Tails From Dublin (And I Don't Mean Ireland!)
By Ed Manolio
5/5
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About this ebook
This book was written because of my relationship with Dublin, my beautiful Irish Setter, Dublin. My mother grew up with an Irish Setter, Missy, who at two years old was given to a young priest at a rectory because her family could not contend with the dog’s needs. Thirty years later, my mother and I visited the rectory and that priest, now a Bishop, had commissioned a huge painting of Missy running in the field and had it hanging over his desk in his office. It was a touching moment and after hearing some of the adventures that the Bishop and Missy shared, I knew I had to get a dog. So a couple of months later, my wife and I found a kennel with Irish Setter puppies. We didn’t know what we were getting into at the time, but we adopted this puppy who turned out to be Dublin. This is her story as seen through her eyes. The ups and downs, the adventures and all the things that made her what she was are now revealed in “Tails From Dublin”. A true story for both adults and children will touch your heart.
Ed Manolio
I was born in New York City but lived most of my early life in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After my schooling was finished, eventually I re-located to East Atlantic Beach, New York where I currently reside with my lovely wife Odalys. While growing up our family always had a dog although the responsibility to care for them always fell on my parents shoulders. I became a dog lover and finally decided to take the plunge into ownership with my first Irish Setter. It was quite an experience, one I wouldn't change at all. It certainly taught me the full impact of having a pet.My interests include music and music history, playing tennis, gardening, all Boston professional sports teams and animal rights. My first book, Tails From Dublin is a sincere look back at our lives together written entirely from her perspective. We had some adventures together and the book details them from her eyes. My next book, soon to be published, will be on a unique look at recorded popular music history.
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Reviews for Tails From Dublin (And I Don't Mean Ireland!)
1 rating1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is truly a unique book. This real life story is "written" from the dog's point of view revealing the animal's simple thought process as she goes thru her life. The author captures the essence of the relationship between the dog and her owners. What made it nearly impossible to put down after reading a couple of chapters are a couple of things. First of all, in this well written real life story the author is able to clearly identify how he felt his dog reacted to everyday situations in their life. What may seem like a normal daily occurrence to a human is something entirely different to a pet. Next, the author educates the reader to day-to-day activities of a dog owner but he does in in a very interesting way. I have read many books about pet's and this is one of the best by far. "Tails From Dublin" brought out a bevy of emotions and taught this reader how to approach a pet in a very special way.
Book preview
Tails From Dublin (And I Don't Mean Ireland!) - Ed Manolio
TAILS FROM DUBLIN
(And I Don’t Mean Ireland)
By Ed Manolio
Copyright 2014 by Ed Manolio
Smashwords Edition
INTRODUCTION
If I was I no longer is.
This simply is my story. I decided to tell it now since I think I am not on earth anymore. I have had some time to try and put my ex-life in perspective. I am at peace with myself because I can look back and finally understand what a wonderful period of time I enjoyed. So I thought I would let everybody that can read understand what this creature’s life was like from my own eyes.
I cannot tell if anybody will be interested in my story. Well, that is not entirely true. I do know that the humans in my life will probably relate to all I am about to reveal. Then again, maybe they will find out some things that they did not know or understand at the time we knew each other. I must admit occasionally I did not understand some of things I did!
Ok here’s the lowdown. I am a creature. I know now that all of us creatures exist for a purpose. When I was on earth, I did not understand why I was around. Actually, I really never thought about it. Looking back, I now know that I existed to bring joy and happiness in the long run to the people around me. I can confess that there were also some difficult moments.
I realize that the people who loved me brought me much joy and security. I was very lucky to have them and, from what they showed me through their actions, I think they now know that they were also lucky to have me in their lives. I know that most creatures on earth never can or will experience the emotional contact that I was fortunate enough to feel.
I now know the only creatures that can read this are human beings. So let it be revealed! I was man’s best friend
. I was a doggy! Before my tale begins, (no pun intended), I want to get something clear. I believe my species is very special. In my opinion, we should be called the chosen species
. What does that mean? Well I really do not intend to brag or put any other creatures down – but the facts are the facts!
Us dogs are the only animals, (except for humans themselves), on the planet that respond consistently to people on a personal level. Here is what I mean. We can live in a human setting and we want to be trained to please. We can protect humans. We can make humans laugh. We can help humans find other missing humans. It does not matter if you get angry at us, we still will be your companion as if nothing happened-we do not hold grudges. At times, we can feel the emotions that our human friends are experiencing. The happiness we experience in our lives mostly comes from the times we spend with our owners. Just think about it, of the thousands of animals species on earth, we are the only ones that can share all the above and that means we have a special bond with humans. (Sorry cats, you come close but eventually fall short in some of the categories). Of all the animals on earth, dogs are the only species that can live in a human’s home without being in a cage, bowl, and barn or fenced in area. The fact is that we can be trained to follow almost every command ordered and we never really want to be alone. I think that’s why we are the chosen species
.
