Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15  ·  rating details  ·  7,691 ratings  ·  1,179 reviews
Now including a wonderful new photo insert chronicling Merle’s life, this national bestseller explores the relationship between humans and dogs. How would dogs live if they were free? Would they stay with their human friends?

Merle and Ted found each other in the Utah desert— Merle was living wild and Ted was looking for a pup to keep him company. As their bond grew, Ted ta...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published April 21st 2008 by Mariner Books (first published January 1st 2007)
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Black Beauty by Anna SewellMarley and Me by John GroganWesley the Owl by Stacey O'BrienMerle's Door by Ted KerasoteModoc by Ralph Helfer
Best Animal Books of All Time!
4th out of 33 books — 27 voters
Dog-Ma, the Zen of Slobber by Barbara Boswell BrunnerMarley and Me by John GroganThe Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth SteinA Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce CameronComPETability by Amy Shojai
Dog Lovers List
9th out of 65 books — 68 voters


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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Stephanie
I read this book a few years back, before I attempted writing reviews (ones beyond a few lines anyway). It has been on my favorite’s shelf ever since then and Merle has drifted into my thoughts now and again, so I thought I would try to add a few more words.

One day Merle, a young yellow lab mix, shows up at a camp where Ted and friends were camping, Ted and Merle hit it off. Ted decides to bring Merle back home with him but soon finds out that Merle would not be content to be locked indoors all...more
Kathleen
Okay, I was suckered in by the cute dog picture on the cover. But I found myself really caring about the players in this extraordinary human-dog relationship. Granted, Merle had such a great life and so much freedom because he lived in a dog-friendly town on the edge of Grand Tetons NP. And he got to do great dog stuff like hunt elk and ski snow-covered slopes. Most dogs don't have those opportunities.

The book dragged when author Kerasote waxed on about scientific research into why dogs act the...more
Chrissie
MARVELOUS!> I give this book 5 stars without a second thought! You cry, you chuckle, you laugh out loud, you read again sections of other dog books mentioned in the text that one has^previously read, you search Wikipedia concerning subjects that the text brings to your attention and about which you realize you really have to know more. This book has everything for anyone that truly loves their dog.

OK I have to say one thing and I would really like to discuss this with others...... I don't lik
...more
Christen
May 14, 2008 Christen rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Animal Lovers
Recommended to Christen by: Colleen E.
***After meeting the author (5/12/08) the other night and hearing him read passages from the book, I've decided I want to read the book again. What a neat dog!***

I LOVED this book. I still can't figure out who the luckiest character in the book is: the dog or the owner. Ted was so lucky to find such a wonderful dog and Merle was lucky to have such a neat owner who lived in such a neat place, that allowed him to be a free dog! I hate always crying at the end of dog books, but I have to say that t...more
Manduca Sexta
I didn't like the tone of this book. There's a smugness about the author's supposed ability to communicate with dogs. The author generally anthropomorphizes his dog and assigns entire conversations to the dog. In my mind, this deeply detracts from the credibility of the science he reports because there is a great deal of crummy research by people who want to believe in various mystical animal attributes. I am not confident that he is rigorous enough to distinguish the wishful results from the re...more
Donna
Jan 06, 2008 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: dog lovers, and people sho enjoy the outdoors
Recommended to Donna by: Reggie
This is a humurous, heartfelt book about a wonderful dog named Merle. Although there were sections which became too technical regarding the evolution of the dog, it is easy to scan over those pages and get back to the beautifully written story. If you love dogs, you need to read this book. It covers Merle's entire life with Ted, and yes, it includes his last day. Get the tissues out! If you don't cry, you were absent the day they passed out hearts. If you don't have a dog, you will want to go ge...more
Susan
I felt like I shouldn't have wasted my time on this book. It is the antithesis of "Marley and Me", the story of a much loved but terrible dog. This dog is too good to be true. The narrator/owner supplies the dog's side of the conversation (something I do all the time) but without any sense of irony. He believes it's true!

