The number one dog in Victoria

Today’s guest post is from Jim at DoggyBytes.ca, where you can learn all about dog health, nutrition and news.

This past summer I did a little bit of dog walking through which I had the great pleasure of meeting Charlie Meadow and his canine companion Crispen. At that time, Charlie was at the tail end of editing his new book about Crispen. titled The Number One Dog in Victoria.

The book is about Charlie’s relationship with Crispen (his spunky 9 year old Wheaten Terrier/ Schnauzer mix, sometimes referred to as a Schweetie or Wheatzer), how they’ve learned from each other and grown together over the years.

The Number One Dog in Victoria is available online through Trafford Publishing. The book is also available here in Victoria from Sorenson Books, 1027 Cook St. (250 383-8131), Chez Terry’s, the pet food and supply stores at 12-1526 Fairfield Road, 3838A Cadboro Bay Road, and will also soon be listed by Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From the author:

I’m sure every dog owner in Victoria thinks his or her dog is Number One. Only a few of us get that designation from the city. Victoria Animal Control Services selects one dog every year for this honor. The winner gets dog license number one for that year and a personal visit from the mayor and the head of Animal Control to present the award.

The Number One Dog in Victoria is my book about my dog growing from puppyhood to age nine. It’s also about me, the alpha member of his pack, and how he made me more aware of and sensitive to all animals. My dog is Crispin, a joy to have around. Early in his life we realized that he is a “chick magnet,” having a distinct preference for females, both human and canine. Women of all ages from three to 93 stop us on the street to talk to him and pet him. Crispin can also get into trouble by being overly protective of his family. The book covers both the great and not great aspects of his life with us and of my growing understanding of what makes him tick.

When I first thought of writing a book about him, I thought I would do it as if he were the author. But that presented problems. I could not think of how I could make it sound like a dog’s thoughts when some of the things that needed saying are so clearly beyond a dog’s ability to comprehend. I compromised by inserting what I call Crispin’s Comments, brief statements “by him” about parts of my text. Another decision I had to make was how to present information about the evolution of dogs, how they communicate, how intelligent they are, and whether or not they have emotions. I devoted a few chapters to these issues, covering all sorts of animals, not just dogs, sort of a quickie version of Animal Science 101.

This is not a children’s book although I think kids from perhaps age ten can appreciate most of it. Feedback from readers would be great.

Charles T Meadow – Author
ct.meadow[at]shaw[dot]ca

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