A Sheepdog Named Oscar

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A moving memoir of grief, healing, and the unbreakable bondbetween man and dog, set against the lush backdrop of rural Ireland.

After the sudden loss of his father, film scholar and fatherof two boys, Dara Waldron finds unexpected solace in Ireland's East Clareregion. There, on an abandoned farm, he encounters a lone, enigmatic bordercollie-Oscar. What begins as an animal rescue gradually evolves into a profoundcompanionship that helps Waldron navigate his grief.

Oscar is no ordinary dog. A working sheepdog by nature, hisinstincts pull him to charge ahead-yet always return. As Waldron embarks ondaily walks through misty woodlands and along rugged hillsides, their bonddeepens. Each step through the Irish countryside becomes part of a ritual ofrecovery, trust, and understanding.

In spare, lyrical prose and accompanied by cinematic imagesof Oscar's life, A Sheepdog Named Oscar is more than a story of a man and hisdog-it's a meditation on place, memory, the call of the wild, and the quietstrength found in nature and companionship. With reflections on cinema, art,and animal consciousness, Waldron crafts a uniquely soulful memoir thatexplores the emotional terrain of loss and the redemptive power of connection.

For readers of Jon Katz, Helen Macdonald, and nature-infusedmemoirs, A Sheepdog Named Oscar is a poignant reminder that sometimes the pathto healing begins with a four-legged guide.