The Boy Who Talked to Dogs (2024)

I spotted this new book at my local library. As an animal lover and new dog owner myself this caught my attention. I just loved it. Such a great story of courage and self discovery by living with a pack of street dogs. Beautifully written and a must read for all dog lovers.

A Nice Story

A perfect combination for my tastes a dog story set in Ireland.

Told in the first person, this story presents the struggles of a troubled child in a very dysfunctional house. The young boy he has ADHD and is constantly bullied and called stupid. So, he breaks out and runs away from home.

In his runaway state, he meets wonderful stray dogs whose life he changes and they change his life

Here's a hypothetical question to start with: If you had to choose between your human friends and your animal/pet friends, who would you choose? If you didn't have to think very hard before choosing the pets, I definitely recommend this book. Martin McKenna's story about three years of his life is fascinating because after running away from home, he was basically embedded with a pack of feral dogs. He observed how the dogs interact with each other and how they communicate. Soon the dogs made more sense to him than humans and he didn't suffer the anxiety that he felt around his family or at school.

While the story is mainly about his relationship with the dogs, his history is interesting in many ways. He grew up with ADHD at a time when people believed the way to deal with an unruly child was through humiliation and "discipline" (in quotes b/c what was once called discipline is now considered abuse). I would have liked to read more about this because this was a quick read and he mentions he couldn't read or write and was bullied at school, but there's no real explanation for his arrested development other than his ADHD. Nor was there much explanation of his perseverance to literacy and ultimately becoming an author. He shares many devastating details of his life before he ran away, and while he lived on his own. I found myself invested enough to want to know more about his life after he joined the human world again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review. I enjoyed it and recommend to animal lovers, and especially anyone who has bonded with animals after having felt misunderstood by the world around them.

Recently my local book store had the fun idea to have a 'dog weekend', where people could bring their pooches in, share pictures of their dogs and books on facebook, and of course feature a number of dog books on display in their window. It was heaven! I simply loved the idea, and even found this delightful read waiting for me there. Normally I have to hunt down animal memoir books, but they are becoming more and more common to my eternal gratitude.

This was an excellent read. It was smart, sassy, believable and sad. It was gritty and real, and I loved every second. I had to know how and where it would end, although I'm now left wondering more about how Martin became the person he is today, and how his story continued. It is a remarkable story, anyway.

Absolute must for any animal/memoir fans. I'm so thankful for my bookstore for having the Dog day, not only because the picture I sent in of Austin made it up on the wall! There is just something so awesome about that store. Five stars for them, and five stars for this book!

I'm conflicted about this book- it's the memoir of a formerly homeless teenager who builds family with a pack of feral dogs. This book appealed to me on lots of levels, but.... I just didn't enjoy it.

There was a lot of really outdated information about dog behavior but the part I struggled the most with is how the author internalized the idea that running away and staying away (from an abusive home ) and eventually made the choice to abandon the dogs who had saved his life and who he built family with in order to return home ....

Also, three dogs in the book die which was upsetting

Interesting memoir. The author was one of eight children in an Irish family, and the youngest of identical triplets. But he was an outcast even in his own family because of undiagnosed, off-the-charts ADHD along with an alcoholic father and endless bullying both at home and at school. He ran away from home at age 14 (still totally unable to read or write) and lived rough, stealing food and sleeping in haylofts with six mongrel dogs he made into his own family. Living closely with them enabled him to study and understand their behaviors and ways of communicating. I'd like to try out a few of his discoveries myself! The book ended with his return home, but I'm interested in how he came to live in Australia and make a living counseling people about their dogs. That would be a good story in itself.

I love dogs. Homeless kids break my heart. But my BS detector went off early on while reading this book. I think there is a core of truth to the author‘s story but mostly it feels like a pack of lies thrown together. The secret info about dogs is almost entirely nonsensical. It’s also a tale that the author doesn’t bother to conclude or tie up at the end. It’s a fast read but not worth the bother.

I found this book very interesting and a page turner. It's hard to imagine that a child has to put up with so much abuse, bullying and roadblocks in the 1970's. Having to grow up in a family with an alcoholic parent is tough enough. But to add teachers, principals, as well as peers to the mix is too much. It's no wonder he ran away and found comfort in dogs instead. Yes, his mother was kind, but with so many children, it was hard for her to spread love among them all and work full time, deal with her alcoholic husband, whom she really loved and have a child that was different. Martin was diagnosed much later with what became known as ADHD. He was unable to read or write. And, of course, was labeled stupid. But to have teachers call him that and phsyically use the force they did was totally sickening. Yes, this took place in Ireland and was a rural area. Perhaps this was going on in the States as well, though I didn't encounter it growing up. I was in tears at the end.

