Children's Classics: Great Dog Stories

by Albert Payson Terhune

A collection of dog stories by Albert Payson Terhune.

Genres: Dogs, Animals, Short Stories

207 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 1993

About the author

Albert Payson Terhune (1872 - 1942), a local author of some fame, wrote numerous adventures about Collies, most notably, "Lad, A Dog", "Sunnybank: Home of Lad", and "Further Adventures of Lad". Sunnybank, his home on the eastern shore of Pompton Lakes in northern New Jersey, was originally the home of Terhune's parents, Edward Payson Terhune and Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune. Later as his home with his wife, Anice Stockton Terhune, Sunnybank became famous as "The Place" in the many stories of Terhune. Much of the land once constituting the Sunnybank estate was lost to developers in the 1960's with the house being demolished in 1969. Fortunately though, the central 9.6 acres was preserved through the dedicated efforts of Terhune fans and dog fanciers, and is now Terhune Sunnybank Memorial Park, administered by the Wayne Township Parks Department.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a collector of Albert Payson Terhune's book and this one is totally delightful. Terhune was the master of classic dog stories.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watching Lassie on television eventually led me to the collie stories of Albert P Terhune, and I devoured them like candy. I loved his heroic dogs and their adventures. Terhune wrote many of his stories in the 1920s; and the stories in this book were first published between 1924 and 1926. This book includes 10 of his most famous short stories. A couple of the stories are about the collies as show dogs in dog show competitions. Several of the stories involve the collies having to save their human companions from some peril, such as drowning, cougar, hogs, or burglars. The stories may be a little over the top as far as what these collies are able to do, but that does not bother me at all!

[Becky Hintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of our all-time favorite read-alouds. The language is rich and absolutely beautiful, though probably difficult for those accustomed only to modern children's books. Also, as with most dog stories, several of these involve sad/violent deaths. I would compare it with The Call of the Wild in terms of both language and tragedy.

[Kalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The following is not a review. It’s only notes for personal reference

Started re-reading this book while I was supposed to be cleaning my room.
The stories are OK but they are all about Collies and what Collies do, so many of the stories had similarities.
I enjoyed these stories a lot when I was young and my dad was reading them to me.

Fall 2009