A Look at the Evolution of Canine Authors
Who hasn’t heard of the classic, “Lad: A Dog”? Published by Albert Payson Terhune (1872-1942), “Lad” was one of over 30 novels based on his beloved Rough Collies bred at his Sunnybank home in New Jersey. Born to a Presbyterian pastor and a mother who wrote over 75 books and short stories, writing was in Terhune’s blood. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in 1893, he worked as a reporter for “The Evening World” until 1916.
As a child, I loved dogs, hence my rabid reading of all the Terhune books I could find in our local bookmobile. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I became interested in dog shows and breeders—those dedicated people who not only love dogs but work to keep breeds’ inherent nature and vitality present now and for the future.
Sunnybank was originally the family’s summer home. Terhune made it his permanent residence in 1912. In 1913, Terhune bred his first litter of puppies from collies Lad and mate Lady, with only one pup surviving and named Wolf. He tragically died when he pushed another dog off the tracks with a train bearing down. Wolf’s heroic story made the newspapers, even the New York Times, but it was not the end of Sunnybank collies.
Nor was it the end of Terhune’s writing. In 1919 he put together a novel filled with short stories about Lad. Not since Jack London’s books had “Lad: A Dog,” been such a phenomenal success. The book had ten printings and was a bestseller for both adults and children. Terhune quit his newspaper job and devoted himself to writing and breeding collies.
He was so successful that one of his studs at a show was brutally poisoned and died. He stopped showing his other valuable dog as a precaution but continued his work. After all these years, Sunnybank lines still exist in today’s Rough Collie breed. Terhune died of heart failure on Feb. 18, 1942, aged 69.
I rescued two of my (non-collie) dogs with AKC papers that documented impeccable breeding lines. I was shocked that the owners had surrendered them. They could have easily been rehomed due to their pedigrees. Because of my interest in breeding, I recently reread the original unabridged “Lad” books. The fictional version of Lad gifted him with exaggerated canine powers in a setting punctuated with political incorrectness, a product of the times. Terhune, a white landowner, used people of color, “riffraff” and “tramps” to showcase the guarding abilities of his protective, loyal collies. And his physical punishment of “bad doggie” mishaps back then would be considered animal abuse today. Yet the human-love bond between man and dog always comes through strong and true.
Terhune’s collie Lad proudly won show ribbons, and his wins were happy endings to the stories. But the actual process of breeding and preparing a puppy for the ring was only briefly touched upon.
Fast forward to a contemporary author: Laurien Berensen, the award-winning author of the “Melanie Travis” canine mystery series. She started out writing romances for Silhouette under the name Laurien Blair. She wrote her first book in the series under the Berensen name. The crime mystery settings are based on her real-life experiences with poodles. Her 20-book series really hooked me.
Fictional schoolteacher Melanie’s husband walks out on her and her young son. Her Aunt Peg, who she’s never met, enters Melanie’s life to provide support and a distraction from her trauma in the form of Peg’s prize-winning poodles. Melanie, a newbie around dogs, knows nothing about the dog world. But Peg is an award-winner breeder/owner/handler determined to drag Melanie and her son into that world.
I appreciated that blocks of information weren’t “dumped” on me all at once. Each book provides a small progressive slice of AKC affiliated professionals and their craft. The import of canine knowledge to the heroine is also gained by the reader without any teachy-preachy moments. (Yay!)
Sticking to one breed avoided confusion. I learned so much about poodles. Of course we all live with our favorites and know them well, as in my case with German Shepherd Dogs and Dachshunds. Poodles? Not so much.
Melanie at first finds poodle care dull work. When she finally gets excited about them, Peg forces her niece to “pay her dues” by starting on the ground floor cleaning kennels before working her way up to grooming and handling. A few more books down the line, Melanie is gifted her first dog, and begins the dog-to-show-ring process in earnest. What makes this book even more interesting is that her young son wants nothing to do with dogs, and Melanie becomes the proverbial “man in the middle,” trying to keep aunt and son happy. The characters are unique.
Now Melanie must prove her worth in the show ring. Others respect Peg, but reserve judgement on “the newbie.” Dogs, humans, and other engaging characters develop throughout the series. Add in a withdrawn male poodle handler (whose woman is gone) and a cynical single mom (who wants nothing to do with men) and you have a cautious acquaintance that slowly builds to more in the course of this series.
There is no instant Cinderella romance or poodle wins at Westminster, but there IS fantastic storytelling by an author who herself who is a breeder/owner/handler exhibiting standard and miniature poodles. In the past twenty years she’s proudly bred or finished 15 champions in the ring.
Yes, I loved Lad and Lady. But I believe that today, super-dogs are a harder sell, especially when realistic canines can be showcased in a well-written story. And best of all in Berensen’s books, there is no “Old Yeller Syndrome.”
Why must some fiction authors kill off their dogs? Why can’t readers enjoy LIVING dogs? Why ruin their feel-good experience?
Spoiler Alert: The Movie “Weiner Dog” has a poor unwanted dachshund passed on to various people around like a hot potato. No one really wants him, and he suffers emotionally and more. The movie ends with the poor dog—who never does get a proper name—being run over by a car. Would you or your children go to see this? I supposed it can be viewed as a cautionary tale, but I for one passed on it after various dog sights on my social media revealed the plot, accompanied by strongly worded critiques.
If your plot absolutely requires it, take into consideration the reaction of those who have invested precious time reading your words. Here’s an example from a work of mine in progress. This plot spans three generations, and no dog can live that long. Still, I don’t want to drag my readers down.
In the far-away future, on a sunny San Diego afternoon, content in the knowledge that he had faithfully served his rescuer, Rocky lowered his grizzled white head onto Juliet’s soft lap, sighed his love for his heroine one last time, and fell asleep for good.
But now, in the present, Rocky was happy to be away from the past weeks’ hustle and bustle of numerous people coming in and out to plan a wedding that just kept getting bigger and bigger. His bed was soft, the sun warmed his aging joints, his food bowl was full, and his favorite chew toy was at his side.
Thoughts of Juliet caused the tip of his tail to twitch once, twice, thrice with pleasure before he leisurely stretched and yawned, settled into his bed, lowered his head between his front paws… And patiently waited for his beloved to come home.
An unavoidable death is presented to my readers, but softened with “a spoonful of sugar,” so to speak. I refuse to hit them over the head with descriptions of sobs, broken hearts, and a lonely doggy grave dug beneath some ubiquitous oak tree. Nor do I care to read those books myself. Real or fictitious, I want to celebrate the lives of canines!
A few last thoughts. I haven’t yet read the “Murder at the Dog Show” 22-book series by Karen Harbert; that’s next on my list. I would also recommend my very favorite dog author David Rosenfelt and his “Andy Carpenter” 30-book series. Book one starts the tale of this successful defense lawyer whose faith in humanity is suddenly shattered by a horrific blow. Financially solvent, he bitterly quits the courtroom to be alone with his loyal Golden Retriever Tara and frequent his favorite bar. Andy later decides to only take on those rare clients where a dog is involved. Like Berensen’s, it’s better to read the series in order.
I hope you enjoyed my presentation of a bit of history from the past and how far we dog authors have come. Happy writing to you all and pet your dogs for me!