Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road [Hardcover]

Jeff Selis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

When Jeff Selis set off to explore this vast country of ours, he brought along his best friend Seamus, his loyal dog Otis, and his trusty 1965 Polaroid Land Camera. Dog Bless America is the result of this three-month-long--and very canine-friendly--sojourn. From a dachshund named Grover Cleveland posed in front of Mt. Rushmore to Rock and Roll, a pair of black labs in Memphis, Tennessee, Dog Bless America captures America's finest in all of their tail-wagging, tongue-flapping, wet-nosed splendor. In addition to meeting the local hot dogs in each of the fifty states, Jeff, Seamus, and Otis encountered calamities, epiphanies, and even the occasional out-and-out serendipitous moment (who knew St. Louis's annual "Woofstock" would be held on the same weekend that Jeff, Seamus, and Otis just happened to be in town?!). So if the garbage can hasn't been tipped over in a while, and the doggy door just isn't swinging like it used to, try reading Rover a page or two from Dog Bless America. It's guaranteed to make him proud to be a dog--and an American one at that!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dog lovers, make some room on the bookshelf--you won't be able to resist this utterly adorable photo book of dogs around the country. Jeff Selis's Dog Bless America is the result of his road trip from sea to shining sea, during which he made friends with and snapped a photo of at least one dog in every state. Selis includes the highlight of each pooch's life, whether it's a love of the simple things like tummy tickles or heroic escapades such as rescuing a child lost in the Sierra Madre mountains. The dogs' stories are arranged alphabetically by state, and about a third of the entries include an excerpt from the author's journal that mentions a special high spot of the trip, the town, or his own dog's local experience.

Photos of some fairly famous dogs--or dogs belonging to famous people--are here, but most of the book focuses on the lovably average. One pair of pooches from Memphis, appropriately named Rock and Roll, keep the King's dream alive in the evening, when they "pay tribute to him every day just by having their names called for dinner." Franklin, Jesse Ventura's wrinkle-faced pup, is featured for Minnesota, while a touching statue of Shep is pictured for Montana's page. According to locals, Shep's master died in 1936 and his casket rode back East on a train. Shep waited by the station every day for five years, waiting for his master to return. The statue was erected years after his death, which was mourned by hundreds of folks. Dogs like Shep remind us why we love dogs in the first place--their charm, loyalty, and friendship are unsurpassed. --Jill Lightner

About the Author

Jeff Selis lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Alice and their three children -- two of whom are dogs. When Jeff isn't out producing televison commercials for clients such as Nike and ESPN, he can probably be found with a camera in his hands and a dog in his viewfinder.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811828301
• ISBN-13: 978-0811828307
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Read It!, June 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road (Hardcover)

I had read Mr. Selis' first book "Cat Spelled Backwards Doesn't Spell God" and loved it, so the whimsy and warmth of this book was no surprise. I found myself smiling as i went through it, just looking at the pictures the first time, and then going back to read the accompanying text. It is an engaging photo journal of a drive across the country with his best friend and his dog, and is written in such a manner that you can almost imagine Mr. Selis sitting across the table, showing you his photos of dogs he encountered and briefly telling you what he found interesting about each one. I have already given away copies to several friends, which may be the highest recommendation I could give this or any book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun, quick read/view for dog lovers, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road (Hardcover)

A funny book touching on many dogs the author met on a cross-country dog with his own dog. Only two minor issues: (i) some of the dogs were interesting enough that more than 1 or 2 sentences would have been worthwhile (this is not the structure of the book, however); (ii) p. 74 - "... Lake Erie - the biggest lake in the world..."? simple fact-checking would have been worthwhile.

But a good, inexpensive photo book for any dog lover - and a particularly thoughtful gift w/o breaking the bank.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Trip, May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road (Hardcover)

Jeff Selis took the dream trip of many dog-lovers, crossing the country meeting, photographing and writing about dogs. The book is a delight with well-executed pictures of a variety of dogs and brief text that shares something special about that dog. A fun book to own...and to be perfectly upfront, the dog on p. 91 is mine, nonetheless, this is a totally impartial review. :)