Doglands

I have a rule, inspired by Wallace Wallace from Gordon Korman’s No More Dead Dogs, that I don’t read books about dogs.  Even if the dogs don’t die, aren’t abused, or if live the best life you could ever hope for them, I just can’t read books about dogs. They make my heart ache because I always, always fall in love with the dog and no matter what happens to him (or her) I am too emotional to finish.

So, what was I thinking when I broke my rule and read Tim Willocks’ children’s debut, Doglands? I have no idea.  A number of times the little voice in my head said “stop reading this. You’re going to cry. You’re going to have bad dreams. You don’t have the emotional stamina to get through this.” And believe me, a few times I did have to close the book, walk away, and distract myself with TV, chocolate, or a trip to the gym.  Because the mutt Furgul, whose name in Dog Tongue means “the brave”, encounters and lives through almost all the cruel experiences a dog can have in the human word: he’s born in a greyhound farm, run by a heartless sadist who tortures the greyhounds he keeps; he’s shot and left for dead; he’s caught by dog catchers and taken to animal control; he’s stolen and tortured by thieves planning to use him as “bait” in a robbery; and he faces many fights for survival with other dogs that are equally abused or in other desperate situations.  One thing kept piling on top of another and I almost gave up hope, both for Furgul and in humanity because of the way we treat the animals who share this planet with us. 

But here’s the thing – Furgul never does.  He never gives up; he sets his mind to the goal of escape, survival, and freeing his mother and the other greyhounds, and he never once waivers.  Sure, he is scared sometimes and doesn’t know what to do, but he musters up the courage, decides on a course of action, and then inspires other dogs to transcend their situations by the sheer force of his powerful, positive will.   Of course Furgul understands that the human world can be a cruel one, but he also learns that there are people in it who love dogs and do everything they can to create good lives for the dogs.  And even though he eventually chooses the path of freedom in the Doglands, both Furgul and the reader leave this touching book believing that there is hope for us all, human and dog alike.

• Posted by Cori