Treve

I know I'm a little old to be reading Albert Payson Terhune. The last time I read Terhune I was probably about eleven years old. I'm 67 now, but by golly, I found I still liked this kind of book. Oh, it's not the kind of thing I'd enjoy a steady diet of now, certainly not the way I did between the ages of seven and eleven. Because I was in the "dog book" phase back then, devouring canine stories for children by Kjelgaard, O'Brien, Curwood, London and others. And of course all those Sunnybank collie books from the old master, Terhune, about his dogs - Lad, Lady, Wolf, Bruce, Buff, etc. This book, TREVE, was one I'd never read, so I was particularly pleased to find this old 1924 copy in a used bookstore last year. I read the whole thing show more yesterday, in just a couple sittings, just like I used to read Terhune over fifty years ago. TREVE is set in the southwest of the early 1920s, and the eponymous canine hero does a lot of the usual dog book stuff, dispatching mountain lions, wolves, and ratllesnakes, as well as heading off a stampeding herd of cattle, bringing in a flock of lost sheep through a winter storm, and tracking down and stopping all manner of bad guys too. Of course there are some not very politically correct elements here too - the way a Chinese cook is portrayed, for example. But the book was published more than eighty years ago, so what the hell, I suppose.

Reading TREVE yesterday allowed me to remember myself as a kid, and also reminded me what a terrific yarn-spinner Terhune was. No wonder so many boys and girls loved his books. Today the language may seem quaint and even archaic, but it's still completely accessible for any kid who wants to read a good dog book. And some of his books are still in print, most notably his most famous one, LAD: A DOG. If you're eight or nine years old you'd love it. If you're over sixty and read Albert Payson Terhune as a kid, you'll probably enjoy the trip back. And TREVE wouldn't be a bad place to start. Five stars because, well, because "thanks for the memories" and all those hours of enjoyment Terhune provided me with all those years ago. show less

I love Terhune's writing and this one is pretty dern good. It has all the laundry list of heroic things a dog can do but in a different setting of a sheep ranch in semi-arid foothills. A few of the tales were a bit taller than others, but told with Terhune's sincerity and enthusiasm you want to believe and just enjoy.
I wanted to be able to add this to my list of top books on dogs, my 'dogs-favorite-books' shelf, but a few things are of concern. The book was published in 1924 and there was somethings that are not woke by our standards. There was a chapter that dealt with their Chinese cook that was very racist.

There was also something that was very sexist, which can be seen in odd bit told in the speaking through a reporter:
"I've show more figured it out. I mean the reason for the dog-game's unsportsmanliness. And I think I've hit on the answer. It's because there are so many women in it."

People were stupid then to think that race or sex made a person less than another and not treated with respect. Hopefully people find different things to be stupid about now. I believe people are easily influenced, like by the mob, or the media. Psychology tells us people don't like to think and look for other facts to confirm what they have been told.

Another item to note is how in the old books dogs could bite the bad guys. We all think that anyone who abuses dogs is a villain, but when the dog meets that person later and bites him, or even when the dog bites someone in defense of his owner or property, it still makes me cringe and think of legal complications that would happen now. In one case, Treve's owner did have to pay a fine of $5 for biting the bad guy. A 'righteous bite' is the big weapon of a hero canine's arsenal and adds to the drama but still I cringe. (If violence makes you cringe, consider also that a couple of rustlers get killed with a shotgun.).

I think it is a great adventure book and would want to recommend it for dog lovers. I could have filled this review with all the individual adventures that fill each chapter, but I don't like to give those away other than say they are there. But I know some people that are easily triggered would want to know what is in a book, and that those of us who still like the book overall do not take the bad parts without concern they are wrong. show less

I love Terhune's writing and this one is pretty dern good. It has all the laundry list of heroic things a dog can do but in a different setting of a sheep ranch in semi-arid foothills. A few of the tales were a bit taller than others, but told with Terhune's sincerity and enthusiasm you want to believe and just enjoy.
I wanted to be able to add this to my list of top books on dogs, my 'dogs-favorite-books' shelf, but a few things are of concern. The book was published in 1924 and there was somethings that are not woke by our standards. There was a chapter that dealt with their Chinese cook that was very racist.

There was also something that was very sexist, which can be seen in odd bit told in the speaking through a reporter:
"I've show more figured it out. I mean the reason for the dog-game's unsportsmanliness. And I think I've hit on the answer. It's because there are so many women in it."

People were stupid then to think that race or sex made a person less than another and not treated with respect. Hopefully people find different things to be stupid about now. I believe people are easily influenced, like by the mob, or the media. Psychology tells us people don't like to think and look for other facts to confirm what they have been told.

Another item to note is how in the old books dogs could bite the bad guys. We all think that anyone who abuses dogs is a villain, but when the dog meets that person later and bites him, or even when the dog bites someone in defense of his owner or property, it still makes me cringe and think of legal complications that would happen now. In one case, Treve's owner did have to pay a fine of $5 for biting the bad guy. A 'righteous bite' is the big weapon of a hero canine's arsenal and adds to the drama but still I cringe. (If violence makes you cringe, consider also that a couple of rustlers get killed with a shotgun.).

I think it is a great adventure book and would want to recommend it for dog lovers. I could have filled this review with all the individual adventures that fill each chapter, but I don't like to give those away other than say they are there. But I know some people that are easily triggered would want to know what is in a book, and that those of us who still like the book overall do not take the bad parts without concern they are wrong. show less

This is a full-length novel, set on a sheep ranch in the deserts of Southern California. As a puppy, Treve falls into the hands of two men who are partners on a sheep ranch. The younger man takes a liking to the pup, but the grouchy older man thinks he's a waste of time. Eventually, Treve saves the grumpy man's life and wins him over, though he tries to pretend he still doesn't like Treve. They all have various adventures, and Treve is always the hero.

I read "Treve" for the first time, yesterday. As a child I read and loved what "Lad" books I could find, but this one was not available at the library.

While I enjoyed this story, I did not feel it was up to the very high standard that Albert Payson Terhune has already set with his other Sunnybank books. Still, it definitely was worth a read and I'm sure a reread at a later date.

The best part, in my opinion, was the afterword, in which the author tells the story of the real Treve, one of their champion collies, and Treve's best friend, Wolf. I loved reading about Treve's quirky ways.

Do not dismiss this as a "children's book", but consider it to be a story for all ages, especially for dog lovers.