We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear
Subtitle: Intimations of Their Immortality
By: Alston Chase
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9781351298285
Subjects: Jack Russell terrier; Anecdotes; Human-animal relationships; Relations homme-animal
Description: "More than a hauntingly beautiful memoir about small dogs in Big Sky country, this book is a wise account of the relationships among dogs, humans, and the land that surrounds them. It is the story of successive generations of Jack Russell terriers, their animal friends, and their human companions. Alston Chase searches for the immortality of dogs, what makes them unique companions, and why we humans willingly give them our hearts knowing that someday they will be broken. This book will resonate with anyone who has ever loved a dog. Chase muses that dogs are the embodiment of spirit over mortality and through the window of their brief lives we glimpse eternity. This eternal includes the Earth, the land, and the bonds forged between people and dogs over thousands of years. Chase sees threats in the decline of rural life, unbridled urbanization, and in dog breeders who judge by conformation to breed standards and fashion rather than ability and health. An uplifting tribute to the dogs we love, and a reflection on the limitations of life, this book shows a triumph of the spirit. Rich in poetic citations, it is an environmental cry for help, a naturalistic appreciation of a dissolving world, and a deeply spiritual reminder that nothing loved is ever lost."--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents: title: Chapter Prologue --; title: A Ghost Story  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 1 The Misunderstanding  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 2 The Summer of 1972  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 3 The Earth Life  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 4 Phineas  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 5 The Dogs of Devon  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 6 Growing up Small  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 7 The Soul of a Dog  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 8 Hamilton Farm  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 9 Special Dogs  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 10 Living at the Edge  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 11 Show Dogs  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 12 Leaving Millegan  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 13 Paradise  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 14 America Discovers Jack Russells  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 15 Seaching for "Genetic Immortality"  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 16 Ifrit's Spirit  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 17 Ifrit Passes  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 18 Daisy and Bungee  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 19 Ranching the View  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 20 The Stealth and "A" Teams  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 21 Bungee's Summer  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 22 Bungee's Winter  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 23 Cricket  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 24 A Sporting Dog  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 25 Ghosts  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 26 Eternity  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter 27 Millegan Return  -- Alston Chase; title: chapter Epilogue --; title: The Future of Dogs -- Alston Chase.