My wild dog Booto

My wild dog Booto

-          -Mike Tomkies

Q1. Describe the relationship or the friendship between the writer and his dog Booto.

Ans.  About the author

Mike Tomkies was a British author covering subjects such as natural history, biography and fiction. He was a naturalist and filmmaker who has inspired thousands with his brutally honest accounts of almost 40 years experience living in the wildest and most remote parts of Canada and Spain. He originally came to public attention as a Hollywood journalist, reporting for the London Times. Mike developed his fascination with nature and adventure in the English countryside that surrounded him. He was assigned as a Hollywood columnist at the age of 38 but soon decided to get away from it all and shifted to the Canadian wilds.

He spent most of his time living alone and surviving mainly off the sea. This was where he begins his wildlife studies, which over three years developed into the book “Alone in the wilderness”.  Running short on funds, Tomkies returned to writing in Hollywood, accompanied by Booto, a stray wild dog who had adopted him in Canada. After another year in the wilds of Canada, Tomkies bid a very sad farewell to old Booto and returned to Hollywood for more amazing experiences with major film stars.

About the wild dog Booto

Booto is part Alsatian, part Labrador. He has thick jaws and gentleness with humans. He is quarter wolf, as one could see from his long, curved bushy tail. He had come from north with a couple who later left him. He was very young, but he learned to take care of himself. In summer he lived on snakes and other small animals which he hunted: in winter he begged from the cabins of wood cutters and fisherman. He has very kind nature even if his past is troubled. His intelligence can conquer even the worst of surroundings.

Relationship of Booto with the writer

This story is all about the relationship of Booto with the author. They  have very strong relationship because both are emotionally connected with each other. The author found Booto in British Columbia, on the pacific coast of Canada. He was living at the coastal area to write a novel. For seven months he had lived all alone in his wooden cabin. He first saw Booto when Booto was very thin. The bones showed through his coat. He was very hungry. The author read the words from the eyes of Booto that he is in search of food. Author gave him all the meat and after that Booto thanks author in many different ways.

Booto thanks the writer by whining, burying his wet head in the writer’s lap, pawing at the leg of writer, reacting to his every look or movement.

So in this way both become friends and now the writer’s loneliness broke. Booto is very smart dog. He already knew several tricks to melt the stony heart of the people by sit up and beg for food, crossing his white paws or rolling on the ground etc. The writer taught him the first trick of how to bark softly. At first the writer shows him by imitating the bark of the dog. Booto caught all the things and learned quickly. Then onwards he used to bark as per the command of his owner. The neighbor Fred Jackson told him the history of the dog Booto.

When the writer facing the scarcity of money then he has decided to worked in Hollywood, where he used to work in his past life. He bought cheapest second hand vehicle Milk truck to live in which later on become his home on wheels. He is worrying about Booto that how could he live in city because he has spent his life in forest area and he is free creature. He decided that he should not take Booto along with him to the city, Los Angeles. Therefore he has decided to leave him with Fred Jackson. When Booto was not present then the writer finds easier to leave. When he is driving his Milk truck then found Booto who is running along with the truck. The writer increased his speed but stopped after Kilometers because he will not live without his pet. Therefore they together set off for Hollywood. Soon Booto adjusted himself to the city. The writer has find first rented room in which the intelligence of Booto helped him because the landlord doesn’t want to rent his house to the writer. Landlord is worried about the loud barking of dog which used to awake him all the night. But the writer convinced him that Booto is different than other dog and he only barked according to the command. He has demonstrated the skill of Booto then the Landlord has given him rented house.

Booto used to wander outside when he get bored with the sound of the typewriter. One day he went to restaurant and there one magician take him and started playing magical tricks with him to entertain the audience.  The writer had a hard task getting Booto back. Magician is impressed by the tricks played by Booto and he wants to buy him but the writer doesn’t want to sell Booto at any cost. The writer was jealous when Booto performed tricks for someone else.

Again the writer has decided to shift to the coastal area of Canada and ask to government for some land. After getting the permission he went to Canada again. Both lived there for two years. Then the writer has decided to return to Britain where he was born. He wanted to write about the wilds, for those people who had no idea of the happiness that could be found there, this time he gave Booto to his neighbor and say last goodbye to him. Now the writer is living in cottage near Scottish lake. He used to get all the news about Booto from his neighbor through letter. In this way his friendship with Booto is one that he can never forget.