koalathebear Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I have been wanting "The Kelpie" by Tony Parsons for some time. I didn't buy it in the lead up to Christmas because it was possible that I'd get a copy from Santa. In the end, no one got it for me because everyone assumed someone else would have bought it for me, so as soon as it was 'safe', I bought it for myself. :D Here are the doggies posing with the book. It's a pretty huge book! OH remarked it's as large as the Yellow Page I've been using to teach the doggies rear-end awareness - although this book definitely does not get put on the ground and stepped on by dog paws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hey, Hoover's ears are up again :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hey, Hoover's ears are up again Yes, they fell down for a while and were well and truly wilted after he was desexed, but they went back up again on 26th December and have been Up ever since - although they go back and Dobby-Like whenever he's excited and in wiggle-bum mode :D Poor Elbie's left ear is very wilted in the above photos ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallyandtex Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hey great pics. I want that book too! But a bit much $$$$ for me ATM. Am geting a copy to borrow from library! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hey great pics. I want that book too! But a bit much $$$$ for me ATM.Am geting a copy to borrow from library! :D I was lucky and able to get mine from fishpond when it was $127 instead of the $149 it appears to be now. I had a peek and there's so much information in there, I'll have to take notes so that I can post thoughts in this thread as I go Hope you get your copy from the library soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallyandtex Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hey great pics. I want that book too! But a bit much $$$$ for me ATM.Am geting a copy to borrow from library! :D I was lucky and able to get mine from fishpond when it was $127 instead of the $149 it appears to be now. I had a peek and there's so much information in there, I'll have to take notes so that I can post thoughts in this thread as I go Hope you get your copy from the library soon! Yes, I would prob buy at that price...quoted $160 at the bookshop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Kelpies Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I'm jealous. I know a few people who have bought the book and all are very happy with it. Maybe one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fainty_girl Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Hoover and Elbie looks so cute, and Hoover sure has grown quickly! That book looks massive, you'll be an expert after reading that one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkelpie Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I bought it just before Christmas as a reward for getting through my uni exams I love it! But yes, packed full of info!! I have only got through 2 chapters so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedazzledx2 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Lucky you!! I have his 2 previous books which are now out of print. Must go and have a squiz to see whats in this one. I've heard great things about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I'm so jealous! It was also on my Christmas list but nobody got it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My partner and I were out buying a engagment ring. While we were waiting for ring to be sized we went into a bookshop. Ron was telling me about the book, it wasnt on display so we asked and they had it out the back. He got it for me. Dont tell him but I was more excited about the book Its a great book. I read most of it on our recent holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiechick Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Definitely worth the money, and there are still a couple of places on the net where you can get it at less than RRP. I bought it to cheer myself up last October after having an accident and needing surgery on my arm, but then struggled to read it as it is so heavy I couldn't balance it and turn the pages with one hand. Even with 2 hands now it's still a heavy book. My only disappointment was his agility related chapter - his information and interviews were mainly from overseas handlers (although I totally understand his inclusion of Nigel Staines, King of ABC agility in England and a successful kelpie breeder as well, although he hasn't used Karrawarra bloodlines as his foundation stock) There are many working kelpies competing successfully in agility in Australia, including quite a few in his home state of Queensland, in fact the very first Australian dog to gain Agility Champion title was a kelpie from Queensland. I'm actually surprised he addressed an agility chapter to begin with, knowing his views on kelpies placed in non working homes, but seeing that he did, it would have been nice to see some local champions acknowledged. Still a great book though. KK I can relate to the engagement ring thing. I recently lost a diamond from mine and my husband jokes that at least replacing it would be a cheaper option than another dog - personally I'm leaning toward the other dog thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) The book is very fascinating and absorbing and keeping me from my latest jigsaw puzzle. I'm up to chapter 18. I'm loving the bits about the origin of the Kelpie and I like a little bit about the history of the people involved in the breeding of the Kelpie but some of the rather long chapters about entire families are a bit hard-going given that I'm more interested in the dogs. For now, I'm only skimming quickly over the herding training instructions because it's not something I'm familiar with yet and will revisit those chapters after I've watched a few more herding trials - there are some at the end of February in Canberrra. Interesting things so far: 1. Didn't know that there was a poem about Kelpies. KELPIES by Will Ogilvie (1869-1963)Out where the scrubs stand dark and dense And the