The Way Things Are For Many Children

I would rate this book as required reading for every parent of a child with dyslexia and ADHD. It should be a textbook for every education degree. Too many parents and teachers assume that all children's behavior is wilfull; in children who have ADHD it is not, as McKenna makes crystal clrear. The bullying that can come from all sides when teachers and administration are themselves bullies who do not intervene in the bullying among students is illustrated here with saddening clarity. In McKenna's case, his only way to protect himself from bullying at school and home was to isolate himself by running away.

While society has made it criminal to steal and trespass, it did not and has not made bullying criminal seven for adults who are emotionally and mentally abusing, harming, and/or destroying children. McKenna was forced by what should be criminal behaviors from people who should have helped and guided him into actual criminal behaviors to stay alive. No person who has bullied another should be proud of his behavior, but McKenna is rightly proud of his ability to survive "feral"--raising himself and keeping himself sheltered, fed, and emotionally supported when the expected social structures failed him miserably.

McKenna's story is his own. Born last of a set of triplets, he was at first an oddity. But as a child with ADHD and what can only be assumed is dyslexia, school was a never-ending nightmare with no accommodations for his straying attention or impulsivity or inability to make sense of printed language. Worldwide our one-size-fits-all education systems assume Try Harder is a valid teaching philosophy for every child long after it has been proven for some children that it is not. McKenna's passionate illustration of his feelings of failure, worthlessness, and social isolation tear at our hearts. His telling of his mistreatment at every level of care makes it painfully clear what a miracle it is that he could find for himself ways to cope and heal emotionally. With the intelligence so often overlooked or ignored in children with learning and behavioral differences, McKenna found emotional grounding and support among a pack of dogs and then observed them so closely that he discovered how dogs communicate with each other and what drives many of their behaviors. He discovered that if he used the same communication behaviors, the dogs accepted it as humans accept our language. Then he managed, despite dyslexia, to communicate his entire story to us in writing, making this what I consider one of the best inspirational books I have read in years. It is at once an expose of what parental alcoholism and bullying does to children, what abuse and bullying from adults at school does as it spreads example of the resilience of the spirit and triumph of YES I CAN!

Martin McKenna's book should be required reading in families where ADHD and dyslexia exist and for all students of education so the adults around children like him will know the struggle is real and the potential for abuse is real. The fact that McKenna is a published writer and his abusers are not is a testament to the human ability to overcome obstacles and achieve healing. I recommend this book as an inspirational coming of age memoir that will help many of us appreciate what it means to be "normal" and to appreciate the hidden potential of those society considers disabled.

FIVE STARS.

Martin McKenna's memoir captured my interest from the start and held it to the end. 1970's Ireland was not a welcoming place for a child with ADHD, a German mother and a drunk father. Top it off with being left-handed in a Catholic school and misery ensues. To escape the vicious bullies - peers, teachers, parent, Martin decides to live rough. He befriends a band of stray dogs and begins to study their behavior. As he learns how the dogs communicate and get along he learns how to get along with the people in his own world.
I truly hope McKenna continues to write about his experiences.

This review is based on an ARC provided to me by the publisher.

A book about Ireland and dogs well it works for me. I will admit that parts of this story were hard for me to read. The memoir is from the heart and is hard to take sometimes. Martin lives in a working-class Irish family with 8 children both Mammy and Dad work. He is the youngest of triplets and youngest in the family. Today he would be diagnosed with ADHD but in the 1970's he was just labeled as stupid. It is no wonder he runs away from home and finds friends with dogs instead of humans. I know that in my life dogs have always been there for me never judging not always true for humans. I am glad I read this book and I am glad Martin survived his childhood and we humans can learn from him.

Wow, this book is so unique and the story is just crazy. I have so many follow up questions: What was Ireland like in the 70s that there were a number of feral kids who lived on their own? What happened to the dogs? Did Martin learn to read and write? Was this book ghostwritten? Is he close with his triplets now? My main critique is that there wasn’t a conclusion that gave a brief summary of his life afterward. I was left wanting more

It was an okay story - coming of age - I would have like to know what happened with him in his adult life. I want to know what happened to the dogs.. the story just left me hanging... but one thing for sure - a relationship with dogs can truly save your life. wish more people understood this.

