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This book is based on a true situation where an Irish setter pup was visiting in a boarding kennel temporarily,and then circumstances happened in which the dog stayed in the kennel thirteen years. In the story, The Visitor, the dog is able to understand what is said by humans and animals. He knows his remaining human family still lives, knows they think his reunion with them will upset the younger members, but continually hopes they will come and take him home. His grief is softened by his ability to empathize with some of the other dogs who come and go in the kennel over the years. In fact, he learns about the world through the lives of the dogs he helps, and then uses what he has learned about the seasons, the cities, the beaches, and different owners to comfort his many kennel mates. Both the kennel owner and her vet eventually use the setter to help with the other dogs, and he becomes the vet's "old nurse." As a former Irish setter breed rescuer, I am very familiar with the breed and some of their individual behavior. One important, unspoken point in this story is the reluctance of humans to become personally/emotionally involved with a dog who comes in contact temporarily in their lives, in order to protect their own emotional health. In the years this setter is in the kennel, he is treated well by the kennel owner, he is exercised, he is socialized with the other dogs, he is well fed, but he is never treated as a pet, never petted, never loved. never played with by a human being. The Irish setter is at its core a people dog, who craves the attention and approval of his humans, and this lack of emotional connection comes through most sadly, especially at the story's conclusion. This is really a very special book, and I recommend it without reservation. It was well written over thirty years ago, but the experiences of the various dogs the setter encounters and comforts hold true today. flotirisherRead full review
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