Mr. Wilson Gets Some Reviews

The book, Mr. Wilson Makes it Home is already getting some attention from some people whose work I admire:


"Mr Wilson Makes It Home is an enjoyable story that touches on far more than training; it helps us understand just how important sharing our lives with our pets is and how best to get the most of every moment we spend with them." —Zak George, Animal Planet dog trainer and producer of YouTube's #1 Dog Training show "Zak George's Dog Training Revolution"

"Reading Mr. Wilson Makes It Home was not like reading a book at all—it was like having lunch with Michael Morse. And now that I have finished the book, I find myself missing him, his wife, and of course Mr. Wilson! I wish I could walk next door and see them again. This is a wonderful story of puppy love, adoption, the importance of spay and neutering, and of course falling in love with Mr. Wilson. Anyone who has ever had a dog and who is an animal lover will love this book." —Ellie Laks, author of My Gentle Barn

“A gentle book that grows more powerful with each chapter. Adopting a rescue dog can help transform your life into a thing of beauty you can be proud of, simply by changing the way you think. As you turn the pages, Mr. Wilson and his unforgettably resilient humans will sneak inside your heart and teach you how to live again—even while they ‘love you up!’” —Martin McKenna, author of The Boy Who Talked to Dogs

"This is a heartwarming story written with passion and love. Michael Morse is a gifted writer and an amazing storyteller." —Michael Corrente, award-winning film director and producer

"Mr. Wilson Makes It Home tells the story of how one little dog can turn a troubled home into a good one. Morse bares his soul in this moving tale and, in the process, stumbles upon solutions to issues that long tethered his life to heartache, illustrating again the benefit of the love that only pets can contribute to our lives. This book highlights the opportunity to save the lives of rescue dogs across the country and holds out hope that, in so doing, our own lives will improve." —Bruce R. Coston, DVM, author of Ask the Animals and The Gift of Pets

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1629145734

 
The book will be available on February 3, 2015. Mr. Wilson says it's pretty good too!

Winter is Coming

"Dad, remember when it got cold? That's not going to happen again is it?"

"Sure is Pal. It's up to us to make the best of it."

"Easy for you to say, you pee inside."

"Come on now, it's not so bad."

"Think about it for a minute. My legs are short and the cold white stuff gets tall."

"Hmmm."

"The white stuff is kind of fun to run through though."

"It sure is. Before you came along I hadn't played in the snow for years."

"We're gonna have a lot of fun this winter, aren't we dad?"

"Of course we are Mr. Wilson."

"Thanks Dad, will you wake me up if it snows?"

"You bet. Goodnight Wilson."

"Goodnight Dad."

Letting him in...

He keeps an eye on us, and worries when things are not the way they are supposed to be. In Mr. Wilson's world everything is about walks, naps, cookies and playing with the various toys he has named; The Green Caterpillar, The Purple Sock Monkey with the Short Leg, The Red Devil, Sir Rat,and Bruce's Sister to name a few. He loves it here, and this is where he calls home.

I never felt as if my house was my home until Mr. Wilson arrived, some seven years after we moved in. This is the downsized version of our dream home, the one we had to sell because it was too big, and too difficult to maintain. Little things you don't think of when you sell your place and move on made it hard to accept the new house. The biggest was our loss of sense of place, and family history. We correlate the passing of years with our surroundings, and trying to latch on emotionally to four walls without the memory of the kids growing up, the pets we loved while we lived there, the parties, Christmastime or simply life unfolding around us was more difficult than we ever thought it would be.

An empty nest is one thing, an empty nest in unfamiliar territory quite another. Home may be where the heart is, but leaving your heart in the home you know best makes it difficult to move on, and embrace new surroundings. We do our best, and a lot of our "stuff" came with us, but most of our things just looked out of place, and a lot of it ended up in the basement, eventually at various consignment stores and ultimately in somebody else's home.

When we adopted a dog we had no idea that in doing so we would begin letting go of the old life and begin moving on. That little critter named Mr. Wilson has turned our house into a home, and when our kids stop by, instead of feeling as if they are visitors at Mom and Michael's house, they are comfortable, and the best ambassador in the world welcomes them, and brings us all closer.

So come on in everybody, and make yourselves at home!

.

Reviews and Giveaways

Production behind the scenes of Mr. Wilson Makes it Home is in full swing, and the promotions department has been busy sending advance copies to people who we think would enjoy the book. It is extremely gratifying to have people whose work I respect and admire read my book and offer their endorsement.

