One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan [Hardcover]

Pen Farthing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2010

The remarkable true story of one man’s fight to save the stray dogs of Afghanistan in the spirit of From Baghdad, With Love

In the remote outpost of Now Zad, Afghanistan, Pen Farthing and his troop of young Royal Marines survive frequent engagements with the Taliban and forge links with the local community. Appalled by the horrors of local dog fighting, Pen has no choice but to intervene. Then one of the dogs he frees finds his way into the Marine compound—and into Pen’s heart. Soon other strays are drawn into the sanctuary provided by the makeshift pound, including one young mother who crawls under the compound fence carrying her newborn pups to safety. As his tour of duty draws to an end, Pen cannot leave the dogs of Now Zad to their fates. He begins hatching plans to help them escape to a better life.

One Dog at a Time is the gripping account of one man’s courage and humanity, and his fight to make a difference in the most hostile and dangerous environments, one dog at a time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Farthing, a British Royal Marine, describes his struggles to save stray dogs languishing and dying in the streets of wartorn Afghanistan. Already burdened with the responsibility of overseeing and protecting his 20-man crew of Marines, Farthing becomes consumed with the suffering of the strays and risks his own life to rescue them--he fights with police and risks walking into a Taliban trap to save a dog with a wire noose around its neck, knowing that without his intervention, the dog will starve to death or strangle itself. Soon he finds himself developing plans to save strays from dogfighting, a centuries-old local tradition that usually requires the removal of ears and tails without anesthetic, and adopts a former fighting dog he names Nowzad. Today, Nowzad happily resides in the Farthing household as his owners continue their quest to save thousands of suffering strays. Farthing's remarkable story will inspire, shock, and move readers, introducing them, perhaps for the first time, to war's most voiceless and unintentional victims.
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Review

"Kindness flourishes in an Afghan war zone, where British Royal Marine Farthing begins rescuing the starving strays nosing their way onto his compound. Offering food and love is a temporary solution, so Farthing hatches a dangerous plan to transport the dogs to a rescue sanctuary. Readers will come to know and love each mutt and to admire Farthing, whose caring doesn't end when his tour does: He now runs the Nowzad Dogs charity for animals of war."

--PEOPLE MAGAZINE

"A tale for true dog lovers."

--THE NEW YORK POST

"Pen's is a courageous story of how dog and solider become best friends in the most volatile of places and the unbreakable bond that exists between them. His commitment to his work in Afghanistan is inspirational, and is transforming dogs and our soldiers’ lives, too."

--CESAR MILLAN, THE DOG WHISPERER

"One Dog at a Time provides the reader with an insider's view of life in an austere combat zone--both the terrifying and mundane events of daily life ‘at the tip of the spear'. For Farthing and his Royal Marine mates, life in Now Zad is countless hours and days of boredom among moments of sheer fear of the enemy's mortar attacks and the unknown of countless patrols into Taliban territory. In the midst of it all, the Royal Marines find their humanity through the strays they come to know and love and who become their mascots, friends and battle buddies, and, most importantly, help them maintain their sanity and compassion against the realities of their situation. One Dog at a Time allows us to glimpse, through the struggles of some of these four-legged strays, the struggles of an entire nation, and the heart-rending reality of life in war-torn Afghanistan. One can only hope the outcome is as good for the people of Afghanistan living in the Helmand Province as it was for the affable and lucky mutts who will surely win the readers' hearts."

--JAY KOPELMAN, author of the New York Times bestselling FROM BAGHDAD WITH LOVE and FROM BAGHDAD TO AMERICA

"Set against the backdrop of the front lines of war, this is real-life adventure, a story of perseverance and the triumph of goodness."

--LIBRARY JOURNAL

"You can taste the dust in this war-torn country and feel the torment of the Royal Marine author as you accompany him through this gritty narrative  . . . In this emotionally charged read, Farthing captures the essence of everyday warfare and in the process details how teamwork and commitment of fellow Royal Marines and his wife save the lives of dogs most likely doomed to death. 'One Dog' is an engaging pick-me-up and a difficult put-down. Not only is it an impassioned homage to canine castoffs, but an inspiring lesson of one man’s hope and commitment amidst huge geographical and cultural challenges."

 

--SEATTLE KENNEL CLUB

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312607741
• ISBN-13: 978-0312607746
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #602,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After 20 odd years as a British Royal Marine I never thought I would be semi abandoning my passion for climbing and kayaking and heading off in the direction of animal welfare.

But a dog called Nowzad changed my view on life. He also sparked my desire to write. Now I spend my time managing as best I can the Nowzad Dogs charity, enjoying the odd rock climb with my wife Lisa (when it is not raining)and walking my British / Afghan pack (Fizzdog, Beamerboy, Nowzad, Tali and Patchdog) in two shifts.

So far I have written 'One Dog at a Time' published in the USA by Thomas Dunne books and 'No Place like Home' soon to be published in the UK. I hope that there will be more - just waiting for some Nowzad inspiration along with the odd glass of red wine.......

After Lisa and the hounds my best mate is a clown... but that is another story...!

I hope you enjoy the books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, heartwarming book, September 11, 2010

By 

Gerald Brainum (Santa Monica, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan (Hardcover)

Pen Farthing was a British marine with a big heart. Deployed in one of the worst places on Earth, Afghanistan, he befriends a number of stray dogs, some of which had previously been used for vicious dogfighting events by the local Afghans. Pen's book relates how he found and took care of these dogs, and how they also took care of him through providing friendship and and reprive from all the misery and danger that he was embroiled in. You can't help falling in love with these hapless dogs. This is a great read, with only one minor exception. Since it was originally published for British readers, it contains a lot of British slang that most American readers won't be familiar with. But the context of this slang is obvious, so it doesn't detract from the great story.Pen's experience with the strays of Afghanistan led to his starting a rescue organization to help save other strays. What a noble pursuit, and what a great human being Pen Farthing is. Anyone who loves dogs will enjoy this great book, I couldn't recommend it more highly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truely Inspiring!!, October 11, 2010

By 

idjinx1975 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan (Hardcover)

Pen Farthing demonstrates the demands of being in the military, serving overseas, and what a typical day is like defending everyone's freedom in such vivid detail that you can almost imagine yourself there. He also does an excellent job describing what it takes to keep one's self from going to bonkers while doing an extremely stressful and dangerous job. His telling of rescuing "outcasts", as they are in afghanistan, is so compelling and heartwrenching that you ache for both the writer and the companions he continuously rescues. It is a very addictive read and makes the reader wanting to come back for more. I would like to read more his writings as they are awesome stories. I wish him luck with all of his endevors and wish I could do something to help those he is trying to help himself. God Bless you Pen!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One Dog at a Time, September 27, 2010

By 

Baron Hogan "Baron" (Idaho) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan (Hardcover)

Excellent book for lovers of dogs and animals in general. One man's volunteer efforts to save the stray dogs in Afghanistan. An easy read. An inspiring book.