Customer Reviews

What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Emily Yoffe is an incredibly funny writer. Her tales of adventure/misadventure with her beagle had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes and had to clutch my belly in pain. I read this book on a plane flight and the person in the next seat surely thought I was out of my mind. It's not solely the hijinx of the beagle that are funny but the writer's thoughts and her descriptions of her life and actions that remind me of what it was like to be a new dog owner. Some of the other reviews that rated the book poorly picked out certain anecdotes in the book that the reviewers didn't find funny but I think if you read it with a light heart and memories of your first dog, anyone else will find it incredibly entertaining and hysterically funny too.

This was by no means a perfect book. Ms. Yoffe's writing pace drags at times through tedious mawkishness over this or that adorable or precious thing that her perpetually incontinent dog has done. The book reads as I'm sure it was intended to - as a coffee table discussion among friends trading anecdotes over the things our pets do that are perplexing, hilarious, strangely human. For me, as a recent first time dog owner the story hits more often than misses. There are dozens of 'drop the book laughing' moments where I either see myself as the same sort of clueless pet owner as she or thank God above I don't have as high maintenance an animal as a beagle in my care. We're all human. We don't have it all figured out. As American humans, we most often don't even care to figure it all out before leaping into life changing situations much to our personal detriment. C'est la vie. Somehow, both we and our pets mostly find a way to soldier on despite our utter lack of competence at living life perfectly. This book's best quality is to show us our own ridiculous behavior in the context of funny dog stories and then smile at it. It's not War and Peace, folks. Just a funny book about being a dog owner. Take a breath and don't flame the funny dog story telling lady.

I absolutely loved this book! Anyone who has gone through the trials and tribulations of of dog ownership (espcially when cats are part of the family) will truly appreciate Yoffe's sense of humor. If you own, or are planning on owing, a dog you must read this book.

I started reading this book at 10:30pm and I couldn't put it down! I usually drift off after a few minutes of reading but this book was great- hilarious and very witty. One of the best books I have read in a long time and very refreshing- a great summertime read. Read it to find out exactly "what the dog did"- you'll have some great stories to pass along to your other dog lover friends as well as around the water cooler. Just read it somewhere where people won't mind hearing chuckling, you won't be able to keep it to yourself!

I laughed, I cried.... I couldn't put it down ! the author is a good story teller whose anecdotes and stories about dog ownership keep you laughing throughout. A good book thats a must for anyone considering a pet. Begrudgingly and underneath all the humor, Yoffe shows a sentimentality for Sasha and for all dogs !

This was my first exposure to Emily Yoffee, and I enjoyed the book immensely. She writes with humor and intelligence (not surprising, as she also writes for Slate Magazine!), and covers a multitude of doggie events. Dog lovers will enjoy the antics of her beagle, and her easy style of writing makes it easy to identify with her and other dog-owned people. A wonderfully fun read, and informative as well.

Two things. One, I am not a dog person. Two, there can never be too many dog books. As long as they're funny and at least somewhat informative.

Slate columnist and lifelong "cat person" Yoffe's account of how she became a dog person easily fills these requirements. It's packed with enough information to confirm a healthy resolve never to own a dog, at least not a beagle, and the self conscious are cautioned against reading it in public lest you attract stares for continuous eruptions of solitary laughter.

Yoffe starts from the lowest point of dog ownership, the night when she single handedly removed the strap of her favorite bra from the rear-end of her relieved beagle, Sasha. The chapter goes on to share stories about other canine culinary feats. One dog wolfed down the entire rubber gasket from a refrigerator in one piece; another swallowed a seven-inch knife. This latter was discovered only because the uncomplaining dog had stopped sleeping in her customary curled-up position. Sasha's special cat litter treat gets mentioned in a later chapter.

