Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog

by Lynne Cox

The moving, inspiring story of Al, the ungainly, unruly, irresistible Newfoundland puppy who grows up to become a daring rescue dog and super athlete—part of Italy's elite, highly specialized corps of water rescue dogs who swoop out of helicopters and save lives.

Lynne Cox—acclaimed best-selling author of Swimming to Antarctica —is internationally famous for swimming the world’s most difficult waterways without a wet suit, and able to endure water temperatures so cold that they would kill anyone else, recognizes and celebrates all forms of athleticism in others, human or otherwise. And when she saw a video of a Newfoundland dog leaping from an airborne helicopter into Italian waters to save someone from drowning, Cox was transfixed by the rescue, and captivated by the magnificence, physicality, and daring of the dog.

Tales of Al is the moving, inspiring story of Cox’s adventures on Italy’s picturesque Lake Idroscalo, as witness to the rigorous training of one of these spectacular dogs at SICS, the famed school that has taught hundreds of dog owners how to train their dogs—Newfoundlands, German shepherds, and golden retrievers—for this rescue operation. Cox writes about coming to know the dog at the book’s center, Al herself, from puppyhood, an adorable but untrainable chocolate Newfoundland—about the dreams, expectations, disappointments, and vision of her trainer and about realizing the dog’s full potential; striving with all of her canine might to become an expertly trained, highly specialized water rescue dog.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Dogs

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer.

Reviews

[Karen R · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and inspiring book about how rescue dogs are trained, the differences in how the breads approach their rigorous tasks, and the dedication of training handlers.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the cover of this book. I thought the book would be all about Al but only portions are about her. The training of the water rescue dogs is really interesting and I'm glad Al's people never gave up on her as a water rescue dog.
Overall, this book wasn't as good as I expected, I think because I figured most of the book was about Al. But the other side stories of water dogs and the author's swimming lessons for water fearing people was nice to read about.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expectations. Always expectations. I had expected a book about doggie rescues but it was more about the training of rescue dogs, one in particular, Al. The book had many tangents, which was fine I guess. It is subtitled The Making of a Super Athlete, which it is. So I think if my expectations had been different I would have enjoyed it more. It was filled with many dogs and stories of having fun with dogs so you really still can't go too far wrong.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there were more descriptions of food than the various dogs she saw working or stories of them working as these rescue dogs, but it was still enjoyable.

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book piqued my curiosity as I'd never heard of dogs doing rescues in this capacity. The dog Al was the main focus but other dogs were featured. My issue with this book was the writing. It did not have a good flow to it. It felt rather segmented and almost as if the author were trying too hard to give detail to the foods and areas she experienced. She sounds like an amazing swimmer and a few of her stories exemplified her very obvious talent for teaching; especially dogs and kids. So you know what? If writing isn't your wheelhouse, you have much to fall back on!

[Sarah Jane]

This was hard to follow, a long section in the middle is just the author and her friends eating dinner and telling stories about petsitting and teaching small children to swim. There were transitions like “I took a sip of my wine then shared a story about dogsledding in Alaska.” Sometimes a chapter just ends and then the next chapter is they get a new course of food and the author starts another random story.

The dog in the title seems great, it was sad to me that her caregiver seemed disappointed that Al was different from other dogs. I feel bad for dogs who seem forced to do things that they do not have an affinity for. A great deal of unnecessary drama was created by the human because she could not appreciate that her dog was an individual with a different personality than other dogs the human had known. The phrase “Al needed to pass (a swimming test)” broke my heart. I think the only thing Al needed was for her autonomy to be respected.

Rattlesnakes are venomous, not poisonous. The species of rattlesnake that is notable for having neurotoxins in its venom is the Mojave Green. Southern Pacific rattlesnake venom could also be deadly to a dog but it contains mostly hemotoxins. Why this even came up in this book I do not understand but I am doubly irked that the information was wrong because there was not even a reason to mention it. When I encounter obvious errors like this it makes me wonder what else in the writing has been stated as fact but is incorrect.

