Merle's Door

Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

By: Ted Kerasote

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Ted Kerasote met and adopted Merle, a Labrador mix, while he was on a camping trip. Merle had been living in the wild, and after taking the dog home with him to Wyoming, Kerasote soon realized that Merle could not adjust to inhabiting exclusively the human world. So he put a door in his house to let Merle live both outside and in.

A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable animal, Merle's Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face as their lives intertwine and presents the latest research into animal behavior, as well as the origins and evolution of human-dog interaction. Merle showed Kerasote how dogs might live were they free; Kerasote suggests how they should be allowed to live, and the doors that should always remain open to them.

©2007 Ted Kerasote (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Informative....Kerasote gives readers much to consider that will enrich their own relationships with their pets....Highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

You need to read this book!

I don't review much but I like to read others opinions when I am looking for a great book. this book was recommended in a review on another book I read. The review was intriguing so I bought the audio. I wondered what this book could add to what I already knew about our relationships to dogs and the story was truly remarkable..spoiler alert..i cried my eyes out with Joy!! incredible book! I hope one person Is intrigued and finds the Joy in listening. I Love You Merle!

Heartwarming & Fun!

What made the experience of listening to Merle's Door the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed listening to the authors thoughts on Merle's expressions and what Merle was thinking!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Merle! He has such personality even someone who does not like dogs would surely love Merle.

Which scene was your favorite?

Picturing Merle "skiing" down the powder slope.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Towards the end of Merles life when he was having health problems I was in tears. I could feel the loss as if he were my dog.

Any additional comments?

If you now love or ever loved a dog, you must read this book!

Best audiobook I've listened to yet

Would you consider the audio edition of Merle's Door to be better than the print version?

Despite many other reviewers complaining about aspects of the narrator, I liked the way this book was delivered. He added depth to the characters. In fact he provided enough emotional impact that I had trouble toward the end of the book because it affected me so deeply. Now that I've lost a dog very dear to me, I wonder if I'll be able to listen to this again.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It absolutely evoked strong emotions. That aspect is part of what made me love this book and its delivery. I'm not normally a very emotional person but this book brought them out in me.

Any additional comments?

There were points in the book that deviated from the "story" giving more research style "data". Some of that was very interesting but it did negatively affect the story line a bit-- but not enough for me not to rate this 5 stars.

You can see Merle

The best contemporary dog tale I've read. The author's ability to capture Merle's expressions and antics made me able to see him in my mind. I also like the mix of behavioral science and memoir.

Just another serious dog lover . . .

Maybe I'm just a sucker for animal stories, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its narrator, Both Merle and his human were lucky have found each other.

WONDERFUL!!

An absolutely wonderful true story. Enjoyed it very much. A must listen for any dog lover.

Merle’s Door

This is a wonderful, warm, heartbreaking story! Loved every minute of it! I highly recommend it!

best dog book I've ever read

helped me build a better bond with my dogs and to see them more clearly.

Long enduring love

This will be my last 'Dog' book. While I thoroughly enjoyed the escapades and personality of Merle and the informative narration about dogs, wolves, and their human counterparts... I painstakingly listened to the last 1/3 of the book as Merle descended into what we all experience as mortality. I could have been spared the arduous details of his failing bladder and bowels, the description of how Ted had to clean up after him. We'd rather not hear about how our loved elders go thru the same process as humans. Ted drew out Merle's death and all of its highs and lows – I truly felt like Merle was suffering through it all just for Ted. I started to feel like this guy wants us all to endure the pain he and Merle suffered. Well, I did. And for all my beloved dogs through my life, and witnessing my own personal losses thru them... I cannot bear to listen to another sad dog tale.

Best Dog Story I've Read So Far

In each chapter the author relates facets of the life he shared with Merle; which were delightful and humorous, enchanting and poignant. And on every level, the story is thoroughly satisfying.

Ted Kerasote has captured the endearing character of Merle's personality. Few humans ever know their fur kin so well. And much of what made Merle's persona so robust was the freedom Ted Kerasote gave Merle--allowing his canine companion to become the best dog he could be--and that being, not necessarily the best dog as defined by human standards.

By respecting each other and by compromising a part of themselves for the other, they became the best of partners, and in retrospect, the better beings for having known each other.

If you have ever had a special relationship with a canine--a bond that connects the two of you on a level that transcends the old phrase "A man and his dog", this book will make total sense to you, and you will wonder how you ever missed the cues your canine companion was giving you.