Based on some experiences the author had as a child, not sure how much is fictional. It’s all about one summer when she obsesses over getting a dog. She’s a loner, likes walking in the woods and fishing. Her mother keeps encouraging her to make friends, but she insists she doesn’t need a friend, she needs a dog who will accompany her on her favorite activities. She even has a picture of this dog in her head and daydreams about it constantly. But her brother is very allergic. She collects animals out of the woods (much like lonely child in Fetch, but in this case fairly well-cared for) and spends her time with them. Then fate seems to put a dog in her path, she and her sister beg, and the parents allow them to keep it- as long as it stays in the basement or yard. Thrilled to finally have a dog, a bit disgruntled at having to share him with her sister, and turning a blind eye as long as she can to his misbehavior. Some of the incidents were very funny, a lot just a dog being a dog- and then there’s the one that led to the title! (Which made me think of Ramona for some reason). Eventually some trouble the dog causes- especially with neighbors down the road who have a prized hunting dog in heat- and they usually sell her puppies for good money- you can guess what happens there- makes her father lay down the law: one more incident, and the dog has to go. Of course she tries to keep the dog under control, but finally enough’s enough. The ending was kind of sad, and a bit abrupt. Most of the story is about these long days of summer, dealing with siblings, roaming the woods, wheedling with her parents, trying to handle the dog. It didn’t impress me super much, but I enjoyed the read.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 5/20/24.
2 Responses
Not having read the book, it’s hard to feel bad for the hunting dog’s owner or the family of this dog. I wonder why they didn’t get him fixed? And I’d think if you had a female dog in heat, you’d keep it inside locked in a room or a kennel or something…
That being said, most of Suzanne Fisher Staples’s books look really interesting. I might pick up one or two of them to try.
I can’t remember why he wasn’t neutered. Probably nobody in the family thought to take care of it (the story was set some twenty, thirty years ago I think). As for the female hunting dog, she was in a fenced yard, but you know that won’t keep any interested male out, so yeah it was kind of the other owner’s fault just as much. Though he kept blaming the protagonist’s family, for not keeping their dog from roaming free. (And it was tied up most of the time!)