Love, Clancy: A Dog's Letters Home

Love, Clancy is a book by Australian radio presenter and best-selling author, Richard Glover, and the audio version is read by the author. After an introduction in which Glover explains how the loss of his old dog Darcy led to the addition of Clancy, a Kelpie pup, to his household, and the recommendations of a newly purchased training manual, the book takes the format of letters from Clancy to his mum and dad on a country farm, and Richard’s Response (expansion, explanation or justification) to each of these missives. Clancy gives his return address variously as Onion Weed Cottage, Crumbling Manor, and Chateau Chaos or the Rented Hovel and his commentary cover a myriad of topics: the exercise bike, the dog park, gardening, a dog’s nose, vermin infestations, Christmas, Man and Lady’s human offspring, divorce and the canine custody issue, vanity, air-conditioning, COVID self-isolation activities, canine myths, birthdays and the canine age scale. He shares the delight of cheese slices, digging/mining, rolling in compost, chicken pieces, games, the recycling box, interring household items, agility training, the friendliness of people in country towns, and meeting canine friends at the dog park. He expresses frustration at the progress of his training of Man and Lady, who amusingly, believe they are training Clancy, who take an age to understand that breakfast can be fed before the papers are read, but fail to grasp the unacceptability of long delays in dog park visits, and whose dispensing of treats defies all logic, but succumbs to Clancy’s Cheese Song. He evinces a perfect puzzled tone at what is required from him by Man and Lady. He shares his disappointment in, dismay at, or dislike of: the taste of flies; car trips; the robotic vacuum cleaner; the lack of human productivity; Man and Lady’s health and wellbeing regimen; and he bemoans the indignity of baths, derogatory canine references in many human expressions, certain dog names, thunderstorms, and diets. He describes the services he provides: relieving tense moments, lowering blood pressure, encouraging purposeful exercise, guarding the house, and checking the backyard for iron ore deposits. Clancy points out that he is an expert at mindfulness and wishes he had been properly remunerated for the personal training role he has been filling for years. This book is laugh-out-loud funny so the standard warning about reading in the Quiet Carriage on public transport, reading while eating/drinking, and continence issues applies here. Clancy (and Richard) have wise words and life lessons and insightful observations on humans, making this is a hugely entertaining, but also moving read, not just for dog owners or dog lovers, but for everyone: the appeal is universal. Highly recommended!