Customer Reviews

Ranch Dog : A Tribute to the Working Dog in the American West (Just Pets (Half Pint Edition))

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I enjoyed the book very much. The pictures were outstanding as were the poems and stories. living in the city, as I do, I don't get a chance to view areas as were depicted in Miss Murdocks book and found the combination of text and photos to be very calming and engrossing. I discovered a new interest in the lives of working dogs and their environment. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

What a refreshing, unpretentious book sharing the life of the working dogs through poetry, prose, and photography. The poetry Murdock selects to illustrate the lives of working dogs made me laugh--and made me cry. Her snippets of the working dogs life on the ranch are enlightening and poignant. Burgess' photography is a treat to behold. She captures the subject in its environment, alternately funny and heartbreaking, such as the old "retired" dog that was gone when next the author visited. Through the chapters of the book, I traveled all over the Southwest and West meeting remarkable dogs and their owners.

Thank you Marianne and Nancy for this touching reflection on human's best friend.

Short essays and cowboy poetry pay tribute to the working ranch dog in a title which may prove a cataloging challenge, but an attractive library addition. These dogs represent many breeds and have been trained for ranch work; Ranch Dog supberly celebrates their work.

I am one of those people that believes there will be dogs in heaven. Nothing competes with a dog's greeting when you come home. A wagging tail, a wet tongue on your hand and the occasional vocalization of joy all combine to make the world a better place. For me the two AKC groupings of herding and working dogs are my favorite and "Ranch Dog" is an accolade to those amazing dogs whose lives are defined by the challenge of ranch work.

Ranch dogs, by nature, are full of energy and enthusiasm, but Murdock fails to capture that in her writing. Her writings of the dogs and the people on various ranches, while interesting, are uninspiring. I wanted more stories about the feats of these dogs. I wanted to know more about the various breeds that the ranchers used (the Catahoula, the Heeler, the Border Collie, the Australian Shepherd, etc.). I wanted to know more about the training of these unique animals. Murdock's writing was missing a lot. However, Nancy Burgess's black and white photos capture the faithful, industrious, intelligent and affectionate soul of these dogs and the poems about dogs from various authors are delightful. Though not a "cur" "Ranch Dog" is not "Best in Show" either. Conditionally recommended.

After reading through this small treasure by Marianne Murdock and Nancy Burgess I was impressed by the definition of these dogs by what they do not by how they look or how they represent a particular breed.

Shortly after reading this book I saw the film "Best of Show" which represents the "worst" of dog's relationship to man. It is a pleasure to read about the relationship of the working dogs to the working men and women still living the western life.

The poetry in the book, by Marianne Murdock, specifically The Bath, Chasing Rabbits and the very personal The Spirits of Dogs creates visual images laced with Western lore and ideas usually buried in history.

This is a small book and would make a great gift for anyone who truly appreciates "real dogs" and the Western way of life.

This is a fun and sentimental view of working ranch dogs. Great photography and stories told from the heart about the good work and companionship man's best friend provides on the range and around the corral. A great read or gift for anyone who wants to get a sense of the dusty work-a-day world of ranch life. You can almost reach out and grab a nuzzle or give a hearty pat to the characters that populate RANCH DOG. Lots of good natured feeling here. Very enjoyable.

Now here is a unique book. Ranch Dog is a book of essays, poetry, and pictures dedicated to the dogs of the west. I sat trying to think of who could benefit from this book. Kids were my first thought. This would be a great book for school libraries. It's also a great book for the coffee table at home or at a Dude ranch to share friends and family who love animals. The list of ideas goes on and on.

Marianne starts her book out with an astounding story of a loyal herd dog left to die followed by a poem called "The Bath" also written by her. Some of the poems offered in the book are written by others and fit into the theme of the book perfectly. Expect some wonderful, informative short tales from the west. One that caught my attention was about a guard dog and an Ostrich ranch in Colorado. The author takes her readers to the western states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California, Wyoming, and Nevada and treats them to many dog stories that will beg to be shared once read.

In this delightful book, are plenty of pictures - one of the reasons I think it would be a great addition to libraries. They are picturesque black and whites of the dogs, their masters, and their charges at work, play, and rest. The pictures alone show how hard these animals earn their keep. They are a wonderful addition to an already inspiring book.

I added this book to one of my purchases at Amazon and had a really good time reading through it. I could relate to certain parts of the writing but I enjoyed the photography most of all. In the end I have not recommended it to others.