While most dogs will eat just about anything, beagles have other drawbacks. The beagle-rescue website has an upfront buyer-beware. "Getting a beagle after this was like reading about a car model in Consumer Reports: `If you want an automobile that will start reliably, requires little maintenance, runs in all kinds of weather and has a good safety record, then this model is not for you,' and then running to the dealer to put down a deposit on an Osie."

Incontinence is a recurring theme, a common trait of beagles. "When Sasha first arrived she did live up to the promise of being completely unhousebroken." Yoffe shares some truly disgusting stories - one concerns the dining room table - but even those who think scatological humor is only for boys of 12 will be howling.

Beagles are also notoriously difficult to train, meaning they prefer not to obey, and they cannot be allowed off the leash. "Sasha has made it clear that however much love and food we pour into her, if the front door is ajar for a millisecond, she will take off down the street without a farewell glance, on the scent trail of a decomposing possum, or a sewerline break."

Yoffe was pressured - guilted - into getting a dog by her husband and daughter. Her daughter's first written sentence was " `I love dogs.' " "Then she came home from kindergarten with a chart of everyone's favorite pet - hers was dog. When I mentioned she had cats, not a dog, she said, `They asked for my favorite, not what I have.' "

And so the research. Yoffe, who will be primary caretaker for this animal and knows it, takes charge from the start, treating it like a journalistic project. She looks into breeds and their histories, and ends up rescuing the neurotic, skittish, but adorable Sasha from imminent euthanasia. She collects dog stories from vets, trainers, breeders and passing strangers, visits a pet psychic, a facility that trains food-sniffing beagles for airport security and enlists Sasha in visiting nursing home invalids.

Attending a training session on psychic dog communication she struggles to achieve the required meditative state. "But as I concentrated on the thoughts of the sleeping Lulu, my mind was an utter blank. At first I felt like a failure, then I realized, this may be the mental state of a sleeping hound."

Beagles are used in airports to detect forbidden foods, like fruit and sausages. Yoffe accompanies the Beagle Brigade at work, but Sasha never strays far from her thoughts. "I tried to imagine Sasha patrolling the airport. All I could conjure up was her accidentally knocking over a toddler in order to pull a Twizzler out of the child's mouth."

Yoffe notices a strange transformation coming over her as time goes on. When she's away from home for too long she starts feeling anxious for Sasha - and it's not just fear of what havoc she may be wreaking in an empty house. "I was so far gone that I was starting to think about getting another dog. We were set up for it, we had the fence, the crates, the food. I was already a prisoner in my own home, so why not get a companion for Sasha?"

We can be sure it will make a good dog story.

Even admitted dog lovers don't always know about the world of dog rescue organizations. Like the creation of legislation and the manufacture of sausage, people don't want to think about where their beloved companion animal came from before he arrived in their family.
Luckily for us, Emily Yoffe takes us on a delightful tour through beagle-rescue land, introducing us to the personalities of the volunteers, the beagles, and the new owners themselves. Along the way she shows us the lows that can happen with Dogs Gone Bad, Owners Losing Interst, and the highs of successful Beagle placements.
Beagle owners, and probably other dog owners as well, will see themselves reflected in the pages of this book. And while I don't have a lock of my childhood beagle's fur in a locket like the author's mom, I will admit to having a 9x12 framed oil painting of him in my bedroom 30 years since he "crossed the bridge." Emily Yoffe's book honors everyone who has ever loved a dog, even if we've gone a little overboard.

A must read! I read the book in one day. I laughed, I cried and I'm going to read it again. This is a great book for previous dog (Beagle) owners, current dog (Beagle) owners and those contemplating adopting a dog (Beagle). Emily has a way of telling it like it is while giving you hope that you, too, can survive adopting a dog. !Word of warning! Do not read this at work - people around you will question your sanity when you start laughing hysterically.

I lost a night's sleep and it was, oh SO worth it! I made the 'mistake' of starting this book late at night, and couldn't put it down! I had to leave my room, so that I wouldn't wake my husband with my gales of laughter! It is smart, funny and TRUE. A delightful read!