Actually, from what I have observed, at times we get along better with humans then they do with each other! Unfortunately, our lives on earth do not last very long, so we have to build our relationships in a short period of time. May I add that most of us dogs do a good job at that! We do not show our emotions facially for the most part but believe me, we feel them inside and some humans can understand.
I am glad other dogs cannot read this because I really do not wish to make them jealous of the great life I had. If I were able to plot it all out again, I would not do it any differently. This does not mean that everything was arrf
. By the way, that is a term us dogs use among ourselves when times are good or exciting-I wonder if you can understand why we use that sound. You humans use crazy words such as cool
. I could never figure that word out. Oh yes, here is a little message for you humans. We dogs cannot understand words with double meanings! I am just letting you know in case you own one of us or are planning to. For instance, if you use a word like heel, we will only understand one meaning and it ain’t on the bottom of your foot. Try to remember that, it will make our lives easier. Remember, I am writing this from a doggie’s point of view, so some of it may just go over your head. That’s alright; I understand you are just a human. Remember I saw life from about two feet off the ground. So my perception of things might be different than the reader’s.
Oh by the way, I was an Irish setter. Now, we are not the world’s most popular dog breed like our close cousins the retrievers, (I can’t understand why!), so I am going to give you a standard description for those not familiar with our breed. This is not my one-sided bias description. It is from various professional dog sources. Please read carefully.
Along with its beautiful appearance, the Irish setter’s personality is fun loving, playful and affectionate. Irish setters love to party. The standard calls for a rollicking
temperament, and anyone who has had the pleasure of raising an Irish setter puppy can tell you exactly what that means. It is mischievous and independent, intelligent and stubborn, anxious to please and yet determined to have its way if it decides to-go hunting or steal a treasure from closet or drawer. Hunting instinct is strong and the breed enjoys a fine reputation as a reliable companion in the field.
The Irish setter is a slow maturing dog, both mentally and physically. It stays a puppy for a long time, and retains some of its merry Irish character forever. Some believe that the setter is difficult to train, but this is not so. The Irish setter is very smart, sometimes smarter than its owner, so one must use care and patience in training this dog. Once learned, a lesson is never forgotten, so it behooves the owner to train a puppy with love and firmness, never harshness or cruelty.
The breed is naturally clean and fastidious and will housetrain quickly, if given the opportunity to go out at regular intervals when it is young. It loves to be with its people and will adapt to riding in a car, preferably in a crate as a puppy, where it can stretch out comfortably and be secure. This breed is not aggressive but it will energetically announce the arrival of all comers, and if put to the test has been known to protect its owners from harm.
One of the primary requisites for owning an Irish setter is the time and the facilities to exercise it often. This is a high-energy-level breed, needing an area to run and play big enough for it to stretch its legs. This is the single most important factor in raising a happy and healthy dog. Exercise, however, does not mean opening the door and allowing the dog to run free. Irish Setters will follow their noses and cannot be guaranteed to remain within one's property until they are well along in years. Either an ample fenced yard or the means to walk or run the dog daily are a must if you wish to have a happy and adjusted Irish setter.
How about that! Well as far as I’m concerned most of that is true. But we setter’s do have some individual traits as you are about to find out. And I personally had some real special ones. My life was filled with adventures. It’s time for you to learn about some of them.
ONE
Whatever this is it is.
My first memory, I think, was hearing sounds but being unable to see anything. Somehow I was moved and put down in a place where I felt weird things rubbing up against me from all sides. I didn’t understand what it all meant or where I was. All I knew was that these moving things were soft and warm. It seemed like I couldn’t move much while in this pile of warm things. After some time, I realized I was getting the scent of something I wanted. Not knowing why I was attracted to this strange scent, I was being tempted towards it. As the feeling of these things rubbing against me slowly began to disappear, I unknowingly started to try and move towards this surprisingly sweet scent. At the time this happened, I was not aware of what a scent was. I just knew I was moving somewhere. I didn’t know how or why. Kind of wiggling back and forth on my belly and bumping into things, I maneuvered forward. These things that were previously rubbing against me were now gently bumping into to me as I squirmed on the ground. I didn’t know it then but these other things were moving with me. I guess I was nudging into to them also on this trip to who knew where. I heard some weird sounds coming from a distant place. The sounds were high pitched and scared me. The world at this moment was totally dark but I knew mysteriously somehow I was moving. The trip didn’t last long but the closer I got the better the scent!
