A Dog Named Duke William D. Ellis

About The Author A Dog Named Duke was written by William . D . Ellis. The author was born in Concord, Massachusetts. He began writing at the age of 12, at the urging of an elementary school teacher who early on recognised his talent. Ellis' study of the history of Ohio provided him material that he eventually used as the foundation for a trilogy of novels – Bounty Lands, Jonathan Blair, Lawyer, and the Brooks Legends.

Introduction A Dog Named Duke by William D. Ellis is a story based on the relationship of a dog and his master. The narrator describes how Duke, a pinscher Doberman, was loved by his master and in return offered his loyalty to Chuck. The rare friendship between Chuck and Duke is beautifully narrated.

DOG – Man’s Best Friend A dog is known to be the best friend of man since time immemorial. The dog is a very faithful animal. He helps in many activities like hunting , gathering , finding things by smelling, especially bombs, and capturing escaped criminals etc. It lives with man and proves to be the perfect companion.

Story Begins… Chuck Hooper was a competitive young man, working as a zonal sales manager for a chemical company. One autumn night, he had an accident and was taken to the hospital with a subdural hemorrhage. It left him completely paralyzed on his left side. After months of being lonely and dejected, Hooper and his wife Marcy bring their dog, Duke, a pinscher Doberman, back from the kennel. When the dog was brought back, he was a 23-kilo missile of joy. He hit his master in happiness so hard that Chuck almost lost his balance.

Duke was no ordinary dog Duke was no ordinary dog. He sensed the criticality of Chuck's situation instantly. Day and night the dog and the master stared at each other. Finally, Duke couldn't take it. He poked his pointed nose under Hooper’s elbow and Lifted but Hooper didn’t respond. It happened so that one evening Chuck’s good hand idly hooked the leash onto Duke’s collar. In a flash, Duke pranced and pulled Chuck to his feet. With much effort he took a few steps and then collapsed on his wheel chair. The dog then knew what to do. He started early next day. After two weeks they reached the front porch.

By April the dog was pulling his master by the leash on the side-walk in the neighborhood. Everybody saw the pattern of progress. The next year in January, Hooper made his big move by walking 200 meters without Duke to the local branch office of his company. The staff of the district office was amazed by Hooper’s visit. He told the manager that he will could make it to the office one hour every day. It presented problems back in the company.

When a man fights that hard for a comeback, who wants to tell him that he cannot handle his old job? However, Chuck already had his next objective set: March 1, a full day of work. Hooper hit the target and then he no more took the physiotherapy suggested by his doctor and completely turned to Duke for his workouts. Sometimes after dark, Chuck would trip and fall. Duke would stand still as a post while his master struggled to get up. It was as though the dog knew that his job was to get Chuck back on his feet. Then on he worked full days for thirteen months and was promoted to regional manager and he, with Marcy and Duke, moved to a new house.

Fate then unleashed another blow Fate then unleashed another blow. It was October and while a party was going on, Duke was hit by a vehicle. They rushed the dog to the hospital. Duke was drugged and he made it until 11o' clock the next morning. His injuries were fatal. Now Chuck walked alone to the office. It was only a few weeks later, worded as a special tribute to Duke, came the order from Hooper’s company promoting him to the post of Assistant National Sales Manager.