[CLW · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lost its focus, not enough about Al, newfoundlands, or other water rescue breeds.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is key because it's not a really book about the training of water rescue dogs or in fact, specifically how Al was trained, but more story telling about Al. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun book and both enjoyable and informative. However, it's "tales" about Al and his trainer and the author and her experiences with dogs (not actual water rescue dogs in her case) and other swimmers. She is a fascinating person with accomplishments others cannot even dream of. This is a very interesting book that dabbles in how rescue dogs are trained and gives a bit more information about the organization in Italy that has developed this training. It describes how some of the different dogs approach and respond to such training and clearly the devotion that the trainers have. I was just a tad disappointed that a lot of the book was the author relating other experiences...though, again, they were very enlightening and interesting however, they were digressions from the topic at hand. Her descriptions and recollections are delightful, just not right on target with the rescue dog program. That said, this is a quick book and can easily be read in one sitting. The pictures included in this book are marvelous of these massive dogs. I'll err on the generous side and give it 4 stars with the caveats I've listed already.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog was absolutely FABULOUS! I could not put the book down because it was so interesting to read. I truly love the way the author, Lynne Cox, educates the reader about how the dogs are trained in Italy and how intelligent these animals are. I also appreciate the way she describes the owner of Al learning to trust her dog when at first she thought Al to not be quite as intelligent as her other dogs. It is a beautiful example of the human and dog relationship, having trust, and is absolutely precious. I also like how Lynne Cox shares some of her phenomenal swim stories (she is a STAR swimmer) and also other small details like the fine wine in Italy (I researched that wine and bought it, so delicious) and of course learning about Newfoundland dogs. I liked this book so much I told all of my family and friends about it and they are now reading her book! I highly recommend Tale of Al: The Water Rescue Dog because it is interesting, entertaining, educational, and more! I loved it!

[Peg Lotvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I had read several of Lynne Cox's previous books, Swimming to Antarctica , and Grayson, about a young grey whale she helped to find its mother. Tales of Al is supposed to be about the Italian school that trains water rescue dogs. These are primarily Newfoundland breed but there are also a few German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers. A large part of the book is devoted to two Newfoundlands Cox cared for and went swimming with. They were not water rescue dogs, just family pets. Al's story begins with her puppy days where her training was difficult due to her lack of focus. In the end she becomes a graduated rescue dog doing her job with her trainer, guarding the swimmers and beach people along the coast near her Italian home. Light fare!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is like a interstate highway. It starts and then vers off to other stories then goes back to the original story. I thought it would be just be about the dog but it was about the author seeing a video about dogs jumping out of helicopters. She then travels to Italy to see how the dogs are trained. It's more like reading an article from an interview instead of a book.
It's a good read though. It only gets 2 stars though. It would of gotten a higher rating if it stayed on course. It just took to many exits along the way. The exit stories were good though but I think the main story would be just a short story. I finished the book and was disappointed as that was it?

[Dorian L. Nicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of Al is a wonderful and touching story, full of Lynne Cox's inimitable love of all things aquatic and boundless curiosity about the world and all its inhabitants. Lynne has the remarkable quality of writing exactly the way she talks, making it impossible to escape her infectious enthusiasm and joy of life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Its topic transcends dogs or swimming and gets to the heart of what is to experience passion, joy, and trust. Brava Lynne! Thank you for another wonderful book and we cannot wait for your next.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are there any more heroic dogs than the these Newfies who jump from helicopters, swim tirelessly and are devoted to their humans? Well, yes, there are a few others, but these Newfoundlands are super special. And they are strong!!

If ever I am in trouble, floundering in the waters around Genoa, Italy, I would hope to see the huge mass of swimming dog wearing a harness headed my way!! Al or one of his kind.

