Alfred Ollivant (1874–1927)

Bob, Son of Battle, is a sheepdog so canny and careful of his flock, so deeply devoted to his master, James Moore, and so admired for his poise and wisdom by the residents of a small village in the rugged mountains of England's North Country, that young though he is, he is already known as Owd Bob. In a recent contest, Bob has proved himself a matchless sheepdog, and if he wins the trophy two more times, he'll be seen as equal to the legendary sheepdogs of yore.

But Bob has a real rival: Red show more Wull, with his docked tail and bristling yellow fur, a ferocious creature, just like his diminutive master, Adam McAdam, a lonely Scot, estranged not only from his English neighbors but from his son, David. McAdam just can't stop belittling this strapping young man, all the more so since David began courting Moore's beautiful daughter Maggie. But what McAdam really wants is for his beloved Wullie to wrest the prize from Bob once and for all.

The story takes a darker turn when a troubling new threat to the local flocks emerges. A dog has gone rogue, sneaking out at night to feast on the sheep he is bound to protect. Again and again, new sheep fall prey to this relentless predator; again and again, he slips away undetected. This master hunter can only be among the boldest and sharpest of dogs . . .

Here the celebrated author and translator Lydia Davis, who first read and loved this exciting story as a child, has rendered the challenging idioms of the original into fluent and graceful English of our day, making this tale of rival dogs and rival families and the shadowy terrain between Good and Bad accessible and appealing to readers. show less

Another well loved dog book from my childhood. Beautifully written with rather a thick Cumbrian accent in the speech--not only accent but words unknown to me as a twentieth century North American, as opposed to the nineteenth century North Englishman who wrote it. No matter, the language is poetry none the less, evocative and alive, and is half the charm of the book.

Bob, Son of Battle, as it was labeled in the US, and as Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir in the UK was written as a Children's book in 1898.

I debated on whether to count this among my top favorite books on dogs. It has the criteria to be there, I loved the book, wouldn't mind reading it again, had passages or excerpts I wanted to save in my list of quotes, and had awesome or laugh out loud moments. There are some other things about this book that would not make it people's favorites, but oh show more well, it is my list of favorites and I can list the good and the bad for people to sort out, as well of course as people can compare what others think as well.

I am not one to give a summary of the book, the summary for the book and others can give you that. In short it is two sheep ranch farmers in rivalry with each other each with a faithful and notable dog between them. One dog is Red Wull, a huge, violent dog who herds his sheep by brute force. The other dog is Bob, son of Battle, he herds sheep by finesse and persuasion.

The book is very melodramatic. Some may not like that, but to me, that was the fun. For things to be larger than life, and suffering and abuse to be loud and bitter.

I think the cumbrian dialect was understandable and added to the feel of the book. Some may not like working through it.

The book has some pretty gory parts to it. I can't imagine reading it to a child. In reality, a child at one age can just pass through something, and then at a different age, you could wind up giving someone a phobia for life, or at least nightmares for a while. To me, to have drama you have both the lows and the highs to make the arc of the story. I'd be very careful reading it to a child, or maybe turn parts more PG rated when reading to one.

The behavior of the dogs was not always realistic, certainly not in what seemed to be the situation with one big mystery, but I can just go along with it to enjoy the story.

The villain and his faithful dog makes the book. He is despicable with his abuse and tyrants, but the love of a good dog can soften the way we see a person. The depth and degree of abuse by the villain is another reason some would reduce the number of stars handed out. I get that, not only did it go on long, it found ways to be ratcheted up even more as it went. Probably another reason why it may not be suitable to today's children. I think I mentioned that it was very melodramatic.

I posted some quotes from the book into GR, but here are two to display some of the points above:

“And all through that night of age-long agony the gray figure stood, still as a statue, at the foot of the stairs. Only, when, with the first chill breath of the morning, a dry, quick-quenched sob of a strong man sorrowing for the helpmeet of a score of years, and a tiny cry of a new-born child wailing because its mother was not, came down to his ears, the Gray Watchman dropped his head upon his bosom, and, with a little whimpering note, crept back to his blanket.”

“In my life I’ve had three friends. Ma mither – and she went; then ma wife” – he gave a great swallow – “and she’s awa’; and I may say they’re the only two human bein’s as ha’ lived on God’s earth in ma time tha iver tied to bear wi me; and Wullie. A man’s mither – a man’s wife – a man’s dog! It’s aften a’ he has in this warld; and the more he prizes them the more like they are to be took from him.” The little earnest voice shook, and the dim eyes puckered and filled.”

For those who read the book, I leave with 'Wullie, Wullie, to me..." show less

Bob, Son of Battle, as it was labeled in the US, and as Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir in the UK was written as a Children's book in 1898.

I debated on whether to count this among my top favorite books on dogs. It has the criteria to be there, I loved the book, wouldn't mind reading it again, had passages or excerpts I wanted to save in my list of quotes, and had awesome or laugh out loud moments. There are some other things about this book that would not make it people's favorites, but oh show more well, it is my list of favorites and I can list the good and the bad for people to sort out, as well of course as people can compare what others think as well.

I am not one to give a summary of the book, the summary for the book and others can give you that. In short it is two sheep ranch farmers in rivalry with each other each with a faithful and notable dog between them. One dog is Red Wull, a huge, violent dog who herds his sheep by brute force. The other dog is Bob, son of Battle, he herds sheep by finesse and persuasion.

The book is very melodramatic. Some may not like that, but to me, that was the fun. For things to be larger than life, and suffering and abuse to be loud and bitter.

I think the cumbrian dialect was understandable and added to the feel of the book. Some may not like working through it.

The book has some pretty gory parts to it. I can't imagine reading it to a child. In reality, a child at one age can just pass through something, and then at a different age, you could wind up giving someone a phobia for life, or at least nightmares for a while. To me, to have drama you have both the lows and the highs to make the arc of the story. I'd be very careful reading it to a child, or maybe turn parts more PG rated when reading to one.

The behavior of the dogs was not always realistic, certainly not in what seemed to be the situation with one big mystery, but I can just go along with it to enjoy the story.

The villain and his faithful dog makes the book. He is despicable with his abuse and tyrants, but the love of a good dog can soften the way we see a person. The depth and degree of abuse by the villain is another reason some would reduce the number of stars handed out. I get that, not only did it go on long, it found ways to be ratcheted up even more as it went. Probably another reason why it may not be suitable to today's children. I think I mentioned that it was very melodramatic.

I posted some quotes from the book into GR, but here are two to display some of the points above:

“And all through that night of age-long agony the gray figure stood, still as a statue, at the foot of the stairs. Only, when, with the first chill breath of the morning, a dry, quick-quenched sob of a strong man sorrowing for the helpmeet of a score of years, and a tiny cry of a new-born child wailing because its mother was not, came down to his ears, the Gray Watchman dropped his head upon his bosom, and, with a little whimpering note, crept back to his blanket.”

“In my life I’ve had three friends. Ma mither – and she went; then ma wife” – he gave a great swallow – “and she’s awa’; and I may say they’re the only two human bein’s as ha’ lived on God’s earth in ma time tha iver tied to bear wi me; and Wullie. A man’s mither – a man’s wife – a man’s dog! It’s aften a’ he has in this warld; and the more he prizes them the more like they are to be took from him.” The little earnest voice shook, and the dim eyes puckered and filled.”

For those who read the book, I leave with 'Wullie, Wullie, to me..." show less