The Boy Who Talked to Dogs: A Memoir

A moving memoir by the “Dog Man” of Australia that offers “rare insight into the workings of the canine mind” (Malachy McCourt).
 
When Martin McKenna was growing up in Garryowen, Ireland, in the 1970s, he was bullied, shamed, and badly misunderstood by his family and teachers. He finally escaped by running away from home at thirteen, and eventually adopted—or was adopted by—an unconditionally supportive pack of six street dogs.
 
Camping out in barns, escaping from farmers, and learning to fend for himself by caring for his new friends, Martin discovered a different kind of language, strict laws of behavior, and strange customs that defined the world of dogs. More importantly, his canine companions helped him understand the vital importance of family, courage, and self-respect.
 
The Boy Who Talked to Dogs is more than an inspirational, unique, and fascinating look into canine behavior. It shows how modern life has conditioned dogs to act around humans, in some ways helpful, but in other ways unnatural to their true instincts, and how everyone can benefit from learning to “talk dog.” Known as the “Dog Man” in Australia, where he now lives, McKenna dispenses his hard-earned and priceless wisdom to dog owners and dog lovers who are sometimes baffled by what their four-legged friends are trying to tell them. The Boy Who Talked to Dogs “is an astonishing, well-told story filled with humor and pathos…I will not look down on a dog ever again after reading this book.” —Malachy McCourt, author of A Monk Swimming