I had to stop reading this. The language was bothering me immensely. It may have been reality, but it was a sad commentary on the author's ability to write, IMHO.

Amazing story of stray dogs taming a human

This boy never would have made it in life without a pack of stray dogs.
In Ireland at that time, very e treme child abuse was absolutely accepted - even with children committing suicide, being covered with bruises and open sores, layers and layers of bloody and bruised wounds inflicted by parents and school teachers.
There was really nothing an adult couldn't do to brutalized a child, and children has absolutely nowhere to go and no one to help them. The church offered brutal beatings and sexual abuse, so a child couldn't turn to those who claimed to represent Jesus (a particularly horrifying fact of life).
This boy was brutalized from every side - home, school, neighbors until to save his own life he literally had to live in a hole under the railroad tracks with a pack of stray curs.
BUT!
Dogs are very civilized, honorable, truthful, consistent. As he watched them every day, he began to understand their language.
I am considered to he an animal Whisperer myself- especially with some wild animals, and with dogs.
But I learned some more from his observations about methods he used to calm the dogs and keep himself as leaders of the pack, just with body language (there's NEVER ANY NEED to hold a dog down like some trainers advocate. That just instills terror and hatred and distrust in a dog).

As he learned the way of the dog, he began to understand ways to work with the energy of humans.

He has ADHD, and this book really shows what it's like to live with ADHD and how those symptoms are misunderstood as laziness, being dumb, being defiant because the person can't sit still in school or work.

As he points out, a couple thousand years ago those very traits would have made him a particularly valued warrior. But in our world of expecting people to sit still and concentrate for hours, a person with ADHD simply cannot "measure up" because of how they are physically and how their brain is fashioned. They can't do anything to change that. They're born that way, and used to be some of the most highly valued members of society. Only after the industrial revolution when people were supposed to become good little factory workers and employees did that change.
Because he was different, he was despised by everyone, even his father, and deliberately mocked and beaten and humiliated.

He had no choice but to live in a mud hole with 6 dogs.

It's a fascinating and emotionally intense book, fast moving, and I read it straight through. It never gets slow- I didn't even stop to eat, I was so riveted.

I may buy the hard copy because it's so insightful. I highlighted half the book - entire pages!

It was so so well written. You'll learn so much from this, yet it reads like a good novel. You won't regret buying this book!

I bought it hoping it woukd give me insight into the life of a friend who has ADHD and was misunderstood and abused all her life by her own parents and carries shame to this day.

We as a species need to stop persecuting those who we perceive as different. We need all kinds of people and they all have something unique to offer.

This also ends happily.

This is both a heartwarming and a heartbreaking memoir. I was brought to tears more than once.

Martin McKenna (born Martin Faul) was born the "runt" of identical triplets in a large, working-class, rural Irish family in the early 1970s. Not only the smallest of the triplets, he was also the only one with severe -- and, importantly, undiagnosed -- AD/HD. As a result of his constant fidgeting, inability to concentrate, inability to learn to read or write, and frequent mischief and misbehavior, he was subject to terrible beatings by his teachers and by his alcoholic father, as well as neighborhood bullies. Although dearly loved by his German-born mother, Martin felt worthless. His only comfort was the family's beloved German Shepherd dogs, Major and Rex.

At age 13, Martin ran away from home. He stayed away for 3 years, living in farmers' hay barns, foraging for meals in trash bins and hen houses, or stealing early-morning home deliveries of bread and milk. Along the way, an assortment of 7 stray dogs attached themselves to him. Feeling responsible for the strays, Martin protected them from the farmers and scrounged meat for them from slaughterhouse scraps, which he stole from the bins at night. Living with the dogs, Martin learned how they communicated with each other and with humans.

As an adult, Martin changed his surname and moved to Australia, where he is known as the "Dog Man."

Growing up in Ireland with undiagnosed ADHD, in a family headed by an abusive alcoholic father, Martin McKenna (née Martin Faul) ran away from home at the age of thirteen, and lived in hay barns with a pack of street dogs. He may have talked to the dogs, but he certainly did not converse with them, although they seemed to respond to some of the things that he said (presumably because they recognized the tone of his voice, or learned to obey some specific commands). Observing their activity, Martin formed interpretations of the dogs' social behavior -- sniffing, raising their chins and tails, etc. -- and adopted some of it himself.