great plains blaze in the sun Where the wide sheep-paddocks, unmapped, immense Reach out to the Queensland border fence - It is there where the kelpies run. Where the dustclouds spin on the dry dustpans, Where the dancing brolgas play, Where the dingo fashions his furtive plans - It is there that the little black and tans Toil on in the heat all day. There is the kingdom of Nip and Nell, Of Tweed and Swallow and sweep, Of the racing beauties I loved so well; And many a tale I yet could tell Of what they could do with sheep. Hustling their mob through the barley grass Or turning a wing inside; Often in fancy I see them pass Leaping to answer the call 'Here, Lass!' And the caution, 'Wide, go wide!' Many a time I see them lie In the shade of a kurrajong, Chester, or Connie, or Flip, or Fly, Searching a foot for a bindi-eye That has lain in the pad too long. When the sun goes down in a crimson glow And a wave of golden foam I can see them snatched to a saddle-bow With a 'Come along, pup, you're tired, I know', And given a free ride home. We have dogs in the North of world-wide fame, And champions not a few Of grander coat and stouter frame, But none more gallant anf none more game than the kelpie friends I knew. 2. Love the very detailed discussion of the origins of the Kelpie among the UK Collies. Also interesting is the dismissal of the theory of infusions of dingo blood - Parsons is emphatic that while there have been breeders introducing dingo blood in, dogs with dingo in them tend to make bad sheep dogs so the trend went against trying dingo blood. I like all the different theories - honestly, Kelpies sound like they might have been a complete hodgepodge of all sorts of things. p68: "How many people looking at these two photographs below would imagine they were anything but Kelpies? They're not - they're early dogs of the German Shepherd breed before the breed as we know today was developed." Parsons dimisses the notion that there's any GSD blood in Kelpies but he concedes that it's easy to see why some people might have thought that it was there. 3. Some other interesting observations. p107: "... if the average Kelpie is treated sensibly, there is on easier breed to maintain in the entire canine world. I am convinced of that. Unfortunately, it is not always treated sensibly and its reputation for hardiness often works against it. Many people on the land have grown up with the mistaken belief that a Kelpie can get by on the smell of an oily rag, as the saying goes." 4. Also this observation. p 110: "Most Kelpies in the bush do not receive the same degree of care and attention as do dogs bred in the city. City breeders often carry care of their dogs to extremes. I have known dogs that received better food and attention that some children." I had assumed like many others that the name Kelpie came because the first 'Kelpie' was named Kelpie but Parson goes through some other possible origins of the name which I found interesting. Edited January 18, 2011 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dju Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 It's quite a pricey book! $100 seems a ridiculous amount of money for a book to me http://booko.com.au/books/isbn/9780670073597 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkelpie Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Not that expensive really, the textbooks I have to buy for uni are rarely under $100, I think the most expensive I have purchased to date was >$250.... and it only gets worse (fell in love with a textbook the other day and it was $480- won't be buying that for a LONG time) Besides books are worth it And at least reading Parson's is fun, much more enjoyable then studying or working Edited January 18, 2011 by cmkelpie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) It's quite a pricey book! $100 seems a ridiculous amount of money for a book to me http://booko.com.au/books/isbn/9780670073597 I've read publicly available material about Kelpies on the Internet and the book contains fascinating material that I can't get on the Internet so that's why I chose to buy it. I use the local library a lot, but there are some books out there that I just like to 'own'. Edited March 18, 2011 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 It's quite a pricey book! $100 seems a ridiculous amount of money for a book to me http://booko.com.au/books/isbn/9780670073597 I paid $149.00 Retail, well worth it though. $100 seems pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I also paid $150 for my copy of The Kelpie, but have never felt like I was overspending.............It is one of the best books (non-fiction) I have ever bought..I have been trying to track down Tonys previous books for a while, but being out of print is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Who would want to get rid of their Kelpie books????? My OH has spent hundreds of dollars on specialist Eucalypt and Australian Flora books, reference books just cost more When I walked into the bookshop and saw it on the shelf, I just made a beeline straight to it and picked it up! I didnt give it a second thought, I had to t have it I havent read much of it, but will pick it up every now and then and read a chapter or two. The most memorable section so far is of course the history behind the kelpie breed and name. Would be lovely to get to meet Mr Parsons one day and get him to sign his wonderful book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Wow, what an awesome book. Lovely photo's too. Thanks for sharing KTB The issue with all things is that we all value different things differently. I have a friend who pays upwards of $1,000 for designer boots, some people spend tens of thousand dollars on an engagement ring, some people think it's a waste to go on holidays and the money should go towards a house, some people think that spending money on a house is a waste and would prefer to go on holidays … ...and then there are those mad people who will happily go without any of the above to buy more dog gear :D Dju, that's a great site. I just found the a book I've been after for a while ...at $100 under retail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now