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Rating: 
Summary: A warm doggy tail!
Review: A book all dog lovers can relate to. This is a heart rending tale, but at the same time gives a warm glow on a cold autumn evening! Excellently told. It may interest other contributors that this book was reviewed in the Sunday Press in the UK earlier this Summer, and given consistently very high ratings, as it was considered frank, honest and endearing - though from some of the comments here it obviously does not always appeal to a 'purists' view on dog ownership!
Rating: 
Summary: This book wasn't the heart warming tale I had expected
Review: As a dog lover and owner and having read all of James Herriot's books and others of that genre, I was really looking forward to reading this book and had prepared a big box of tissues ready for the ending when I would read of Perth's demise at the great age of 21 after living a long and happy life. By the end of the book though the only tears I wanted to cry were ones of anger and dismay. That Perth lived to such a great age can in no way be attributed to the care, though I have trouble describing it as that, bestowed on her by her owners, but rather was due to an amazing amount of luck. As a result of her owners mind boggling irresponsibility and selfishly misguided beliefs, including the one that she should never be tied up (though why you should ever have to resort to tying a dog up if you have taken the trouble to ensure your garden or yard is dog-proof, is a mystery) but rather be allowed total freedom to wander at will, Perth was not only exposed to great danger herself, but also posed a danger to everyone else too. I can't help but wonder, taking into consideration her considerable lifespan, how many sheep and other domestic animals or pets were chased, worried or worse by her, how many accidents were narrowly avoided and, in view of the fact that from a very young age she had proved herself to be unpredictable and not adverse to using her teeth, how many people, especially children, were terrorised by this loose cannon of a dog tearing around towns, villages and countryside. I am sure that given the right amount of loving discipline needed when she was a puppy that she would not have become the snappy, unpredictable dog she turned into in the first place. The unsung heroine of the story in my opinion is the eccentric kennel owner, Barbara Stapeley, who with her no-nonsense, true understanding of dogs and their psychology saw through the owner's so called devotion to their dog and wasn't afraid to tell them a few home truths. She literally saved Perth's life as, if it hadn't been for her, the poor old dog would have been conveniently dispatched at the age of 17 despite the fact that she was in perfect health, in order to relieve the Martin's of their guilt at leaving her once again. Although the treatment of Perth by her owners can't be described as cruelty in the conventional sense of the word, I believe it was a form of cruelty nonetheless. As has been said many times before, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. I found this book at times to be an extremely uncomfortable and upsetting read.
Rating:
Summary: indomitable dog, irresponsible owners!!!
Review: I felt sorry for Perth. Her owners didn't seem to care about her in the way you would think from the description. Perth had a poor life at the fault of the owners...moving her around and around. The writing style trys too hard, as if he looked up a word in the thesaurus every other word. A bad book, a bad dog owner...a sad dog.
Rating:
Summary: Never let Perth's owners dog-sit your dog!
Review: I have lived with Beagles for 33 years.I know them well.Mr. Martin's juvenile understanding of both human & canine relationships is evident throughtout the book.His and his wife's total irresponsibility is abundantly evident.This couple was characteristically inconsiderate both to neighbors and to the Beagle.They both graphically embody the culture of self-gratification to the detriment of their friends, acquaintances & their Beagle. No canine human companion should ever be subject to such totally irresponsible "owneship." This book,adolescently contrived & written,stands as a testimony to their vacuous understanding of Beagles & to their consistently abusive relationship with this unfortunate Beagle who deserved so much better. T'was a pity that this disastrous story of abuse was ever commited to paper.Save your money & donate it to Pet Rescue somewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Perth!
Review: I thought I was the only one outraged by this book until I decided to look it up here and read the other reviews..I am more than half way through but simply cannot finish the book..it makes me too sad and too mad! And since another reviewer gave us the ending I REALLY cant finish it-I guess I am glad that I know what happened...so I dont have to read it myself.
