An Old Man and a Dog: Whos Who, Whats What, and How It All Began

If a reader is looking for a wholesome as well as entertaining book about life, this is it. The author was inspired to write a book that could ultimately be enjoyed by his great grandchildren. This book has no sex, no violence, no war, no monsters, no curse words, no conspiracies, no violence, no hatred, no jealousy, and no envy. As supported by an array of animals both domestic and wild including birds of all kinds and colors, the principal characters are an old man known as "Pop" and an abandoned puppy named "Little Jill". "Pop" is a gentle and loving great-grandfather who with his wife had raised a family including foster and adopted children with special needs. He had enjoyed a successful professional career. He is at a time of his life when he is no longer able to work and is now living alone. He begins to question his self worth and is falling into the emotional trap of sadness and fear of getting older as is so common in the elderly. "Little Jill" is an abandoned puppy from a back street puppy mill that is dropped off one night by her owner in front of Pop's mini-ranch home near Crosby, Texas. The original owner's last words to the puppy were "There you go puppy. Good luck to you. You're not my problem anymore." The story is an embracing character study as told in part from Pop's perspective and in part from the puppy's perspective. The resulting mutual adoption and love of the puppy by Pop and of Pop by the puppy squeezes the veins of the reader's heart while addressing serious human concepts including relationships between the young and old and between humans and their animals. "....Little Jill began her sleep with pleasant dreams about her mother Tassee and her brothers and sisters, Puppies 1, 2 and 3. ....she tossed and turned during the night. She had nightmares that would wake her up for short periods of time. She didn't like the nightmares and would return to dreamy pleasant sleep....She also dreamed about the horses she had befriended that day, a

John Ray Carr attributes his writing skills to his teachers and his forty five year career as a writer of professional real estate appraisal reports. He attributes his propensity for writing with and about love, caring, and sensitivity to life experiences with his family, extended family, and friends.