Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit [Paperback]

Bark Editors (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 7, 2008

A pot roast left unguarded. An open bedroom door. An ill-timed squat. Dogs seem to have impeccable timing. Yet how quickly calamity turns to comedy in the company of a dog, and the wrong moment turns out to be just the right one.

In this delightful follow-up to Dog Is My Co-Pilot, which won the Best Book of the Year award from the Dog Writers Association of America, the editors of The Bark bring together more stories, essays, and artwork that highlight the hilarity of dog behavior and the comical interactions between dog people and their four-legged friends.

From playful puppies who wreak havoc in the home to dogs with a whole array of comic shticks and tricks, Howl celebrates the verve and the laughs pets offer their people. It includes laugh-out-loud reflections (and confessions), rib-tickling tales, and whimsical vignettes from well-known writers such as:

• Dave Barry
• Margaret Cho
• Al Franken
• Kinky Friedman
• Pam Houston
• Haven Kimmel
• Neal Pollack
• And many more!


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second literary salvo from The Bark magazine (after Dog is my Co-Pilot), a mostly-miss compendium of dog-related scribblings, opens with a spectacularly unfunny standup routine performed by a dog named Gracie. The schtick, by essayist Bonnie Thomas Abbott, is cliché-ridden enough almost to put readers off dogs for good. Alice Elliott Dark's ponderous attempted satire of the James Frey debacle, related here as the dog Raw Bone's memoir A Million Little Reeses, is so cringe-inducing the reader is actually embarrassed for the author. Those with fortitude will be rewarded, albeit sparingly. Marc Spitz's essay on how his dog changed his life, riddled with pop culture references and self-deprecating humor, is truly a joy. Kinky Friedman's all-too-short piece on the trials and tribulations of sharing a bed with animals will have dog lovers smiling and nodding in recognition, and Nancy Cohen's "The Seven Month Itch" masterfully incorporates the multitude of nicknames owners have for their companions in a story about the search for the cure for a rash. Unfortunately, the gems are all too few.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A funny and touching book for anyone who loves, respects, and cherishes their dog as a family member!”—Tamar Geller, Oprah’s personal dog coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Loved Dog

“We love your book!”
—Phydo and Phyllis Diller, author of Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307338398
• ISBN-13: 978-0307338396
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,280,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love, love, love this book! November 2, 2007

By KUJO

Format:Hardcover

The Bark editors are always able to find the best writing on dogs, and they have crafted another winner with this follow up to the much beloved "Dog Is My Co-Pilot". Where "Co-Pilot" was more classic fare, focusing on the bond between people and dogs, this collection isn't so serious and enjoys poking fun at people and their dogs. It does so smartly, and with great wit, if not all out belly laughs. I didn't recognize all the contributors but some of the best pieces were from new (to me) voices: Cathy Crimmins hilarious take on her dog's sex life, David Malley's ruminations on number two, and Jon Bowen's myth busting of second dogs. Can't wait for their next collection ...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bark's Best yet for Man's best friend.... November 5, 2007

By Rocco Ingala

Format:Hardcover

Howl is a terrific ode to Man's best friend...and a reminder that in this cold, dark world, a true friend can be found...Writer's from all around the country share warm and witty musings on their relationships with that one creature that gives and gives a "howl"...terrific, well done and a good read on the beach or before bed...M. Grasso Santa Monica, CA

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Witless April 13, 2008

By Bonner '62 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is supposed to be a collection of the best witty stories about dogs. It's not even close. I am a sucker for dogs and have lived with rescue dogs since the 70's so I am a prime consumer if this book was actually what it was supposed to be. I defy anyone to find a humorous passage in any story in the book. The tales are drab and sodden. Worse many of them are stories by people who don't know how to take care of dogs. One is about a house full of college students who of course eventually go their own ways and leave the dog with someone's mom. This is a great way to make sure shelters remain overcrowded. Many of the stories have the dogs running loose. Another receipe for disaster. So the stories are worse than simply lacking in wit, they are tales of what not to do with your dog. Pitiful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Howlin' Good Read January 1, 2008

By Jennifer Gerdes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

While I did not read "Bark", I very much enjoyed "Howl". It is a compilation of humorous animal stories from comedians, writers, actors, etc. Nice, easy (and very funny) reading!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best collection of dog anecdotes I've read March 1, 2008

By William Courson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The best collection of dog anecdotes I've read

Lord Byron was right about dogs possessing all of the human virtues without their corollary vices: beauty without vanity, intelligence without conceit, courage without ferocity and strength without insolence. We as a species are lucky that our canine quadruped friends, clearly superior beings, have anything at all to do with us bumbling, high-strung, self-important two-leggers. And you can add to Lord Byron's litany, humor without sarcasm. Yes, doggies do indeed have a sense of humor, not too terribly different from our own.

This is without doubt the best collection of dog anecdotes I've ever read, from the people who publish the wonderful "Bark" magazine (whose motto, by the way, is "Dog is my co-pilot").

While all of the stories in this delightful anthology are captivating, my personal favorites are John Glaser's "Better Than You," Margaret Cho's "Dog Whores" and "Strange Bedfellows" by the irrepressible Kinky Friedman.

No doubt, some 100 centuries ago when the first lupine proto-dogs got together and noted that - lacking opposable thumbs - they were most unlikely to evolve a technological civilization, a group decision was taken to hitch their wagon to the hominid star, thus ensuring a future of quality veterinary care, three squares a day and climate control. Not to mention, worshipful adoration!

Smart, very smart, critters these loveable mutts. Perhaps, uncounted eons hence, when they become the dominant species on the planet, they'll be publishing anthologies of "funny human" stories. I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

This is a wonderful book, howlingly funny, and I'd recommend it to any Dog person!...

As the immortal Groucho Marx once said, "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvelous book regarding man's best friend July 22, 2010

By Garry Engelberg

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Aarvel that is very well written and the smile doent leave your face as you explore

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I thought but still a good book July 5, 2009

By R. Coughlin

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am an adult in my 60's. Although I found this book somewhat funny I think it would be better for younger set.