The Aussie - Spring 2019

Bookworm
As
summer approaches and you are planning holidays, you might be
pondering what books to read. Our readers have recommended the
two books which feature Aussies and were found to be perfect holiday
reads.
The Dog who took me up a Mountain - Rick Crandall.
This is an upli\ing story of two unlikely mountaineers: a man in late
middle age and a fearless pint-sized pup who, together, scale Colorado's
highest peaks.
By the ?me life had finished hiPng Rick Crandall from all sides, he was at
the lowest point of his life, both personally and professionally. Depressed
to find himself facing a late mid-life crisis and watching his finances
crumble as the tech industry bubble burst, he hopes his future isn't
headed downhill. It was at this point in his new marriage to Pamela that
she made an astute and life-changing sugges?on: "Let's get a dog."
So begins the story of Emme. quite simply a 200-pound Saint Bernard
trapped in the body of 5-pound Australian terrier puppy. Soon, Emme and
Rick hit the hiking trails around Aspen, Colorado. While she is groomed to
be a show dog, it's soon obvious that her heart is in the hills and with Rick,
who decides to add more challenging hikes to the mix. Before long, they
are scaling Colorado's "fourteeners," peaks with al?tudes of over 14,000
feet. On one magical day, Emme climbs to the top of four "fourteeners," a
quarter of the sixteen such peaks she will complete during her life without
once being carried on a trail or on the rocks on the way to a summit.
In mountaineering Rick realises he has found—in his late six?es—his life's
new passion. This is where Emme has led him—out of the abyss and to the
top of the mountain. She was never really walking behind: she was
nudging him along un?l he found his stride. Even a\er Rick understood the
glory of climbing, it was Emme s?ll doing the leading, un?l Rick learned
how to lead himself.
Sparky Fights Back: A LiQle Dog's Big BaQle Against Cancer
By Josée Clerens, John CliAon
This story tells of the Aussie Sparky and the effect on life when Sparky was
diagnosed with lymphoma at age six and given four to six weeks to live
without treatment.
The book recounts the true, heartwarming story of a courageous terrier
that conquered "incurable" cancer. With chemotherapy, his life might be
extended by as much as one year. But his owners (the co-authors),
inspired by the dog's indomitable spirit, decided to do all they could to
save him. Sparky succeeded beyond all expecta?ons. A special sec?on, "If
Your Dog Gets Cancer," is included at the end of the narra?ve, as well as a
list of resources for caretakers of cancer-dogs.