The Year of the Dog Volume One

By Sam Madeley

Abused and abandoned at an early age Jester strives to find a home where he can finally feel secure...and most importantly loved.

Told from Jester's viewpoint the first volume of The Year of the Dog chronicles the events and people he encounters on entering the strange and confusing world of humans.

The everyday things we take for granted can seem very strange to canine eyes. Our world with its moving boxes traveling along stone floors, big noises and even our day-to-day behavior can be both frightening and entertaining to our furry companions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sam Madeley
• Release date: Aug 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476278117

Sam Madeley

The Legend of Sam Madeley... Surrounded by strange and unusual happenings from the moment he was born Sam has translated those experiences across more than two decades of publishing into both story and art. His unique perspective on the world about us has featured in many publications including Peter Johnstone's 'Just add water', James Boswell's 'Weird City' and Paradox Press's award winning 'Big Book of Urban Legends'. As an illustrator he has produced posters for Black Box Merseyside Ltd. theatre productions, adapted the Five Star Theatre's production of Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel for the BBC into comic strip form, contributed to and produced promotional materials for varied clients from animal charities to the music and festival industry. In the 1990's Sam published the Dan Dare magazine 'Sufferin' Satellites' featuring new stories, archive articles, and was writer/artist of the infamous 'Broken Mirror' story that pitted Dan Dare's wits against 2000ad's Brit Cit Judges. His life long love of myths and legends is currently being utilized by writer Steven Moss-Ennis to illustrate 'The Journal of Daniel McCullen' which can be found on Smashwords. Beyond his varied roles in publishing Sam has sold chocolates and beers in the Lake District, worked for Royal Mail, been a roadie, event manager, studied with druids, climbed Mount Snowdon with a broken back and driven a Nitrous Oxide boosted race car at over one-hundred and twenty miles an hour with a flat tire. Sam is a self-confessed techno-nerd, when not putting pen or pencil to paper he can be found surrounded by electronics and computers repairing or finding innovative uses for them. His little wolf takes him for regular walks in the local countryside when he feels Sam has been working for long enough on his varied creative projects.

Book preview

The Year of the Dog

Volume One

Jester’s Story

Written and illustrated by Sam Madeley

Smashwords Edition

All artwork and text © 2012 Sam Madeley.

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Jester’s Story

Why does nobody love me?

This strange smelling little man is dragging me away. I thought we were happy together, old woman would take me for walks on the big green, old man would sneak food to me under the table when they were eating, then old man stopped playing with me and old woman no longer wanted to play either. She was sad all the time. I don’t want to be dragged away! I want things to be like they were, I don’t want to hurt again!

What did I do to upset them? I was so happy when they took me in. I soon knew they wouldn’t beat me like the bad man had.

He frightens me.

My brothers and sisters were all so much stronger than me. They took my food and stole my toys. The bad man just laughed and beat me.

I tried to be friendly. I tried to play with the bad man, but this made him growlier. He would push me away and beat me harder.

One night the bad man took only me with him in his moving box to a big green. We were finally together…just him and me. He did like me, I thought he mustn’t have wanted the others to know that. On the way I decided I would show him how good I was. When we arrived he opened the door and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me bounding and jumping, playing with sticks, he would see what a good boy I was.

A big dog came out of the darkness onto the big green, I was having so much fun I wanted big dog to join in. This would show the bad man I liked being with other dogs too.

Big dog did want to play with me. He chased me, I chased him, over and over, again and again, taking turns to tag each other until big dog lay down and did not want to play any more. I bounded away and back but he just lay on the big green. We had been having so much fun before I couldn’t understand it. I hoped the bad man wouldn’t think it was me who didn’t want to play…he would beat me again if I upset him.

Where is the bad man? I looked all around the big green for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Where is the moving box? I went to the spot it had been when I jumped out of it, but it was not there. What did I do wrong? I don’t know what to do…I’m scared.

Big dog was still lying in the spot where he had been before. He was much older than me, he must know what the right thing to do is.

I lay down beside big dog and waited with him.

The little man is pulling me towards a front side door. It doesn’t smell right. I don’t want to go in there, it’s not old man and old woman’s front side door! If I go in there how will I get back to old man and old woman to put whatever it was that I did wrong right again?

Black men came onto the big green. Big dog didn’t move. They are coming towards us, should I say hello, or keep doing what big dog is doing. I want to say hello…make sure that they are good men…I will say hello. I bound my friendliest bound and one of them starts to make noises at me.

They were not the same noises the bad man made, his noises were loud and growly, black man’s are quieter and don’t make me want to run and hide.

What was that?

Something moved over my head…it tightened around my neck! Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the other black man beside me, pointing a shiny stick at me. I couldn’t get away from it! I twisted and pulled away from it, but the stick stayed behind my head. I don’t like this game…this game scares me!

Little man I don’t want to go in there.