, and in his work with Lass, Keller sees his own spiritual journey reflected.

In many respects this is a charming, unpretentious, and often thought provoking book, filled with memorable phrases and insights. Even so, and in spite of its brevity (it runs less than less one hundred small pages), it is surprisingly repetitive; Keller essentially gives the complete history of Lass in the first two chapters, a fact that leaves no room for the reader to be surprised by his later reflections. Still, I recommend it--particularly for the Christian dog-lover in your life.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Keller tells the story of his search for God's presence in his life trough an engaging story about his working relationship with his first sheepdog Lass. Well written, it was a quick read that I finished in one evening. The parallels between Keller and Lass and Keller and God are well thought out. I also enjoyed this book from the view of a manager. Keller wrote the book about the working relationship between God and man through the story of his dog, but, I found most of the ideas translate directly to managing of people. Good read. I highly recommend this book.

Philip Keller does a wonderful job of drawing a connection between how a sheepdog relates to its owner and our relationship with God. EXCELLENT witnessing tool. I own 60 sheep and am actively involved in herding and training herding dogs. Philip's analogy's are right on the money. I have bought several of this book to give to herding friends.

A fundamental failing piece of detail about this book is the author's total repetitiveness with words and ideas. Not all so bad if you read a little, leave it and come back to it later, but with the size and length of this book, that's probably unlikely. It's quick and easy to read all the way through when the total number of pages is below a hundred.

But it is a wonderful story and it illustrated many key points that stuck with me. Opening my mind up to a different perspective that makes sense. Touching the heart because of the familiarity generated from my own experiences in small animal husbandry I've had ever since I was a kid. One valuable point I took away from the text was a different interpretation about what it means to fear the Lord contrary to Old Testament viewpoints. By the author's account, to fear God is to have such a loving respect for Him as to be afraid of bringing Him grief or disappointment.

Even with its draw back, this story is not all so bad; it does make quite a few good points. Those who love animals and/or own a pet of any kind will definitely enjoy it, because it warmly relates to that special bond of friendship between human and animal. A healing and teaching connection that comes over time in the development of companionship, trust, obedience and perception from choosing and caring for a pet.

Mr. Keller is one of my favorite authors. He did not disappointment me in this book. He takes his usual everyday situations and shows how the Lord's Word relates to it. His illustraions are powerful and easy to understand and relate to. This helps him to get the reader to understand Bible truths in a different way. I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to be inspired. This is one that is defintely staying in my library.

I found this book fascinating. I didn't want to put it down. This dog was thought to be worthless and untrainable, but with love he turned into a magnificant animal. It taught me a lot about unconditional love.

This book should be read by anyone who has a animal. It is so heartwarming and loving. And the tie between God and nature is so strong. I loved it. All kids should read this book. Teeens too.

Be sure to get this little book to go with "A shepherd looks at psalm 23". It will open you eyes to your relationship with our good shepherd and it may put you to shame as to how willing are you to follow His call.

This book is warm story that shows the relationship of trust and loyalty built between an abused dog and his new owner. I highly recommend it to any and all.

Worthy of a re-read from time to time. Among other messages, a gentle reminder of the spirit of service we are all meant to demonstrate!

I gave this book to a friend for her birthday. She has a dog just like Lass and could relate very closely to the author's experiences. She loved the book. I am reading it now and agree completely. Great book for any dog lover.