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Saturday, November 13, 2010

A True Dog Lover

The following passage is framed and posted in one of the exam rooms at the veterinarian office we visit.  I liked it so much one day as one of the hounds and I sat waiting that I snapped a photo of it with my phone.  There wasn't an author referenced, but I did a little internet searching and found that it's an excerpt from a Dean Koontz novel, The Darkest Evening of the Year.

"If you are a dog lover, a true dog lover, and not just one who sees them as pets or animals, but are instead one who sees them as one's dear companions, and more than companions--sees them as perhaps being a step or two down the species ladder from humankind, not sharing human exceptionalism but not an abyss below it, either--you watch them differently from the way other people watch them, with a respect for their born dignity, with a recognition of their capacity to know joy and to suffer melancholy, with the certainty that they suspect the tyranny of time even if they don't fully understand the cruelty of it, that they are not, as self-blinded experts contend, unaware of their own mortality.

If you watch them with the heightened perception, from this more generous perspective . . . you see a remarkable complexity in each dog's personality, an individualism uncannily human in it's refinement, though with none of the worst of human faults.  You see an intelligence and a fundamental ability to reason that sometimes can take your breath away."


Thank you for joining us on the Saturday Pet Blog Hop!  
We love meeting fellow pet lovers, and wish you all a safe and happy weekend!!  



22 comments:

  1. What a wonderful quote, and to think it's by one of my favorite "thriller" type authors, Dean Koontz. In retrospect, it sounds just like him. Might as well plug his fun books while I'm at it. In particular, the Odd Thomas series is fun, scary, exciting and worth a look! But I digress. His dedication to his dog(s) is pretty obvious, and he nails mine for me in this thoughtful missive.

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  2. Thanks so much, Kristin. It's a beautiful excerpt.
    Happy Saturday Blog Hop too!

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  3. Happy Saturday Miss Kristen!
    Dat is a wunderful quote, mom copied it to our YapTop. :)

    Woofs and Licks,
    Maggie Mae

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  4. What a wonderful quote! Thank you for sharing it with us!

    Wags,
    Zona

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  5. What a beautiful quote. Thank you for sharing it.

    Tucker's Mom

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  6. Hi Kristin! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am now following you. I hope you are feeling better too! Yes, this cough definitely lingers.

    Wonderful quote! I feel the same way...a true dog lover. Thanks for sharing!

    I see that you are from Roanoke, VA. Small world. My husband is from there too. It is a beautiful place! :-)

    Have a fantastic day!

    Tina
    http://parkavenuechihuahua.blogspot.com/

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  7. Mom was talking to a woman about work and ended up finding she was a doggy product designer. Cool huh. She asked mom where I slept. Mom said "our bed" and the lady laughed. She said she can tell if the person is a potential customer by their answer. If they say "outside" they are NOT her customer.

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  8. That is so perfect! Thanks for sharing.

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  9. And you need to read some Koontz to understand how much he loves and respects dogs.

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  10. How so true! It is such a beautiful thing when we see them for what and who they are and to be so graced with their presence.

    Thank you for sharing.

    We are a new follower. Come visit us at :

    www.24pawsoflove.com

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  11. My husband bought me a non-fiction book Dean Koontz wrote about his own dog. It's called, "A Big Little Life" and it made me bawl for hours. It's a very sweet story about his experience with a very special dog. Definitely worth a read.

    I know he does a lot of work for Canine Companions for Independence, at least I think that's the organisation.

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful passage.

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  12. That is such a great passage! I agree, he definitely does a wonderful job writing about dogs and he seems to have a great understanding for them, too.

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  13. You have a trio of beautiful hounds.

    I love what your vet has hanging on his wall.

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  14. Beautiful quote - thank you for sharing it with us all! Happy Saturday!

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  15. Perfectly said. I have not had a chance to read his dog books. Looks like I need to make time.

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  16. That quote hits the mark so perfectly. It's how I feel but I couldn't have said it so well. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Hey Kristin! Zoe won the Santa Bandana Giveaway on my blog! Congrats! Can you e-mail me with what size you need and what you want the bandana to say at ehunt3(at)verizon.net

    Thanks!

    Elyse and Riley

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  18. Hey kids thanks for stopping by our blog. Nice saying
    Benny & Lily

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  19. I haven't heard this before but I absolutely love it and the picture of all 3 of them is fantastic!! Thank you for sharing, I might have to borrow the poem :)

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  20. Wow. I love that! It figures Dean Koontz would write such a great piece about dogs. He loves them as much as I do! Thank you for sharing!

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