Alston Chase | We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear

Published: February 4, 2009

With a title taken from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, "The Power of the Dog,” author Alston Chase takes a deeply personal and philosophical look at his canine companions for the past three decades.

The family’s first Jack Russell terrier, Phineas, who was shipped to the couple’s remote Montana ranch as a birthday present for Alston’s wife, Diana, quickly warmed the hearts of these Mastiff owners. “Phineas grew up small, but refused to admit it. … He feared nothing and took on any animal he encountered, from badgers to bears … He had nine lives and needed every one.”

Phineas set the standard for subsequent terriers, and launched the family’s dedication to Jack Russells. Forays into the history of the breed are interspersed with the family’s history in Montana, as they eventually sell their ranch in the Little Belt Mountains and move to the Paradise Valley, and tales of their myriad animal companions.

“The animals we love frame our lives,” writes Chase. “Their arrival into the family as pups, kittens or foals signals a joyous new beginning and their death marks the end of one period and the beginning of another.”

Author Tim Cahill describes Chase’s latest work as “a thinking man’s dog book. Funny, sad, charming, and profound, it will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog.”

Chase is also the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction, including Playing God in Yellowstone and Harvard and the Unabomber. His latest book was published by Transaction Publishers, Edison, NJ and sells for $34.95 hardcover.

– Kristi Niemeyer