S. P. Meek (1894–1972)

Charming enough story about a plucky little cocker spaniel. Rusty was the runt of his litter. He's bought from a pet shop by a young woman whose fiancée owns kennels of show dogs-. So the man Allen disparages the puppy Ruth chooses, but she loves him at first sight and refuses to accept that he's a worthless dog. Rusty soon shows himself a quick learner and brave as well. Among his exploits he learns to not steal cake or pie off the kitchen table, retrieves the morning newspaper (including that of all the neighbors nearby, in a very funny episode), dives into heavy surf after a ball when larger dogs fail to retrieve it (and needs to get rescued), saves a baby from a burning building, guides adults to another child lost and injured in the forest, survives being mauled by a rabid dog, gets lost and finds his way home again travelling miles. Some of the events in the story were so dramatic and unlikely I was rolling my eyes... The little dog is very smart, and performs many heroic deeds in service of his mistress. Thankfully he wasn't too perfect- when he's entered into a local dog show, he gets placed at the very bottom for his poor physical form. But Ruth is determined to prove -most of all to her fiancée- what a great dog he is, so she secretly has him trained and enters him into field trials. The last part of the book was better- I liked reading about when the dog got lost (that chapter is from Rusty's viewpoint) and after that it tells about the field trials so I learned how spaniels are trained to find and retrieve birds . . .

What I really didn't like was the people. Not just the trainer's outdated methods, a lot of attitudes in this book really show their age- especially that of Allen towards Ruth! He was often making fun of her for "being brainless" although he loved her and expressed admiration when she did something clever. At one point in the story, when the child went missing in the forest and a fire was approaching, one woman started screaming in fright. The other man advised his companion to slap her repeatedly in the face to snap her out of it. Dogs are beaten to teach them, and women are told they would just be in the way in a crisis, to stay home and keep the coffee hot. Bah.

However the dog is cute, very bold, and proves to everyone that he's smart and full of moxie (not a word from the thirties!) I was really impatient and annoying with certain parts of this story, but found myself enjoying it closer to the end, especially the description of the dog's performance in the field trials. I think for most though, it would only appeal if you are nostalgic from having read it in your childhood.

more at the Dogear Diary… (plus d'informations)

This story is about a U.S. Army post that was stationed on the Panama Canal. The main characters are the officers at the post, but the horse is central to the story. Frog- so named because he has a habit of suddenly springing forward and unseating his rider- has such a bad reputation as a vicious horse, that he is going to simply be destroyed. A new man is transferred to the post who has a reputation as a very good horseman, he takes Frog on as a personal project. Under his hands the horse learns that not all men mean him harm, and comes to love his new master. The horse then acquires new skills- being taught to play polo, and is involved in many escapades. In one chapter he is used to ferret out a spy among the new recruits, in another his skills on the polo field convince a Major that the sport improves both men and horse, so it is not banned as a frivolous activity. He is involved in bringing a local madman under control, in getting rid of a lady who insists on using all the horses (to their harm), and undertakes a grueling midnight run to deliver a message- which his rider hopes will prove to the Army that horses are still useful and shouldn't be replaced by machines. He runs in a race, even while influenced by drugs (administered by a man who has a grudge against Frog's rider), and on another occasion carries an officer's daughter into the jungle to pick oranges, where he protects her from a poisonous snake. In all, lots of adventures, amusing dialogue and a bit of intrigue between the characters.

It's mostly about what life was like at the Calvary post, based on the author's experiences. Those men were very fond of chicken- any time a bet was laid, the winner got a free chicken dinner. It must have been an item hard to come by, or expensive? Beef steak was second choice to chicken! It's nice to know that in this story: the horse doesn't die. He isn't perfect either- he still has setbacks, is poorly treated by his new master once due to a misunderstanding, and acts out whenever new riders abuse him. He's a feisty one for sure. I liked this book enough I'll keep my eye out for any others by the same author I might come across.

from the Dogear Diary… (plus d'informations)

Decent bit of pulp. He started from the Bible quote about "there were giants on the Earth in those days", which also mentions Nephilim - and turned it into subjugation of the inhabitants of Earth by giant humanoids from Jupiter. They're close enough that there are children born from crosses between the Jovians (who call themselves the Sons of God) and humans - those half-breeds are the Nephilim. The story is that of one Nephilim turning from his father's people to support his mother's people in revolt against the harsh control exerted over them. He turns because the Jovian ruler tries to seize the human woman he's planning to marry (her idea, too - her father is less enthusiastic, but has agreed). Spaceships steered by watching the stars, a very non-humanoid race on Mars and another, I have no idea what type, on Venus. Superweapons that turn out to be a little too powerful for how they have to use them - and all evidence of the Jovian invasion is destroyed. They'll build a new world - and there will be only faint memories of giants on the Earth remaining...Cute. I doubt I'll reread.… (plus d'informations)