Born into a family of eight children, Martin, the youngest of three male triplets, did not get along very well with his brothers, and not at all with his classmates at school. His teachers were punitive, his academic progress amounted to nothing, and he was apparently illiterate well into his adolescence. While on the lam from home, he survived by stealing food, and by working as a coal delivery boy.

This memoir chronicles the author's runaway time, which ended after three years (his father had gone on the wagon by then), and required him to part with his canine friends. Although the story may appeal to fans of Frank McCourt, the writing level doesn't begin to ascend to McCourt's, so it comes across as a book for young readers. But if you like Irish dog stories, this may be one for you.

A Sweet Inspiring story of a young boy growing up in Ireland. Born last of a set of triplets he struggles academically. Now known as ADHD but back in the day these kids were often labeled as stupid. He endured a lot of Bullying from his peers. Even his teachers leered at him and his father was no better. He chose to leave home and live in a hole under the railroad tracks where he befriended a pack of Dogs.

Because he was different he felt that he was hated by people but the dogs understood him and he learned to understand them. He learned that dogs are very loyal, consistent , civilized and honorable. He became somewhat of a dog whisperer.

This story moved me deeply. Having been somewhat of a loner during my early years and growing up in an unhappy environment I could totally relate to him. I’m a huge dog lover and find them to be the ultimate companion.

I believe every teacher could benefit from having a copy of this book in their classroom. Maybe then children like him and others will realize that bullying can cause everlasting damage.

Reviews posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads & Kindle.

Memoir of a young boy growing up in Ireland in late 70s early 80s. He suffers from ADHD and dyslexia and with the maladjustment and impulsiveness that go along with those two conditions. He is the youngest of a set of triplets and has 7 siblings total. Due to his impulsive nature and the reactiveness of those in authority, he finds himself on the streets at around age 13. He finds himself accompanied by several street dogs and realizes that he connects with them unlike he does with humans. He learns many things from them. I have no doubt these dogs helped save Martin's life. My brother also suffered from many of the same things Martin did as a child, but unlike Martin, he did not learn to overcome and/or deal with his challenges and ultimately ended his own life at age 21. I think this book will inspire many young girls and boys to overcome and persevere. Although there is some rough language in this book, I really would recommend it to anyone. It was very well written and kept me interested from start to finish.

The author presents and interesting and highly unique biography, growing up Irish, ADHD, and in the 1970s with an Irish drunk dad and a German mother. When he can no longer deal with everyone around him calling him stupid and finally his identical brothers, being the youngest of triplets calling him stupid he runs away from home. In his struggle to feel less lonely and less stupid he becomes adopted by six street dogs who teach him more about life than anyone ever could. Living among stray dogs, Martin learns the secret language of dogs. He discovers much about how dogs think and talk using their body language. Today, Martin uses all he has learned on the street to help dog owners, but having spent so much time alone with just dogs for company he finds it hard to be with humans and to just be human.

Overall, it was great book even though much of what Martin comes to learn scientists disagree with.

Martin grew up in a large family in the 70’s in Ireland. He had ADHD, but no one knew what that was — not his usually drunk dad or mom, not his teachers and certainly not the local boys who bullied and harassed and beat him. When he ran away from home at 13 he was adopted by a six street dogs, and their pack slept in barns and stole food. As he watched the dogs interact with each other and him, he came to understand their behaviors and learn how to fit in. Understanding their behaviors also gave him a confidence he had always been lacking.
I thought from the title that the story would be a happy, light story mainly about a boy and his dogs. The dogs comprised a great deal, but not much was happy. There was more about Martin’s very tough home and school life, and his three years of living rough. There was a lot of sadness and grief and misunderstanding in the book, but Martin in the end was very grateful to his pack for teaching him some important life lessons.

In the seventies, Martin McKen was just thirteen years old. He was also fed up with everything in his life. He could not do well at school thanks to undiagnosed ADHD. He could not get along with his abusive, alcoholic father. Things were totally unmanageable, So he just gave up and ran away. He was soon adopted by six dogs with whom he lived. He named them and cared for them. From his experience, he learned a lot about dogs and began to understand their behaviors.He also learned a lot about life.