It takes a lot for me to think a story about a wonderful dog is over the top. This one is. That doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have a dog like Merle. Mighty fine pup.
Marrble
If you loved Marley & Me you will LOVE Merle's Door. The story follows the life and adventures of the "freethinking" Merle from the time he adopted his human, Ted, until his death 14 years later. Splendidly written this story made me cry. Anyone who loves dogs and the outdoors will enjoy this book. I now look at my own dogs in a different way.
Lynn
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Diane
Probably the very best book I've read in a long time. It is not just a dog book, but a story about imperfect love, which makes it a best seller instead of just a cute dog story. It lived with me for weeks after I finished it, and I finally wrote the author, and he wrote back, twice. There are sort of scientific insets during the tale which I did not think added to the story but the rest was a really good read. On the human relationship level, people often jump into close human relationships with...more
Gary
As I was nearing the end of this book the other day in the lunch room at work, I had to stop reading because it was about to bring me to tears. This book is similar to "Marley and Me" in that they're both memoirs of the writer and his experience with his dog. But the difference in this book is that Ted Kerasote is a much more expressive and descriptive writer. And unlike Marley's story which is the urban adventure of a mischievous dog and his family, Merle's story is that of the deep friendship...more
Cayr
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Trevor
I'm a dog person- so you've got to take that into account- but I really enjoyed this book. Like Ted, I take my dog just about everywhere I go, and I'm constantly sorting out how to let him live life to the fullest. Not an easy task since he lives in a small apartment with his grad. student food guy.

Some of the dog psychology sections were more skimworthy than others, but Kerasote's research adds a lot to his story. If you're interested in learning about how to give your dog a more unfettered ex...more
Claire Poissonniez
I'm not quite halfway through this book, but it is positively gripping and right up my alley. Its outdoor setting is reminiscent of good Jim Kjelgaard novels (Big Red, Haunt Fox, etc.) and, on top of that, this author has done his research. Throughout the novel, Kerasote has cited scientific and archaeological research on dog origins and psychology. Having done my honors thesis on this topic, I can vouch that his citations are both accurate and fascinating.

Of course, it might be the kind of boo...more
Laura
Loved this book!!
Kurtbg
Jan 02, 2009 Kurtbg rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Friends of Animals, Dog Lovers, Amateur Zoologists
This dog book follows the standard format for most authors hommage to a special dog they have known. The book recounts personal experiences about hid dog, Merle, intertwined with what he learned and the latest information among dogs.

The big difference in this book is the quality of dog the author was fortunate to have in his life. Merle was an individuated working dog.
Individuated, what does that mean? It means he wasn't a pet dog bought to be a possession. Merle was engaged fully into pursuing...more
Janie
Ted Kerasote begins his book about his dog Merle by describing what Merle must have sensed when the dog approached Ted’s river-running group. A canine reads olfactory signatures, in this case, the odors of sweat, pizza, wild game, and the outdoor life these people led. Merle must have liked the way Ted smelled, because he stuck with him through the river trip, and afterward, for a 14 year life together.
Throughout the book, Ted interprets Merle’s thoughts and feelings in a way that is totally be...more
Paul
I must admit that I expected this book to be a typical tear-jerking, pull at the heart strings dog book. Being a dog-lover and owner since I was a boy, I've had my share of tear-jerking moments with dogs and was not quite sure I wanted another. Dutifully, I started Ted Kerasote's story about his relationship with Merle, the independently minded and intelligent dog who adopts Kersaote while on an outdoor excursion. The author writes with exacting precision that brings you right into the canoe, ca...more
Andrea Larson
This was an interesting book that was recommended by my girlfriend, and frankly, I couldn't wait to read it. I can't say I was disappointed. However, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be - and yet it was. Let me explain.

The book starts out with the author, Ted Kerasote, on a canoeing trip with his friends, when they find a young dog, apparently a stray who has had human contact before but has been living on his own for a while now. He adopts Ted as his keeper and the two set off on an unu...more
Tamara Gantt
What a wonderful view of a dog's life blended with a human's sometimes limited perspective! Ted Kerasote reveals a true animal-lover's heart in this book, offering up his vulnerable inner self to the idea that a dog is its own god, and that it deserves freedom to exist in its own glory. In one of my favorite passages, the author describes Merle's reluctance to enter a warm tent with his human friend because he seems to feel he must watch out for bears:

