Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound [Hardcover]

Berkeley Breathed (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of "Bloom County" comes the annual catalog of the fictional "Last Chance" Dog Pound, riotously depicting imperfect dogs that are available for adoption. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and children's picture book author Berkeley Breathed crafts a remarkable, hilarious, and yes, even poignant celebration of "flawed dogs": "The bent and plain,/ The unbalanced bod,/ The imperfect people/ And differently pawed." At the core of this "2004 Catalogue of the Piddleton Dog Pound's Very Available Leftovers" is Heidy Strudelberg, "Garbo, Joan of Arc, and Mother Teresa of the nation's unwanted dogs: a reclusive warrior-saint of poundpups." Breathed reveals how Heidy was ousted from the high-falutin’ vanity dog breeding world when she awarded a muddy three-legged street mutt the Westminster Best in Show ribbon. Now, it seems, Heidy has retreated to the Vermont mountains to run the Last Chance Dog Pound, where defective dogs go for one more attempt at getting adopted. The bulk of Flawed Dogs, once you've laughed your way through the introductions and formalities, is a gallery of pathetic pups with accompanying verses. A picture of an extra-long Dachshund startling the dishes right out of her mistress's hands, is captioned thus: "Here’s Sal, it seems no one wants her./ Her ends will stroll off and wander./ A long doggie weenie/ Of noisy linguine/ Sal barks at her butt way down yonder." Dog lovers will be all in a tizzy to get their hands on this crazy, wonderful salute to blemished beagles and faulty foxhounds everywhere. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-A tongue-in-cheek parade of mongrels, mutts, and generally unadoptable dogs fills this catalog of the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound in Vermont. The introductory pages present a cast of heavily satirized human characters as well as a brief history of the shelter, "where the doomed and most desperate are sent- for a final try at getting adopted into a world that worships perfection." The following pages each feature a sad sack and often bizarre dog-too colorful, too gassy, too long, too hairy, likes to crawl up people's noses-and a brief rhyming verse that describes its unhappy past. The full-color acrylics are rendered with broad exaggeration, dark and slightly sinister tones, and a rubbery suppleness that tends toward the grotesque. A note at the end encourages readers to adopt at local shelters. Adults will best appreciate the satire though older children may enjoy the goofy humor and outrageousness of the poor unwanted pooches featured here.
Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; F edition (October 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316713597
• ISBN-13: 978-0316713597
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Berkeley Breathed lives and works in Santa Barbara, California and is the proud owner of a gentle pit bull named Ridley, a deaf dachshund named Milly, and a refugee mutt from the Puerto Rican streets named Pilar--splendidly flawed dogs, every one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whimsical canines, December 27, 2003

By 

Eileen Rieback (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound (Hardcover)

Welcome to Piddleton, Vermont (population 327, people 243), where the Last Chance Dog Pound presents its annual catalog of flawed and unadoptable dogs. Pictures of these wacky canines are accompanied with descriptions in rhyme penned by members of the Piddleton Poetry Club. This hilarious catalog includes Buttercup, a shar pei with one too many face lifts, iBoo, the robot dog whose faulty programming neglected housebreaking, and Spanks, the cat in dog's clothing. These pups are whimsical and endearing, and the only way in which they are truly flawed is in their lack of love. This story makes an earnest plea to adopt one of the millions of animals currently in shelters. A funny book for animal lovers of all ages.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For mature kids? Maybe, June 2, 2006

By 

Laura - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound (Hardcover)

Flawed Dogs is truly a work of art. Great illustrations. This is the 2004 catalogue of the PIDDLETON DOG POUND's very available leftovers who just *may* have some minor blemishes. We have everything from the dog who's all tongue to the hairball that calls itself a dog. There's a tatooed dog and a teeny dog, an old fart of a dog and a three footed dog. Almost guarenteed to give you at least one (if not more) good laugh!

But do take caution, Parents and other adults may find this book somewhat disturbing. Some crude humor + somewhat mangled dogs.

However, I don't really see that much harm in it. True, this is not for preschoolers but most kids find this book hilariously amusing. It's a great book and I think it's okay for kids to see. Enjoy your trip to Piddleton!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The cutest!!!!, October 12, 2003

By 

Lexi Lou (South San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound (Hardcover)

I dont normaly buy childrens books but I picked this one up in the bookstore and had to have it. The little rymes are cute and the overall message is good, but the artwork is absolutely beautiful and very funny. Its amazing how much expression a cartoon drawing can have.