The Captain's Dog

A Dog's View of The Lewis and Clark Expedition Part 1

Young Adult - Non-Fiction
271 Pages
Reviewed on 02/15/2011
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Author Biography

The Captain’s Dog: A Dog’s View of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is a classic canine adventure in three parts by veteran dog writer Robert Scott McKinnon. This is Part 1 of 3.
The three parts cover the entire Lewis and Clark journey, and more, from before Washington and President Jefferson, then the American Odyssey to the Pacific and back, a unique perspective of how it might have been, the laughs, the cries, the love of a dog for his Captain, and the love of the expedition for the dog.
McKinnon has penned well over 200 published dog stories, and he has made three extensive river trips, two of them with dogs. 3200 miles on the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Savannah rivers; 1100 miles on the Salmon, Snake, Columbia, Willamette, and Sacramento rivers; and he was the first to take a boat up the famous Salmon River, The River of No Return, in which a movie was made called The River Busters.
McKinnon (and his dogs) know what it's like down in a windblown, cold, wet river trench where even with maps you don't know one creek from the other, and you have no idea where you are ... until you get there.
"And the dog would put his head on Lewis’ lap, with adoration that indicated he would do anything, go anywhere with this man."
“Our dog,Captain,our dog."

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lynn Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

The Captain's Dog is the story of Seaman, a big black Newfoundland, who became the companion of Meriwether Lewis and traversed the rivers and streams with Lewis and Clark on their many expeditions. As the story opens we find an aged Seaman lying on a bluff above the Missouri River along with two old friends, Pepe the Papillion and Bothwell Rutherford III, the old Bulldog, as he thinks back and remembers his journeys.

After a long and boring trip across the Atlantic Ocean, Seaman finally arrived on the shores of America. Sent as a gift from Spain to President Jefferson, Seaman soon had a new owner. Meriwether Lewis, ready to leave for the Louisiana Territory and all parts west, ended up with Seaman for the amount of $20.00. From a trip to the new world to a trip across the United States, we follow Seaman as his adventures take him from the making of a canoe to the actual journey; capturing squirrels to feed the crew; meeting back up with old friends, and fighting with a killer pit dog.

I have read several stories about Seaman and this is one of the best. It immediately caught my interest. This book was written for youth, but adults will enjoy it also. The Captain’s Dog is filled with good times and suspense. The reader will also want to read part two, The Captain’s Dog. This is a great lesson in history for all readers.