Thank you to all the dogs, their devoted trainers, the coast guard who save people.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Open-water swimming phenom Lynne Cox discovers the Newfoundland water rescue dogs of Italy and observes them training, and being tested. This narrative features the classic Lynne Cox style: observations rendered in real time from a very close view. She loves dogs, water, and swimming. Recollections of her own past experience with all three help guide the actual narrative, which takes place over a few days. This small volume lacks the suspense and stakes of Swimming to Antarctica, but will appeal to dog lovers and Cox fans alike.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful novel about Lynne's experience visiting with the Italian school for water rescue dogs. She follows the training and ultimate triumph of Al, a dog who seemed to be aloof and distracted. But when it came down to it, they discovered Al was a most perceptive dog and was picking up cues that even other well trained dogs were not. Love the pictures included in the book. A must read for anyone who loves dogs.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You work on things you love. That makes you happy and helps you bring beauty to the world." (page 9)

"Courage is something that is revealed when it is faced by adversity. It may originate from somewhere in the heart, and often we find courage by working through fear." (page 24)

I really wanted to give this book a better rating, but like too many books, it spent a lot of time slogging through extra material to fill the pages. Interesting story, too much fluff and fur (yes, pun intended!)

[Sophie French · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written story of a sweet dog who has the heart of a champion. Set in the context of the story of the Italian School of Rescue Dogs and the rigorous training the dogs and owners go through. Lynne Cox paints pictures with her words. This was a book I did not want to put down. It’s an uplifting and inspiring true story.

[MJ Beaufrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story! I would've liked to have seen more of Al and less of the backstory about Lynne swimming with dogs and teaching children who are frightened of the water to swim.

I can't help loving the asides about Italian food;-)

Still, great stuff! Now I want to adopt a Newfie. My Saint Bernard might not be happy about that, though.

[Amanda Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5. I don't usually grab books about dogs because they die, and I don't need that when I've dealt with that enough. Al doesn't die, and we know she's living her best life as an 11 year old Newfoundland at the publication of the book. 11 is a good, old age for a Newfoundland. If you enjoy learning about water rescue dogs, this is for you.

[Michele Pfrogner · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I indeed respect all rescue dogs, and learned more about the training of water rescue dogs in Italy, I was disappointed. This book is about the author: her connections, her athleticism, and her teaching. All of that is, of course, okay, since she is the author; however, the book's title and photos are deceptive.

[Reader50 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book and as a dog lover, expected to really enjoy it but found it didn't hold my interest. Perhaps I was not in the right mood and I should give it another listen. I finished 1/3 of the book, learned interesting facts about the ability of Newfoundlands, their swimming strength and webbed paws etc., but it didn't sustain me.

[Linda Spyhalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read Lynne Cox’s books! They are so positive and interesting. I have read a lot of books of all kinds and Her book “Grayson” is my all time favorite. I read it every year and it has gotten me through the highs and lows of life! In my opinion she makes a difference with her upbeat and positive books! Thanks to Lynn!!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gem of a book about both humans and dogs who love each other and the water. The setting is Italy which also adds some flavor. This book has the same feel as Lynne Cox’s book, Grayson. A quick, entertaining read.

[JP Chang · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book about water rescue dogs, the author has almost 0 experience with them. A good chunk of the book is just about her other dog stories.. I am morally obligated to give dog books at least 3 stars, otherwise this would have fewer

[Terri Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lynne at Bookshop Santa Cruz when she was in town for this book signing. What a wonderful story from an incredible woman. Inspiring. Thanks Lynne for sharing your experiences. Keep it coming!

[CHRISTY · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main story of the book, about dogs who are trained to be life-saving dogs, is interesting, but there is not enough of a story to fill a book, so the author tells lots of barely-related stories from her life, which makes the book frustratingly sluggish.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short, easy to read, sweet book. I don’t ever want a dog, but I wish I did!

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet true story about dogs trained to rescue swimmers in trouble.

[Jothy Rosenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. She’s not a very good writer and thinks a bit too highly of herself. But I love any stories about dogs and on that score this ranks highly.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Just an easy, pleasant story to take your mind off the crazy world.