Linda Gray Sexton

This book evoked some strong feelings in me, both positive and negative. In general, it was well-written. Ms. Sexton is a capable, though not especially gifted, writer.

I breed and show pedigreed cats, and am very familiar with the world of pedigreed show dogs as well. For this reason, I was particularly excited to start this book. I imagine that the sections of the book describing some of the travails of showing and breeding would be of limited interest to the garden variety dog or cat owner. This is a memoir of how dogs, specifically Dalmatians, shaped Ms. Sexton's life. And when it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad, it's horrid.

Ms. Sexton's love for Dalmatians began in her childhood, when her parents acquired a Dalmatian bitch, partly because Ms. Sexton's mother, the renowned poet Anne Sexton, had a best friend who owned a Dalmatian. Ms. Sexton's parents were negligent dog owners, allowing their dog to roam freely, with the predictable disastrous results. Ms. Sexton's mother had severe mental illness, and Ms. Sexton indicates that the Dalmatians (each acquired quickly following the previous one's death) helped her mother to face her demons.

As a young adult, Ms. Sexton thought about acquiring a dog of her own, but grad school, moving due to her husband's job choices, and the birth of her sons kept her busy. Ms. Sexton attempts to satisfy her need for a dog by getting two Abyssinian kittens, but they are apparently insufficient, as they are rarely mentioned after their acquisition. Ms. Sexton finally acquires a young adult Dalmatian from reputable breeders in northern California; Rhiannon is initially described as "show quality," but it turns out that her conformation faults preclude real success in the show ring. Ms. Sexton discovers a true bond with Rhiannon, and derives much pleasure from that bond as well as the success she has with Rhiannon as an obedience dog.

The problems in keeping dogs start to present themselves. Ms. Sexton breeds Rhiannon, keeping a bitch puppy (Tia) from her litter. As Tia matures, Rhiannon and Tia often fight, sometimes viciously, needing multiple veterinary visits to suture lacerations. Distraught, Ms. Sexton turns to a ... dog psychic! Huh? By this point, she is fairly well-acquired with experienced Dalmatian breeders in the northern CA area. This is but one example of Ms. Sexton's confusing and irrational choices. After the psychic doesn't work out, Ms. Sexton consults a dog behaviorist, who is not much more helpful. At no point does she consult with other breeders. Ultimately, after a particularly savage fight between the two dogs, Ms. Sexton has both of them euthanized. Another questionable decision.

Meanwhile, Ms. Sexton has yet another Dalmatian - Gulliver, who becomes her "heart dog" as she descends into mental illness. Ms. Sexton appears fragile and needy. Her marriage is, not surprisingly, falling apart. Ms. Sexton reveals that she suffers from bipolar disorder and casually mentions her numerous suicide attempts. Through it all, Gulliver is a loyal (sometimes her only) friend. Ms. Sexton shows Gulliver as a young dog with great success, but her mental problems preclude her from showing him regularly.

Perhaps Gulliver has some sympathy pains. He becomes neurotic, just like his mistress. He is aggressive toward other dogs, alarmingly so. Ms. Sexton begins a new romantic relationship. (It occurred to me more than once how any man could find her appealing, since her mental problems are so severe and pervasive.) In one part of the book, Ms. Sexton describes a near-calamity in which she had Gulliver on a Flexi-lead when he had a run-on with two smaller dogs. Anyone with a more than a smattering of dog knowledge knows that Flexi leads are contraindicated for a dog like Gulliver. Ms. Sexton really should know better, and her ignorance of these sorts of issues put her and others in danger.

Gulliver ultimately dies, at a relatively advanced age. Ms. Sexton is torn apart. I never found Gulliver to be the sort of dog I would want; in some ways, he was a Dalmatian version of "Marley and Me." Ms. Sexton, true to form, is excessive in her grieving, and describes it in great detail.

Ms. Sexton then acquires yet another Dalmatian (Breeze), one that is very successful in the conformation ring.
Ms. Sexton breeds Breeze, and Breeze's pregnancy has quite a few complications. One of the complications is that Ms. Sexton remains extremely neurotic. She does things during Breeze's gestation that the vast majority of breeders just don't do. The litter is ultimately born, the puppies are raised, and one by one, they are placed ... except for one, who remains behind.

All in all, I found this book to be reasonably entertaining, but I found Ms. Sexton to be self-absorbed, emotionally needy, and just plain crazy too much of the time.… (mais)

Points of light by Sexton_ Linda Gray
Woman who lives in NH goes through birth and is an artist. She befriends another woman who moves to the area who is also an artist.
Loved hearing of their work spaces and how she sees things in the children about their life. Family tragedy occurs and it takes her a while to wrap her head around it all.
Like how she interacts with her husband, his dreams of raising horses and selling them, where she sells her paintings to tie them over til the next month. She can't get the image of the children bringing the mail to her...
Enjoyed hearing who they had turned to, to help with the grieving and hearing how others are coping.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).… (mais)

This very well-written book documents the dogs who have been a part of the author's life, and describes how each relationship was different. Undoubtedly this author is an expert on the dalmatian breed after owning so many, breeding them, and showing them, and she knows even though they can be rambunctious wanderers, they can also be extremely loving and loyal animals as well. My first pet was a dalmatian who loved nothing more than to get free and run across the very busy street we lived on when I was a child, so I was interested in hearing about dogs who had similar personalities as well as dalmatians that didn't feel the need to wander. The pictures included before each chapter are adorable, of course, and show that even though dalmatians all have spots, they definitely do not all look exactly the same. The author was very frank about her own emotional struggles and how having a specific dog would help when she was ailing. She also wrote a lot about the world of show dogs, which I knew very little about and found interesting. She also has bred several of her females in order to create more potential show dogs and also to sell to families as pets, and talks about this extensively as well. I actually learned quite a bit about several things by reading this book and I was also touched emotionally several times. I felt the author was completely authentic and I wish her nothing but the best after reading about her life. Thank you for the First Reads contest copy.… (mais)