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Hal Borland
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The Dog Who Came to Stay: A Memoir Kindle Edition

by Hal Borland (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,995 ratings
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The national bestselling memoir of a friendship between a New England outdoorsman and the scrawny foxhound who came to his door one snowy day.

In the midst of a blizzard, late one Christmas night in the 1950s, author Hal Borland heard a howl at the back door of his home on a hundred-acre farm in the Housatonic Valley of northwest Connecticut. Resistant at first, he called around trying to find an owner whose dog had gone missing—with no luck. Finally, with the encouragement of his wife and haunted by memories of his childhood collie, Borland brought some scraps of leftover steak outside. This was his introduction to Pat, a miserable, half-starved, but deeply trusting black-and-white foxhound mutt.
 
Pat would soon become a member of the family, accompanying Borland on hunts and terrorizing the local woodchuck population—and teaching him that sometimes our most immediate connection to the natural world is through the animals we live with. A longtime journalist and a winner of the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished nature writing, Borland tells the tale of the time he shared with Pat in this touching true story that “will appeal to many sportsmen and to all people who have ever been closely attached to a dog” (The New York Times Book Review).
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  1. Print length
    239 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    November 29, 2011
  6. File size
    2704 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“It is not a mere book to read. It is one to participate in, to experience, to feel. Recommended as much more than a superior dog book!” —Library Journal “A book for those who know the companionship of an honest dog, and for those who must realize the blessing of such an experience vicariously.” —The Christian Science Monitor 

From the Back Cover

The rib-thin, black-and-white rabbit hound turned up at Hal Borlands' Connecticut farm one Christmas night in the middle of a nasty winter storm. Pat, as the dog came to be known, and his raffish traveling companion, a young pup, "were even more unwelcome than the weather," but after a few preliminaries, both settled in as members of the Borland household. The pup eventually found a home elsewhere, but Pat became Hal Borland's true companion and a local legend, the terror of woodchucks for miles around.
With his keen sensitivity to the natural world, Borland here recounts, with deep affection and wonder, how a man and his dog can form a magical and unforgettable partnership.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0066B7JWE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (November 29, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2704 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 239 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,995 ratings

About the author

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Hal Borland

Hal Borland

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Hal Borland (1900–1978) was a nature writer and novelist who produced numerous bestselling books including memoirs and young adult classics, as well as decades of nature writing for the New York Times. Borland considered himself a “natural philosopher,” and he was interested in exploring the way human life was bound to the greater world of plants, animals, and natural processes.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,995 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

A. Hight
5.0 out of 5 stars Were you ever owned by a dog?
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
As soon as I read the first two pages, I realized I had read this book sometime earlier in life. I cannot recall when, or how I happened to read it the first time, but it was already in my brain and the awareness of that flooded my mind. I read it again.
If you have loved a dog with all your heart, this may be a book for you. But it is not a book for urban dwellers who love the sights and sounds of the city. This is a book of painted word illustrations that elicit deep memories of the smells, the sounds, and the quiet pace of rural life on the edge of wilderness. This is a story of how a dog chose his people, and how he came to change their lives, as his life was joined to theirs.
Borland writes of the rural setting as if it were another character in the story. His descriptions can only be created from the mind of someone who is deeply connected to the land, the seasons, and the natural world. His words will only be fully tasted by those who have had a similar connection to the land and the grand celebration of all of nature’s serial pageants.
If hunting abhors you, find another book. Hunting is an accepted part of life here. It is not a grisly reason to glorify killing, but a dog’s passion of purpose and his way of communicating with the man he owns and is devoted to.
3 people found this helpful
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APPLETREE
4.0 out of 5 stars Not My Kind of Dog Lover. Upsetting and Forgettable.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2017
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1st half is very dry. I found the author's lack of common sense regarding care for his dog puzzling. Hal is not the dog lover of typical ilk. I was curious why he wrote a dog book in the first place. Toward the very end he reveals he wrote a country-life column and his rescued dog provided content. I suspect this book provided a goodly amount of remuneration too.

In the book, the 'stray female yellow cur' he sent to the pound without doing any of the things most caring people do. Why did he not adopt or at the very least foster her? A dog person does not send a dirty and skinny stray to the pound for a near certain death!

It is our responsibility towards any stray to post for their owner. Or to foster them to reasonable health and weight before finding them a good home. Our very least obligation is to take a stray animal to a no-kill shelter.

