Another thread about an aggressive dog reminded me of this book. Not that Thor was people aggressive; he was undisciplined and could be critter aggressive. That thread about the responsibilities of a large dog just reminded me of this book.
Anybody else remember this one? It’s actually my favorite Farley book, and I think it’s much better written than the Black Stallion series. Has deeper, better-drawn characters, in my opinion. The rough story is the teenage son who doesn’t understand or see eye to eye with his dad. The dad’s Great Dane, who has been living with no demands and no discipline, is a source of concern to the son, but the dad doesn’t see it, saying “he’s just playing.” Son thinks the dad is a weakling and softee on things. But when Thor actually does kill a deer, the dad admits he’s been slack with him, and the son starts trying to impose a little training and taking Thor on walks in the woods. There are also poachers involved, and by the end, Thor is improving, the bad guys are caught, and the son realizes that there are a lot more layers to his father than he had suspected (probably PTSD) that explain some of his father’s quirks that he had previously thought were “weakness.”
It’s really a well-done book, worth the read.