Suddenly, with that sweet scent getting closer and filling my nose, I bumped up against something huge and warm and I could not move forward anymore. However, with no thought at all, I found something small, soft and warm and put my mouth on it and tasted very good. Even though I was being bumped around, my mouth would not release its grip. Mmmm! It made me feel safe and content, but still other foreign objects were trying to push me away. I really could not understand this but strangely there was sweet, warm wet stuff in my mouth and I wanted more of it. I held on, getting my share until I was satisfied. Soon after, I was exhausted from this long trip and to make matters worse, I was still being pushed all over the place. Back then, I could not figure out what was going on. My desire for the sweet liquid had vanished and before I knew it, I was gently bumped off my grip. At that point I could not have cared less. As I began to squirm away, I started to fade out. This was an exhausting day. I bumped into a couple of these small warm things and before I knew it I went blank, tangled up with them, and it felt safe so I guess that’s why I stayed there.
The next thing I knew, I was awake again. I still could not see and I was being picked up from this secure place. Whatever was holding me was gentle but I was in a weird position. I was no longer on the warm ground. It felt like I was floating in air. Suddenly I again heard those same high pitched sounds, but this time they seemed very close to me. I was scared. What was I doing here or there or wherever I was? I was pressed up against a warm thing while being held firmly and I felt a gentle repetitive beating against my body. It was a weird, but kind of safe feeling. I was not quite as scared as I was earlier. I would understand in the future, that the sounds I had heard were human voices and laughter. But back then, I just wanted to be put down and left alone to go blank again. After a short period of time, that’s exactly what happened, but not after being uncomfortably moved from one place in the air to another while these weird sounds continued to surround me.
The next thing I remember was being moved by a firm but soft, wet thing. It actually woke me up and made me curious. After being put down, I was being rubbed by something moist. But it had a safe scent and actually felt good. Again, I wondered what was going on. When that stopped, once more I had the feeling of warm things rubbing up against me and, I guess, I must have been rubbing up against them, too. After a while, that sweet smell and urge to move again took over and I wanted some more of that sweet stuff. This happened almost every time after coming back from going blank. I don’t know why, but it sure made me feel safe and content and stronger. Then, one day my life totally changed. I came back from being blank and I could see! My first sights were blurry, strange objects. Then I saw many little red hairy things all around and even on top of me. I discovered that these were those warm foreign objects that I was sharing my new life with.
There was constant movement and it seemed like we all discovering each other. Soon that sweet smell again attracted my attention. It seemed to also do the same to all these little red things and we would all start squirming towards this big red thing. Now, at least I knew where I was going! I happened to be one of the first ones to make it there. At that time, I didn’t know it but I was also a red hairy little thing, the same as the others. It seemed like we were all racing towards the same goal. After latching on to a small thing sticking out from the big red thing’s body and enjoying that taste sensation, I again was satisfied. I was pushed off and a bigger, small red thing took my place. As I moved away, no longer was I interested in that taste and scent and slowly, but surely, all the little red things joined me back in the area from where we had begun our movement. Then it seemed like we all went blank. Later on after waking, our curiosity made us want to examine everything around us. We all seemed to like to do the same thing at the same time.
The next time I remembered anything was when the big red thing made some loud sounds from its mouth and another even bigger thing, (not red), appeared and made some sounds back. It let the big red thing out of the area where we all hung out. Some of us tried to follow but were unsuccessful. I saw the bigger thing, which had only two legs, begin to throw this little round object and I saw the big red thing run after it. This object moved up and down and then rolled on the ground. The big red thing caught it and brought it back to this two-legged thing. This happened again and again. It looked like fun and we were all fascinated. When the big red thing came back into our area, it immediately put wet stuff in its mouth and then lay down in a corner as some of us little red things started to realize we could try to move the same way it did. We all started to try to imitate the way the big red thing moved. However, we kept falling down and were bumping into each other. Then one of the bigger little red things looked like it was beginning to move on four legs. Seeing this made me understand what was going on around me and how I had to move my four legs so I would not have to squirm on the ground anymore. All of us little red things eventually learned how to move that way. Now getting around was much easier!
We liked hanging together and playing. We would try and jump on, or grab, each other with our mouths. I enjoyed pulling the thing at the end of another little red thing’s body. The big red thing was very gentle with us and spent much time licking us and letting us have the warm sweet stuff when we wanted some. We watched everything the big red thing did and tried to do the same. Occasionally, the non-big red thing with only two legs, came into our area, got on the ground and let us crawl all over it. Sometimes it brought little sticks in and let us put them in our mouths. It was interesting and enjoyable.
I started to hear sounds over and over and would become comfortable when I could identify them. The big red thing would react to sounds the two legged thing made. I noticed something would be given to the big red thing in its mouth when I sensed the two-legged thing looked happy. We all would try to pick