Pawprints All Over Me

About the Book

    A former Navy pilot recalls an incident from his younger days involving his first real pet, a dog named Buster. In later years he and his family acquire various other pets yet the author never allows himself to become attached to them. In time, he acquires a free weimaraner and that sets the stage for a future which ultimately includes three very diverse dogs of that same breed.
    While the book is primarily about weimaraners, it is really about all dogs and their relationship with the human members of their "pack." The author and his wife undergo a series of challenges far beyond their early expectations and the results range from sad to hilarious. They begin with a single dog and add a second. The book follows them through puppy stage, the show ring, hunt tests and day-today life. As they finally reach a stable and predictable relationship with the two dogs, they add a third and the chaos begins.
    There is a great deal of information and lessons learned presented throughout the book. Some methods worked and others failed miserably. The inevitable compromises reflect the impact that the dogs have on the author, his family and friends.
    This book contains no inappropriate language and is a must for anyone who has ever owned a puppy or anticipates adding one to the family.

About the Author

    Cecil "Stan" Standley was born in Alvin, Texas a long time ago. After two years at Alvin Community College, he reported to Pensacola, Florida for naval flight training. He received his Navy Wings of Gold in 1966 and spent the next twenty-one years in various helicopter squadrons, fixed and rotary wing training squadrons, an air wing staff, a Naval Air Station and a major aviation maintenance training group. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of West Florida while serving as a naval flight instructor. He retired from active service in 1988 with the rank of Commander.
    Stan has been a substitute teacher, a college-level aviation instructor, and has held several security-related positions. He has been around dogs virtually all of his life, but as the book points out, he and his wife, Bobbie, simply wanted a pet; they received far more than they bargained for. He was encouraged to write a series of magazine articles after relating some incidents which occurred in the show ring and during hunt tests. This is his first (and probably his last) book. A displaced Texan, he resides with his wife in Massachusetts.