"He'd hunch his shoulders and peer into the...more
Timothy Bazzett
Dogs, love and grief - This is a long book. I know that sounds like a simpleton opening, but somewhere slightly past the middle of this tome, I started finding some of the corroborating scientific information about the relationships between men and other mammals just a bit "teedjus," ya know? I mean I bought the book because I love a good dog book, so I wasn't terribly interesting in learning about horses and chimps along the way. That said though, Kerasote has written an extremly thoughtful boo...more
Tabatha
I listened to this book and felt like I was listening to a fireside story. This is the epitome of the human-animal bond. These clients are the reasons we veterinarians work through lunch, come early, stay late miss family engagements. I put off reading stories where I know it will end with the death of a companion, but finally couldn't walk by it anymore. Kerasote tells a beautiful story and the anthropomorphizing about what Merle is thinking makes this story. I think if you don't work with anim...more
Margaret
A Labrador mix, Merle first appeared while the author was on a camping trip. Kerasote, an award-winning nature writer, decided to take his canine friend home to rural Wyoming. This chronicle of their 13 years together is interspersed w/ studies by animal behaviorists that strengthened Kerasote's desire to see Merle as a responsible individual rather than a submissive pet. Merle set his own eating schedule (though not without early mishap), refused to hunt birds (although not elks) &, accordi...more
Gayle Gordon
Borrowed audiobook from Commerce Public Library.
I listened to the book on CD and it really blew me away. This is one of the best books about the love between humans and animals that I have ever read. I love animals and am deeply affected by their relationships with me. I rescue dogs and have quite a few dogs and cats, and other animals, of my own. They are just like us in their emotions and personalities and it is so easy to become completely attached. This book is wonderful and painful at the s...more
Donna
I have to agree with the reviewer who noted the smug tone of the book. I would go further and say it reminds me of those arrogant folk singers of the 60's. Haughty for no good reason. An offensive tone runs through this.

But if you can overlook the tone, there are interesting concepts. Unless you live in the wilderness with a large dog, you'll never be able to try it yourself, in spite of all the interjected dog behavior research citations. Curiously, Mr. Kerasote is silent about the rest of the...more
Natasha
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Heather
A couple of weeks ago my dad sent this book to me in the mail. A day or two before, he had recommended it, and I half-heartedly said I would look for it, so he saved me the trouble by shipping it to me. Quite frankly, I'm not really big on dog books, and would probably never have read it if it hadn't been staring me in the face for several weeks reminding me that Dad would want to talk about it.

I really should listen to my dad more. This was an enchanting book. Kerasote weaves in the history of...more
Mark J
This is a wonderful book... much more than just another "aw, isn't that cute" bunch of anecdotes. (Though those can be fun, too!) The author clearly loves the outdoors, and he clearly loves animals. He shares with the reader his insights about raising the stray dog who adopted him in the wilderness of Utah.

Upon returning to his home on the edge of the wilderness in Wyoming, he explores the learning process he and Merle shared as they each discover how to make life in such a wonderful, though po...more
Karla
I love dogs, and this book absolutely touched my heart. It is the story of Merle, a yellow lab dog who is living on his own in the wild when he meets Ted who is on a raft trip on the San Juan River with his friends. Merle decides to trust Ted (maybe) and Ted decides that he needs a dog (maybe) and their relationship evolves from there. I had so many smile-memory moments of the interactions I have had with our dogs through their lives. Ted Kerasote (author and companion to Merle) weaves informati...more
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All About Animals: Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog 15 17 Apr 20, 2013 07:36pm  
Doggie Book Club: Reader Review 1 6 Jan 19, 2013 04:29am  
..if you love dogs, read this. 2 33 Oct 08, 2012 07:51pm  
A touching story for anyone espcially with a dog of their own. 10 48 Aug 13, 2012 11:56am  
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Ted Kerasote's writing has spanned the globe and appeared in dozens of periodicals and anthologies, including Audubon, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Salon, and The New York Times. He is also the author and editor of six books, one of which, Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age, won the National Outdoor Book Award. He lives in Wyoming.
More about Ted Kerasote...
Pukka: The Pup After Merle Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs Out There Bloodties: Nature, Culture, and the Hunt Navigations: One Man Explores The Americas And Discovers Himself

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“For us hunting wasn’t a sport. It was a way to be intimate with nature, that intimacy providing us with wild unprocessed food free from pesticides and hormones and with the bonus of having been produced without the addition of great quantities of fossil fuel. In addition, hunting provided us with an ever scarcer relationship in a world of cities, factory farms, and agribusiness, direct responsibility for taking the lives that sustained us. Lives that even vegans indirectly take as the growing and harvesting of organic produce kills deer, birds, snakes, rodents, and insects. We lived close to the animals we ate. We knew their habits and that knowledge deepened our thanks to them and the land that made them.” 3 people liked it
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