About the Author

Donald McCaig, aNew York Times–bestselling novelist, poet, and essayist, is the author of Nop's Trials, Nop's Hope, The Dog Wars, A Useful Dog (Virginia), Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men, Last Poems, and An American Homeplace (Virginia). A sheepdog trainer, he lives with his wife, Anne, and their nine dogs on a farm in the western mountains of Virginia, USA.

Reviews

Donald McCaig is quite simply a great writer in this field, and his insight into animal and human nature is masterly.

Donald McCaig is the Mark Twain of dog writers.--Patricia B. McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of a Dog

Funny, instructive, and delightful to read! A combination of eloquent, touching, telling, and sometimes quirky observations. I read the book in a single day, unable to stop except when my dog needed to go for a walk.--Carol Lea Benjamin, author of Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep? and Mother Knows Best

Happily, Mr. and Mrs. Dog is an exception to the 'heartbreak rule' about animal books.... By my count, this former advertising executive-turned-farmer has managed to bring out at least fifteen books while somehow keeping sheep in western Virginia, training dogs, and competing in far-flung sheepdog competitions.... Still, there's more to Mr. and Mrs. Dog than just a series of qualifying competitions in the United States, followed by our human-canine trio's adventures in Wales. Throughout, McCaig intersperses chapters on dog-training and on current, and competing, theories about how this should be done.-- "Washington Post"

McCaig talks about his dogs in an amusing and affectionate way. While the author mentions that Luke is not the best sheepdog, his other attributes, such as being a good companion, make up for his lack of skills. The author provides plenty of information about dog habits and breeds, sheepdog competitions and coaching for them, as well as tidbits regarding the joys of having a dog (or multiple).-- "Kirkus"

McCaig's wry, down-to-earth tone expresses a kind of clear-eyed devotion. While he loves his dogs, readers will not find any cloying or precious sentiments here, but rather an interesting primer on dog training and sheepdog trials studded with shrewd philosophical insights into humankind's relationship with our oldest friend.An informative and thought-provoking memoir about a trainer and his two border collies making their way to the world's championship for sheepdogs.-- "Shelf Awareness"