Boru: The Story of an Irish Wolfhound

by J. Allan Dunn

Escaping a circus, where he had been part of a dog act, the giant Irish Wolfhound ran wild, took as a mate a great white wolf, and became a free-booter, ranging the hills and plains of northwestern Montana. Based on a true story.

195 pages, Hardcover

About the author

Joseph Allan Dunn (1872-1941), best known as J. Allan Dunn, was one of the high-producing writers of the American pulp magazines. He published well over a thousand stories, novels, and serials from 1914-41.

He came to the United States in 1893. He spent about five years in Colorado, five years in Honolulu, ten years in San Francisco, and then relocated to the East Coast in 1913, after which his writing career blossomed. From 1914 forward, and in his pulp-writing career, he was known as "J. Allan Dunn"; before that he primarily went by "Allan Dunn."

While living in San Francisco, he worked for the Southern Pacific Company, which published Sunset magazine. He wrote an article for Sunset on author Jack London. The two became friends. In 1913, Dunn was a frequent visitor to London's Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen, California. According to the diaries of Charmian London, London's second wife, she and Dunn spent a lot of time together, which prompted Jack London to reinvigorate his interest in her.

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the books in the Grosset and Dunlap’s series of books of ‘Famous Dog Stories.’ I have a goal to read all the books put out in those editions, and this will make the 21st out what I believe is 27 books that have editions under the ‘famous’ banner. Unfortunately, my copy of Boru is not one of the ‘famous’ editions.

The book was first published in 1919. Books of the day can be pretty melodramatic, but that is something I generally enjoy.

Boru, although being a prize-winning show dog, winds up in the circus. Dempsey, a usually drunk Irishman, who is Boru’s keeper, takes Boru to see the Circus’s wolves which starts a chain of events to cause Boru to leave the circus and go out into the wilds on his own. Here is when Boru is introduced to the wolves:

‘The rumbling grew in Boru’s throat fumed to a hot bark of fury as he lunged forward, straining against the leash, rearing high, his hundred and thirty pounds nearly overpowering the big Irishman.
The wolves echoed his threat, crouching low, their muzzles thrust between the lowest bar and the floor of the cage. The two in the adjoining compartment repeated the fighting cry. In the instant every beast in the menagerie had taken up the challenge with snarl and cough and roar of defiance against their sworn enemy, the Dog, outlaw of the wild, deserter of the clan, ally of Man the Conqueror. The primeval hatred flared until the place was a pandemonium of brutish enmity.’

Wolves seem to be a common foe in dog books of the time. Wolves being the villain and getting killed is not something I like, and one of the reasons I am giving a less favorable rating.

In addition to killing a wolf or two, Boru winds up falling for a she-wolf. This is a good time to talk about the anthropomorphism in the book. Here is how Boru’s feelings toward her are described:

‘Boru’s first primitive passion that had overmastered him when he mated had turned to a deep emotion founded upon his respect for the she-wolf’s courage and wisdom, strengthened by the beauty she held in his eyes. And each day intensified his feeling.’

Unfortunately, later Boru and his mate must fight wolves in the worst place and time. I enjoyed the imagery in this paragraph of that struggle:

‘It was a tragedy of the wilderness fought in a fit setting amid the barren cliffs, the geyser hissing its steamy column upward, the thunder pealing above them, the blackness of the cañon dispelled at intervals by the intense glare of lightning. At the flash, Boru, grim and bloody-jawed, gashed on chest and shoulders, would see an opponent launching through the air and catch the reek of fetid breath from the slavering mouth. He fought silently with rip and crunch and tear, shouldering his foes aside by superior weight and driving in to slash. He could give no heed to his mate m his own strait, but he was conscious of her fighting desperately beside him.’

There are other examples of anthropomorphism. When Boru and his she-wolf drive off a bear from it’s kill, they ‘laughed together over the fun and excitement of it.’ In another place ‘Boru brooded in hopes of revenge…’

Another aspect is that bad guys usually have enmity with dogs and often are mean to them. Here is an interchange between a bad buy and Boru:

‘“Damned if I don’t think that brute can think!" he muttered. “I'll have to get rid of him.”
And Boru, forgetful of the meat, still watching him, accepted the challenge.’

So, I enjoyed the melodrama. Didn’t like the brutality of killing wolves (and wolf cubs!). I enjoy the anthropomorphism, but some don’t. And lastly, although I am not giving things away, people from Boru’s past have a way of serendipitously showing up. Overall I enjoyed the book and think others can enjoy the book if none of the factors I mentioned are too much of a turn off to them.

If anyone is interested in what books are in the G & D’s Famous dog stories, here is the list I have gleaned from the dust jackets of the books:
• Baree, Son of Kazan
• Bat, The Story of a Bull Terrier
• Beautiful Joe
• Big Red
• Bob, Son of Battle
• Boru, The Story of an Irish Wolfhound
• Derry, Airdate of the Frontier
• Derry's Partner
• Dumb-Bell and others
• Irish Red
• Juneau, the Sleigh Dog
• Kazan, the Wolf Dog
• Lassie Come-Home
• Outlaw Red
• Rusty, A Cocker Spaniel
• Silver Chief to the Rescue
• Silver Chief, Dog of the North
• Silver Chief's Big Game Trail
• Silver Chief's Revenge
• Snow Dog
• Spike of Swift River
• The Call of the Wild
• The Return of Silver Chief
• True Stories of Heroic Dogs
• Valiant, Dog of the Timberline
• White Fang
• Wild Dog of Edmonton

[Gort · Rating 2 out of 5]

Omnis maxime nihil quia. Cumque earum sit sit. Sed quod labore ipsam repellat.