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My Life in Dog Years, Gary Paulsen (non fiction)

This Week: 101

Sentences of the Week:

1. "I had forgotten Fred." My Life in Dog Years

2. "On those occasions when I missed- I think more often than not- he would watch the duck fly away, turn to me and give me a look of such uncompromising pity and scorn that I would feel compelled to apologize and make excuses." My Life in Dog Years

3. "It was about to strike when a flash of black fur passed my leg and Snowball grabbed the snake just in back of the head and with a quick flick broke its neck." My Life in Dog Years

"I had forgotten Fred." I love this sentence! Because the author forgot about Fred, the dog ran head first into the electric fence and continued to run into it until Fred almost died.

Fred the Bulldozer

Okay, so the author did in fact own a dumb dog. Fred was very loyal and loving but he was not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. The author had just put in a brand new electric fence to keep the pig from getting into the garden and eating everything. After a quick brush up against the fence with the pig's ear, the pig decided that it no longer had any desire to go into the garden. Fred on the other hand, was not as smart. He ran into the fence with his head and rapidly decided that the fence was beyond doubt the enemy. Fred was known to be persistent and never gave up on any task, including defeating the fence. Fred continued to jump at the fence and bite it. The fur was sticking up everywhere and Fred's eyes were only showing the whites but eventually Fred snapped the wire and defeated the fence. Any other normal dog would not have gone through all that, but Fred was no normal dog. It looks like not all of Gary Paulsen's dogs were geniuses.

How Smart is Gary Paulsen?

In this book, the author is saved chapter after chapter. I mean, I didn't even know that you could have that many near death experiences. In some ways I think that the reason the Gary Paulsen even has dogs is so that he doesn't die. It might not even be that these dogs are geniuses, it's just that the things Paulsen does are so dumb that even dogs know better than that. Who walks on ice that may not hold his weight? Oh! Oh! Oh! Call on me! I know! I know! Gary Paulsen does. Who goes to grab a deadly snake because it looks pretty? I know! I know! Gary Paulsen does! Who almost shots a gun loaded with mud jammed in it so that it would explode in his face? Oh! I know! Gary Paulsen does! Who would run into a gang and almost be beaten to death? Oh yeah, that Gary Paulsen guy. Get the picture? Maybe the dogs are geniuses, maybe Paulsen is too adventurous for his own good. Now don't get me wrong, I really like this book but sometimes I wonder about why the author does these things. I know better.

Cool Things Happen in Real Life. Who Knew?

The first dog mentioned in this book is Cookie and her claim to fame is saving Gary Paulsen from drowning when he fell through the ice. At a sponsor meeting, Paulsen told the story of Cookie and how much he loved her. After the meeting, a man came up to him telling Paulsen all about this wonderful dog he used to have that reminded him of Cookie. The old man described this adorable lab who loved to hunt. Coincidentally, the time period described by when the owner was at war and left the dog to roam was the same time that Paulsen had befriended a dog named Ike who love to hunt, and guess what. He was a lab. It turned out the stray that Paulsen had befriended was in fact the old man's dog. Crazy huh? I expect events like this in fiction books but not non-fiction. Maybe cool things can happen in real life.

Not All Dogs are Smart

I am currently reading My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen. In this book, Paulsen writes all these stories about the dogs that he has had. Chapter one, Cookie saves his life by pulling him out of the ice. Chapter two, Snowball saves him from a deadly snake. Seeing a pattern anyone? Basically, the author would be dead if it wasn’t for his wonderfully smart dogs. What about my dog? Well, the other day he ran through the screen door to chase some geese. He may not be the smartest dog in the world and he definitely couldn’t save me from drowning or getting killed by a snake but I think I love him all the same, all twelve pounds of him.

Can't we just always have a happy ending?

Reading is a way to escape reality and experience an out of this world adventure. In my adventures I don't want something to ruin what had been going on for the last 100 pages. I don't want my story being ruined by some conflict. I know, I know, every story needs conflict, but don't you ever wish that it didn't? When the character finds her soul mate, why does he have to be dating someone? Can't they just be together and we can read about their happy lives? Or why does the main character running away from authorities always get caught before he escapes for good? Do authors think that hearing about him running away and making it away safe the first time just too boring? Sometimes I just want to read a happy story the whole time, is that so wrong?

-Mello