{"product_id":"9781913159788-taught-by-dogs","title":"Taught by Dogs","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eworking, farm and family\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarm dogs and family dogs move seamlessly throughout Colin Whittemore’s life and no one understands the give-and-take between humans and canines better than him. Shepherding, ratting, ferreting, herding, guarding, child-minding, comforting and bonding – dogs have done all this and more for him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrought up on a farm, Colin Whittemore's life was interwoven with dogs from the start.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe writes of the welsh sheepdogs his father used on his dairy farm to bring in the cattle twice daily, but also of the farm dogs taken to the pub to lie silently under a table.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe observes that these working dogs never played, chased a ball or fetched sticks: farm dogs took their delight in working, whether rounding up livestock, ratting or guarding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut throughout his life his mother also had 'house dogs', adored pets which she trusted implicitly to accompany children as they roamed freely all day long in the countryside, relied on to stop youngsters from getting in dangerous situations or to run for help.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eColin writes with first-hand experience of the 'gatherings' when different hill farmers let their dogs use their own initiative out of sight, returning lost sheep from miles away, working as a team.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe writes of settling in new puppies, choosing dogs, dogs choosing their 'masters', gun dogs, terriers, collies and his beloved teckels, the companions of much of his life and his old age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe also writes movingly about the family dogs in his life who have bonded humans together, seen them through hardships, shown wisdom often lacking in their owners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41806840660065,"sku":"9781913159788","price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_30152391.jpg?v=1726732221","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781913159788-taught-by-dogs","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}