Have these supposedly intelligent people ever heard about the responsibility one takes on when bringing a puppy into the family..it is at least at 10-12 year committment and sometimes even longer. It is NOT kind to just let a dog roam free and it is NOT cruel to put them in a kennel when you must go away. That is merely taking care of them...and I truly believe that was also the case in 1965 which was not exactly the dark ages!! If you can't take a dog on the ferry...and you have the dog with you (oh what a burden) then you dont take the ferry trip! Don't lock her in the car and then go on the ferry and worry (?) about it! Other reviewers were right-Perth deserved better owners..I could go on and on but I just become more angry. I am so sorry I picked up this "heartwarming" tale ..it may be the only book on a dog that I simply could not complete..due to outrage and sorrow.
Rating:
Summary: indomitable dog, irresponsible owners!!!
Review: I was so enraged by the complete ignorance of the dog owners in this book that I am writing my very first book review! Perth was obviously a very special dog and I enjoyed reading about her intelligence and spirit very much. However, the way she was so carelessly treated by those who claimed to love her, simply makes my blood boil! As someone else has already written, I, too, hesitated to read the ending of the book fearing exactly what happened at the end of her life. I finally did finish the book and do urge other dog lovers to read it, knowing in advance that they will probably simply love Perth and want to shake some common sense into her owners!
Rating: 
Summary: unintentionally hilarious
Review: In 206 pages Perth runs away, bites several family friends, snaps at small girls at a children's camp, tears up the house, becomes lost in the woods, bites a couple other random people, and nearly gets her owner trampled by a cow. Through all this, Martin steadfastly admires his dog's indomitable spirit. He alternates the raves for Perth with agonizing over leaving her behind in the United States when he and his wife go abroad, which is commendable, considering that most people probably would have taken that opportunity to flee the mounting casualty count. This book -- and I say this with the gentle understanding that comes from owning a dog -- is a laugh-out-loud testimony to blind spot people have for their pets. Perth starts biting people's noses violently enough to draw blood, and Martin blames it on the state of Ohio, which he says bored her. She chews up the house, and he credits her "steely determination." But my favorite passage comes after he finds Perth has been snapping at kids at the camp he left her at during a trip abroad. The parentheticals are mine. "Perhaps the most unforgivable thing I did, to ourselves and Perth (But not, apparently, the kids, the camp director or the parents) was not tell Mrs. Roy that Perth had bitten people before ... If I had told Mrs. Roy that Perth had nipped people's noses, she would never have accepted her. (Unreasonable woman.) Anyway, I was convinced that the reason Perth did snap was that Ohio depressed her and she felt severed from the rhythm of natural beauties she had known in Cazenovia. On a mountaintop in Vermont I was convinced her mind and emotions would clear. What I shoved to the back of my mind were the legions of giggling, screaming (Wouldn't most of that screaming have been Perth-induced?) girls she would have to endure ... Perth must have been horrified and unable to control herself. In her position, I probably would have snapped at the girls, too." As a dog owner I understand that Mr. Martin obviously adored his dog, and was loved by his dog in return, but ... wow. That's right up there with people who insist that Snickers is "just playing" when he's got your head in his jaws. Again, Mr. Martin was obviously a devoted owner, but for a loving pet tale with a little more self-awareness, check out James Thurber's short story, "The Dog That Bit People."
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Summary: For Beagle Lovers Everywhere
Review: Let me start by saying two things: 1. I loved this book. 2. I am the happy owner of an American "blanket" Beagle. In fact, my "dogge" was at my side for most of the time I spent reading this delightful story. Yes, there were a few times I cringed at Perth's behaviour and, seemingly, lack of training on the part of her owners. However, as one reviewer already pointed out, it was a different era. I would love to be able to send my beagle outside our gate to roam in the fields beyond our house. However, the ASPCA would have something to say about that, I'm sure. Readers, enjoy this for what it is; one family's love affair with their dog. A feisty, independent, opinionated, lovable beagle. This is *not* a training manual and doesn't pretend to be one. For those readers whose only knowledge of a beagle is Snoopy, read this and find out what it's really all about.
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