"Reading Mr. Wilson Makes It Home was not like reading a book at all—it was like having lunch with Michael Morse. And now that I have finished the book, I find myself missing him, his wife, and of course Mr. Wilson! I wish I could walk next door and see them again. This is a wonderful story of puppy love, adoption, the importance of spay and neutering, and of course falling in love with Mr. Wilson. Anyone who has ever had a dog and who is an animal lover will love this book." —Ellie Laks, author of My Gentle Barn

"MISTER WILSON MAKES IT HOME" is a heartwarming story written with passion and love. Michael Morse is a gifted writer and an amazing storyteller"-Michael Corrente, an American film director and producer. His films include A Shot at Glory, American Buffalo, Outside Providence, 

Thank you Ellie and Michael, very much appreciated!

Ten copies of the book are up for grabs at Goodreads. The promotion doesn't start till around Christmas, but don't be afraid to follow the link and join the fun!

Thanks as always for reading.

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Mr. Wilson Makes It Home
     

     

          by Michael Morse
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends December 27, 2014.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

Is your dog affectionate or obsessed?

"Why the long face, Mr. Wilson?"

"I don't know, Dad, I've been feeling a little dis-connect between us lately."

"Don't worry about that, old pal. Sometimes people who love each other need a little space, that's all."

"But why can't I be with you every second of every day?"

"Because what kind of a life would that be? There's birds to chase, cats to torture and mailmen to bark at, and Mom to love and all sorts of other things to do."

"But I want to be with you."

"You're always on my mind little buddy, I just can't take you with me every where I go."

"Well, it's not fair!"

"Maybe not, but it's for the best, you'll see."


I'd like nothing more than to keep Mr. Wilson all to myself, and let him follow me around when I'm home, and sit by the window waiting when I'm gone. Having another creature absolutely committed to me is a big boost to my ego, makes me feel like the king of my castle. But its no way for a dog to live. We all can train our dog to sit, and stay, and maybe even roll over and play dead. We can teach them to come, and fetch and not pull on the leash. But how many of us are willing to do the work needed to teach our companions the importance of "alone time," and how to thrive away from us.

Psychological training is every bit as important to raising a well adjusted dog as behavioral training. Living with anxiety is a terrible sentence to impose on a poor little critter who doesn't have access to medications or therapy. Teaching our pets by modifying our own behavior is the best way to get the message to them that we are not the center of their universe. Doing so without handing control back to the dog is tricky, but with time and patience obtainable.

This is a good article, it helped me:
http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/healthy-affection-vs-obsession/760

Just a Dog

Okay Mr. Wilson Fans, here's a fun little fact about Mr. Wilson:

He is just a dog.

JUST A DOG! What do you mean, just a dog!

Allow me to elaborate:

Mr. Wilson will be Mr. Wilson no matter whom he spends his life with.

Family A. has little time for a dog but goes to the pet store looking for a lizard, little Johnie sees Ole Mr. Wilson sitting in his cage behind the glass and is instantly smitten. Little Johnie's mom is tired, and gives in to her boy's whims, and they go home not with a lizard like planned, but a little Schnoodle named Wilson. It's all fun and games for a week, but things get old, and the novelty wears off, and before long Wilson is getting little or no attention.

So he does things to get the attention that all living creatures crave. He barks at nothing. He jumps on people.  He chews things that are expensive. He pees inside when he can't hold it any longer. He runs away, and doesn't come back until he's hungry for love, food or just the comfort of home-any home.

Before long he's a chore, then a pain, then a pest. He becomes a "bad dog."

But he's not a bad dog at all. He's just a dog.

Family B, consisting of the beautiful and kind Cheryl and the equally kind but not so beautiful Michael find a little lost soul on Petfinder and bring him home. This isn't their first pet, and they knew exactly what they were getting when they agreed to take care of another living, breathing, feeling and helpless little fella. They researched how best to train the new dog, how to socialize with him, how to create a proper pack order.

Mr. Wilson arrived, tested the water, peed on things, chewed things, jumped on people and tried to take over the household as Alpha Male of the pack. The kind and benevolent people who adopted the little fiend were prepared, and there was a training crate in the home, and lots of toys to be played with, and somebody who was in charge, and acted like the boss, not a plaything.

It didn't take long for Mr. Wilson to figure things out, and to relax, and let his guard down enough to be comfortable with his role as a valued member of the household, and not a bad dog at all. He is, after all, just a dog. But he's our dog, and to us, he is everything a dog could be, and more.

By changing the way you look at things, the things you look at change. It is up to us to see the goodness and beauty in the world around us, and the creatures that make our lives more colorful and rewarding.

The dogs are the same, it's how we see them that matters.