This fascinating and valuable story is true and took place in Garryowen, Ireland. In it, Martin describes how he survived and what he learned about dogs’ behaviors and what these behaviors mean. In this book, he also shares what he learned about self-respect, family, courage, and honor.

Now, Martin lives in Australia and is known as the Dogman. He spends his life sharing the knowledge about dogs and their behavior that he gained from his experience.

I did not enjoy this book, and it was almost a DNF for me. Many of the stories seem apocryphal, and it was hard for me to identify with a boy who was such an unrepentant thief. When he stole his mom's rent money and had spent it on candy and cigarettes for other kids, I felt like proverbially throwing this book across the room (I was listening to the audiobook and driving my car). I read this hoping for more about the dogs, but everything about the dogs was based on outdated and debunked pack and dominance theory, so that part was pointless too except maybe to illuminate why people who arrive at their theories at the age of 13 should not be considered behavioral experts. Not to mention when Rex and Major paid for his stupidity and childish vengefulness with their lives. I'm sorry I spent time listening to this.

SPOILER ALERT I thought I loved everything about this book. I laughed, I cried, but I had an anxiety attack the whole last chapter and now, 8 hours after the last word, I’ve gone from anxious to mad. That was the most unsatisfying ending I have ever read. At least with bad sex, you can always finish by yourself, but there is no way to get rid of this nagging tension. I’m so upset. I hate that he left us, and his dogs, to continue to sniff and pace looking for him. He sadly, leads his human pack and his canine pack straight over a cliff, leaving us in a free fall. His dogs might not judge him for it, but dogs are better than people and I am not as good as any dog, because I am definitely judging and going to bed mad.

This is a beautiful yet periodically heartbreaking memoir of a thirteen year old ADHD boy in Ireland who runs away from his incredibly dysfunctional family and school setting. He was mentally and physically bullied to the point of disgust. Then, doing the only thing he saw as available from severe harm and possible death, he lived as a homeless, stray boy for 3 years. He found remarkable solace, love and acceptance from a pack of street dogs. I wish the story continued as there are so many questions - how and when did he become able to read and write? What were the family dynamics after the three years? How did his pack survive without him .... lots of open questions that I wish had been answered.

The boy led such a sad life at home because his energy level wouldn't allow him to concentrate, and he was unable to learn to read or write. I wonder when and how he learned to read and write because the book was well written.
It is really amazing that he was able to survive on his own at such a young age when he ran away from home. I am glad he had one friend who taught him how to communicate with people and also helped him get a job so he could buy food.
I found his thought processes interesting. He developed his own methods of communicating with his canine companions by carefully observing their behavior.

As a dog lover, I was drawn to the book by the title. This is listed as a memoir, but some of it is just hard to imagine being true. Martin, as a teenage boy, homeless due to problems at home is a heartbreaking scene. The fact that he chose to live with dogs and felt them as his family caused me to reflect on how important our animals are to us and why it is sometimes easy to choose dogs over people. After all, they are loyal to a fault, always happy to see us, and live in the moment. The author's ideas on dog behavior was sometimes troublesome to me. As a behaviorist, some of his ideas just aren't true. Worth reading though.

interesting journey

It’s not easy growing up—especially if one has ADD, ADHD, any disability. But even without any special conditions, just growing up is hard . Until we find what *We* stand for and learn to Know ourself, we act and react to what We think others think about us. Dogs accept us for who we are unconditionally. This story tells us how he grew to know himself by observing the behavior of his group of dogs , watching the dynamic relationship both within the dog group and with him, and his maturing along the way. I found it fascinating, because I think we all have been there to some extent. Finding ourself , love and acceptance and family.

A Fascinating Heartfelt Memoir

Martin McKenna relates the story of his three years living with a pack of stray dogs, learning how to belong to then lead the pack, and, in the process, learn how to live with himself and the human race. Bullied at school bullied at hone, and suffering from undiagnosed ADHD, he was miserable so he ran away. I wish the book had been longer because I would have liked to know how he went from an illiterate dropout to a skilled storyteller and polished writer.

I loved this book. It is so well written -- I thought I was reading a novel and it took me a long time to realize it was a memoir. There were parts of the book which were hard for me -- the poor kid was living rough and that was OK -- his education from the dogs he took care of was amazing and taught me lots about dogs I didn't realize. But he suffered so much bullying from teachers and his father and other kids -- all of that was hard to read.

But I'm so glad I read this. The narration was wonderful. The lessons learned were wonderful. Great book.