My Sweety - the heartache of loving a deer
She had always had a special connection with the animals that entered her life: dogs, cats, marmots, wildlife in general, but especially Colorado’s beautiful mule deer. It was a mutual camaraderie, perhaps stemming from her childhood where nurturing was not the norm and love and security were mostly fleeting treasures. In the summer of 1994, Karen Hurd met “Sweety,” a soon-to-be orphaned, baby buck, and their lives, complete with laughter, tears, joy, fear, lessons taught, and lessons learned, would meld for almost eleven years into a sweet saga of unconditional love. However, My Sweety is much more than a tale about one of Lake City’s renowned Riverside Bucks and the woman he befriended. It is a story that also deals with day-to-day social and environmental issues, conflicts that result when well-intentioned laws clash with well-intentioned humanity, and the underlying compromises that continuously affect the lives of each and every one of us. The innocence, emotional honesty, and down-to-earth feelings expressed in My Sweety cannot help but pull at the heartstrings of its readers.
- Published
- 2012
- ISBN
- 978-1-932738-99-5
- Pages
- 168
- Place
- Lake City
- Publisher
- Western Reflections Publishing Co.
- Listed at
- $21.95
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer.
- Direct from us info@westernreflectionspublishing.com or (336) 565-6915. We pack and post from Lake City.
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About this book
Karen R. Hurd wrote My Sweety about a lifelong bond with animals, and in particular with Colorado's mule deer. The description says she felt a special connection with the dogs, cats, marmots and wildlife that entered her life. It says the deer were the closest of all, a mutual camaraderie that may have grown out of a childhood where nurturing was not the norm and love and security were scarce.
The subtitle, the heartache of loving a deer, tells you the book is not only a gentle animal story. It is a memoir-style account of attachment to one wild creature, and the cost of that attachment. The catalogue lists it as a 168 page book from Western Reflections Publishing, 2012.
Who it is for
This book suits readers who care about Colorado wildlife and about the bonds people form with animals. Our catalogue also lists a companion coloring book by the same author, which is aimed at children, so families may want to look at both. The record gives us no further detail on content, and we haven't seen reviews we could point to.
Ways to use this book
Living near deer yourself
If deer visit your yard, read the CPW feeding page before you put anything out. It explains the risks to the animals and states that intentional feeding is illegal in Colorado.
Reading a memoir about loss and animals
Because the catalogue calls it a heartache, some readers may want company while they read. A book club or a friend who has lost a pet can make a good partner for the discussion.
Telling the two Sweety books apart
The coloring book is the short, children's companion at 36 pages. This one runs 168 pages, so choose by the age and patience of the reader.
Go deeper
The book is about a bond with Colorado mule deer and what it cost. For readers who want to understand the animals themselves, Colorado Parks and Wildlife explains how deer live and why wild feeding is discouraged.
Mule Deer, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
A species profile saying mule deer are plentiful through much of Colorado, including urban areas, and that they browse mostly on shrubs and trees.
Why Feeding Deer Is Harmful
CPW says feeding deer is illegal and can draw them into crowds, spread chronic wasting disease and cause acidosis. Its page also names the fine.
Colorado Species Profiles
A list of 290 profiles that can be filtered by type, handy for comparing deer with the other animals a reader may meet.
Good to know
What is My Sweety about?
Is there a companion book?
How many pages is it?
Where can I buy it?
Have a book of your own?
This is the kind of book the house publishes: regional history, biography, memoir and the stories that belong to a place. Send us yours and a person will read it.