Audio: My dog, my teacher

Lessons from a freethinking dog

By Will Femia

Producer

msnbc.com

updated 11:40 a.m. ET July 9, 2007

National Outdoor Book Award winner Ted Kerasote had the good fortune of finding a young dog in the Utah desert who would become his beloved companion for 13 years.

Merle was a dog of such distinct character that he redefiied the master/dog relationship for Kerasote, just one of many lessons learned in their 13 years together. "Merle's Door" mixes research on the genetics and behavioral science of dogs with anecdotes from Merle's life. Kerasote joined MSNBC.com's Will Femia on the phone to discuss memorializing Merle in what is now a New York Times bestseller.

MP3 Audio

Left click to listen or right click to save the mp3 recording of Ted Kerasote on the phone with MSNBC.com's Will Femia.

***iTunes/Quicktime users, this is a big file so there may be a delay while the file loads.

New video option

Listen to the interview accompanied by a slide show of Merle's life courtesy of Kerasote.com in the MSN video player.