Posted: June 30, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
What do you do when you have one neurotic dog? You get another. At least that’s what British author Stephen Foster decided to do in the new book “Fetching Dylan: A True Tale of Canine Domestication in Leaps and Bounds.”
When Foster noticed his Saluki-Greyhound mix Ollie – the subject of his popular book “Walking Ollie: Or, Winning the Love of a Difficult Dog” – becoming lethargic and bored, he decided to add a new companion to the household. After searching for the perfect dog, the family finally welcomes Saluki Dylan home – well, everyone but Ollie.
And what seemed like a good idea turns into an ongoing predicament. Foster soon finds that Dylan – named after Bob and just as vocal – is a handful himself. As he chronicles his adventures with Dylan, the rabbit-chasing dog who gets a kick out of reminding his “master” who’s boss, he wonders what he’s got himself into.
Foster’s wry sense of humor is evident as he tries training Dylan or getting Ollie interested in their new addition, and realizes he must be a magnet for peculiar dogs. But one thing is for sure – it is never boring in Foster’s household.
Any dog owner who has ever dealt with a less-than-cooperative canine will relate to the simultaneous joy and exasperation of trying to raise a dog.
“Fetching Dylan: A True Tale of Canine Domestication in Leaps and Bounds” by Stephen Foster is on sale now.