background

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Books and movies for dog lovers...

Do you have favorite dog books or movies?  We have many, and thought it might be fun to share a few with you each month.  Since we love collies, our first post features books and movies about collies, which shouldn't be a surprise.

The first book we want to mention is Gray Dawn, written by Albert Payson Terhune.  If you read our recent post about Sunnybank then you know Terhune's collies really existed, and lived at Sunnybank.  (If you haven't read about Sunnybank, click on this Link.) This book was written in 1927, and like many of Terhune's books, the writing and opinions are a product of that time period.  But even though some of the notions are not politically correct, I love the characters in this book.  The most lovable of all his collies, Dawn is a young puppy who is sweet and clumsy, facing his fears to "save" the people he loves from danger.  Gray Dawn is not without faults, but those faults endear him to the reader and made me fall in love with his courage.




Lad: A Dog, is a movie based on one of Terhune's most popular books of the same title.  Lad is a hero, and his story is told in such a way that you can tell he was a beloved and treasured companion.  (And why we named our first collie, Lad). The movie was recently released on DVD, and can be purchased on Amazon.  It's a great movie for a rainy afternoon, curled up on the couch with your best four-legged friend.


 The next movie is a well known classic.  This movie made collies famous, and is the reason most rough collies are greeted with "Hi Lassie!" From strangers where ever they go!  It tells the story of Lassie's love and loyalty for her family, and how nothing can keep her from returning to her boy's side.  I don't know how many times I have watched this movie, but it always brings tears to my eyes.

And last, but not least, Wolf.  This book is about Lad's son, Wolf.  I love this book, I love this collie.  Most of the stories written by Terhune are works of fiction, with elements of truth throughout the stories.  The ending of this book will make you cry, possibly even sob if you are anything like me, because it is a true story about a courageous collie.




13 comments:

  1. When my mom was a little girl every sunday night the show Lassie came on and as soon as she would hear the music she would start to cry....to the point her mom threatened her with never watching it again, mom reads lots of stories about dogs, she still cries.
    On a lighter note would you let Ryder know there is a Sadie Hawkins dance coming up and Maggie would love to go with him, do you think he has a friend to bring for Maggie's best friend Princess Leah, they could double date???
    stella rose

    ReplyDelete
  2. We like happy stories. The wolf one does look pretty good
    Snorts,
    Lily & Edward

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this series! What a great idea. I don't read a lot of books or watch a lot of movies with dogs in them, usually because I'm a cry baby and end up bawling my eyes out, especially if I know the dog is going to die. :-(

    Thanks for joining the blog hop!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My cousins had collies when I was growing up. I loved Lassie too. I have never heard of Gray Dawn, I'll have to look for it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi there!

    These look fab!

    sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for stopping by today! You guys sure are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Speaking of dog books, Greyfriars Bobby is one of my & my mum's favorite!
    Hugs,
    Suri

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love Lassie and Homeward Bound is my favorite pet movie!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like those stories too, haven't read all of them but some of them. I liked the story Big Red as a child; more recent favourites are Marley and Me and It's a Dog's Life. For movies, I also like Eight Below.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have read those books and seen those movies. Classics all of them (although it has been many year since I read/saw them). Thanks for joining the hop!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Some great suggestions. Thanks we remember Lassie and the Littlest Hobo, but he was a German Shepherd.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bowsers, those are some good books. You probably knew that Eric Mowbray Knight wrote the book "Lassie Come Home." If you read the text of the book, you quickly realize that Lassie was a tri-color.

    Sherman & Gemini

    ReplyDelete