DOGS no doubt evolved to provide an utilitarian role for their human masters, protecting them against lions, tigers, sabre toothed beasties and baddies trying to steal their food, wives and the cave man’s equivalent of electrical goods. But if one is prepared to open one’s emotions to them, their contribution to our daily existence becomes much more significant. And, occasionally, at the right time, the ideal canine personality enters our lives. This happened to Caryl Moll.
Her husband presented the family with a bundle of fluffy mischief at a time when Caryl was reluctant to accept further domestic responsibility. But as time progressed, and a series of personal crises pushed her into a deep depression, her relationship with the maturing golden retriever was the catalyst for her recovery. During this process she avoided personal contact but compensated by finding solace through her computer, eventually starting her own blog based on the life of Max, her canine saviour. This provided her with an outlet for a dormant love of writing and also fostered her relationship with her dog.
But in the latter stages of his life, Max was diagnosed with cancer and the roles became reversed. Caryl now uses her blog as an inspirational account of Max’s dying days and draws heartfelt emotional support from her escalating cyber family, reaching a readership of 200 people and eliciting over 9 000 comments. The book is an account of this process. It is simply written and uses multiple extracts from the blog “The Adventures of Maxdog”.
It has its weaknesses, however. The prose is naive and is unlikely to win any plaudits from the literary purists. It is also fairly pedestrian and drags on a bit, losing my interest at times. I decided to put the book to the ultimate test. Two esteemed and long-standing members of the Out of Town book club were tasked with submitting their opinions. These are women who will consume a riveting read in one sitting but who will also ditch an inadequate book midstride. Critics of note. Neither completed the read.
Which is a pity because the poignancy escalates towards the end, highlighting the depth and complexities of the human-dog relationship, and this is the strength of the book. The person and his or her pet will have some sort of relationship, varying in strength and history, and often, like Caryl and Max, the emotional attachment is immense. The acknowledgement and understanding of this fact is fundamental to all who make their living tending to animals and should help to formulate our service to them. It is for this reason that I will ensure that all the staff members of our veterinary practice read this book.