I cannot reconcile how the author dismisses the few strays in the story so callously, especially the one female yellow "cur". He literally called the 'dog catcher'. This is incredible since his own dog was a rescue. His dog was also obviously attached to this other stray. He wrote his dog showed signs of acute distress after she was removed.

This book was about a lost dog. The author's lack of conscience and feeling for a dropped-off, stray animal concerned me. All considered "Pat", the rescued stray is a very lucky dog.

Not even considering Yankee frugality, this is a $3.99 book at best, and definitely not worth $10. Donate the much needed monies to a shelter, and if you must, check the book out from a library.
5 people found this helpful
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GMB
5.0 out of 5 stars So Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023
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Very much enjoyed this story. Loved this dogs’ tale and the characters around him. I think most everyone reading this account would love it also.
The description of the area that they lived by was so vivid.
One person found this helpful
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Linda F. Kurtz
5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing work by Hal Borland
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2006
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I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this book, but it had a title similar to another book I just read, so I was curious. When I read the introduction, I realized that this was a book written almost half a century ago and reissued recently. I learned that Hal Borland had died in the 1970s, but had been a prolific writer about many things and especially outdoor life. His story about the dog who chose to stay with him and his wife began on Christmas night and continues over the ensuing years. His descriptions of the dog, Pat, his rural life as a writer, sportsman, and gardener are completely absorbing. They draw you into the world of the upper Connecticut valley by the Housatonic River. I soon began to wonder about his wife, Barbara, and found that her obituary had just been published in the NY Times on the day I looked for reference to her in Google. I felt a real sense of loss at that. This is how Hal Borland's wonderful descriptive writing lead me to feel as though I was back in time and there with them over 50 years ago. Most of all, Pat, his dog, comes alive as a unique yet thoroughly doglike personality who charms and delights the reader. Pat is just one more example of why humans love dogs so much.
138 people found this helpful
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celticlass
3.0 out of 5 stars It was an ok read
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
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And I loved the bond that was forged over the years. I have to admit I also hoped for a brief “Pat and Mike” reunion that never happened. One thing I believe with all my heart is that dogs choose you.
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jess
4.0 out of 5 stars Dog who came to stay
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022
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The Dog Who Came to Stay is a good story about dogs, their people and the life of a particular stray. There was a lot of description of hills, flora and the area where the book took place which I scanned mostly. I liked the parts about the dog and his daily activities and his personality..
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Janice S. Garner
5.0 out of 5 stars Our pet dogs don’t belong to us.... we belong to them!
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
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I’ve loved dogs for as long as I can remember. That was my initial attraction to this book. The New England setting really apppealed to me too as I got into it. This dog, Pat, was not a “designer dog”... he was just a dog that had was smart and had a great personality! As an apparent “stray”, he came to be loved by his people, and they by him. I loved that the writer of this book (and his wife) in time gave this dog free expression of his will... The writer even came to understand this dog’s distinctive barks. He certainly understood how to speak
“dogese” and communicate that to us, his readers. There were side issues in this story (descriptions of the unique countryside, the flora and fauna,etc), but I stayed with it BECAUSE OF PAT. The humorous aspect of it held great appeal to me. I just knew I didn’t want to read of Pat’s death... and this writer UNDERSTOOD THAT!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Dragonfly234
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story of a special dog
Reviewed in Canada on December 18, 2022
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Well written with lots of great descriptive passages of place, time and adventures.
Recommend for a good read on a cold winters day or anytime.
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LARA
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book
Reviewed in Australia on December 28, 2023
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I loved reading this beautiful memoir. The author takes you on a magical journey of how his relationship developed with Pat the Stray. It's a wonderfully written book that any dog lover would enjoy.
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Bean
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2017
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A must read for anyone who likes dogs. The author captures the dogs characteristics in a way that anyone with a dog will recognise, spinning around it a gentle tale of country life.
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vroxin
4.0 out of 5 stars The dog and the humans
Reviewed in France on February 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
Learning to know and respect and love each other.
Well written and captivating.
Slow reading.
A book for all ages I strongly recommend reading.
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Donna Gamble
4.0 out of 5 stars A book for dog lovers
Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
I love my dog and I sure enjoyed this book. It was a easy story to read and kept your interest
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