My free e-Books for You
‘A Bit of Tender, Love and Care’ is an e-book that accompanies the free newsletter of my ‘Best Dog Food Guide’ website.
A total of 20 authors have contributed to this book ranging from dog lovers to veterinarians and professional dog trainers.
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This dog friendly book has 6 chapters:
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All the best,
Barbara
Books about the Akita Dog Breed
I’ve collected a whole bunch of books that are devoted to the Akita dog.
Hachiko Waits
Newman adds characters and incidents to flesh out this true story of an Akita who became a national symbol for loyalty and hope by waiting–for 10 years–at a Japanese commuter train station for his dead master to return. Hachi accompanies Professor Ueno to Shibuya Station every morning, then returns at three o’clock to welcome him back.
After his owner dies suddenly at work, this Akita continues his afternoon vigil for the rest of his life, earning such notoriety that the honorific “ko” is attached to his name.
After his death, a statue in his memory is erected near his accustomed spot on the platform.
| Newman gives Hachiko a young human friend, Yasuo, who over a span of years helps to provide the dog with food and water. He later proposes to his future wife under that statue. Kodaira’s ink-and-wash illustrations feature a noble-looking pooch surrounded by human admirers. Although the dialogue tends to be stilted, this more-developed alternative to Pamela S. Turner’s Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog (Houghton, 2004) will effectively draw readers.–John Peters, New York Public Library |
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Dog Man
A book about a man’s battle for the Akita, the samurai of dogs.
Morie Sawataishi had never owned a dog, but in 1944, when the Japanese man was 30 years old, the desire for one came over him like a sudden… craving. During WWII, snow country dogs were being slaughtered for pelts to line officers’ coats; working for Mitsubishi in the remote snow country, Morie decided to rescue Japan’s noble, ancient Akita breed—whose numbers had already dwindled before the war—from certain extinction.
Raised in an elegant Tokyo neighborhood, his long-suffering wife, Kitako, hated country life, and his children resented the affection he lavished on his dogs rather than on them. The book brims with colorful characters, both human and canine: sweet-tempered redhead Three Good Lucks, who may have been poisoned to death by a rival dog owner; high-spirited One Hundred Tigers, who lost his tail in an accident; and wild mountain man Uesugi.
To Western readers Morie’s single-mindedness may seem selfish and Kitako’s passivity in the face of his stubbornness incomprehensible, but former Washington Post staffer Sherrill (The Buddha from Brooklyn) imbues their traditional Japanese lifestyle with dignity, and Morie’s adventures (he is now 94) should be enjoyed by dog lovers, breeders and trainers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
| “Dog Man is an elegantly written account of a stubborn man who found meaning in old-fashioned values while his nation threw itself headlong into building an affluent, materialist, consumer-oriented society. In her wonderful journey to Japan’s snow country, Martha Sherrill introduces us to a world-and a gruffly independent personality-that transcend national boundaries.” John W. Dower, author of Embracing Defeat “A story of a hard life and dedication to preserving a traditional dog breed in the mountains of Japan. Fascinating descriptions of life in rural Japan during World War II.” Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation |
“Here’s a story of a rare life lived in sharp contact with the natural world–not just mountain and forest, but even more with that most interesting of species, the dog. These akitas have wildness in them, enough to bring it out in those who look into their eyes. There’s not a sentimental word in this book, but it will move you strongly.”
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
“Dog Man evokes the ancient myths: deep and quiet like high mountains in snow. Morie Sawataishi has learned from his beloved Akitas to embrace the wild. Read this book and feel that power.”
Neenah Ellis, author of If I Live to be 100
In Japan, Akitas, a noble dog native to the islands, are viewed as a national treasure. But during World War II, they were killed to near extinction for their coats and meat.In “Dog Man”, Martha Sherrill shares the story of how these dogs were bred back to popularity as a nation regained its footing after a devastating war.
Specifically, “Dog Man” is the story of Morie Sawataishi, his love for Akitas, the landscape of Northern Japan and his long-suffering wife, Kitako. In 1946, as far as Sawataishi could tell, “there were only 16 Akitas left,” so he decided to start breeding. It’s unclear why he initially took on this cause with such fervor, but in the end, his large breeding operation helped to return the breed to prominence, reignited a country’s love for a cultural icon, and alienated his wife and children.
The lives of Morie and Kitako Sawataishi and their many Akitas is indeed a singular story. However, the author is a journalist who is seemingly unwilling to set aside her training. Sherrill, a former reporter for the Washington Post, takes a “just-the-facts” approach to what could have been an extremely engaging tale.
But, in the end, the sheer number of facts and shifts in focus turn the book into a somewhat bland and discontinuous exercise in fact-telling. Characters — canine and human — come and go and, unfortunately, are all given basically the same treatment.
At the end of the book, readers certainly will have learned a lot about Akitas, family dynamics, Northern Japan after the war, the job of breeding and showing dogs, even bear hunting.
What the reader won’t get is the promised tale, the real sink-your-teeth-into-it story of a man, his dogs and his almost obsessive need to cling to old-world Japan.
Sara Rose
