Dogs: Funny Side Up! (Paperback)

by Nola Lee Kelsey (Author), Jeanne Modesitt (Editor), Valerie Stone (Editor)
Key Phrases: temple dogs, Nola Lee Kelsey, Best Friends, Khun Soonthree (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Dogs Funny Side Up by Nola Lee Kelsey is a hysterically funny and honest book by a dog lover who has worked with dog rescue agencies at home and in Thailand. I read it in a single sitting and laughed out loud. This will be a sure hit with all dog lovers on your list." --Dolce Dolce, December 17, 2008

"She has a knack for encountering the bizarre . . .This book introduces readers to many wonderful dogs who have taught humans a great deat about life. Even folks who do not share their lives with furry friends will enjoy these stories. The book will also provide some good reading for families who share books" --Dee Ann Ray, Clinton Daily News, Nov. 18, 2008

"She has a knack for encountering the bizarre . . .This book introduces readers to many wonderful dogs who have taught humans a great deat about life. Even folks who do not share their lives with furry friends will enjoy these stories. The book will also provide some good reading for families who share books" --Dee Ann Ray, Clinton Daily News, Nov. 18, 2008

"Nola Kelsey has dog-gone done it again! 'Dogs: Funny Side Up!' offers the plight of animal rescue organizations throughout the world delivered by the author's trademark infectious wit and explosive candor. Kelsey's personal stories of her adopted dogs and her work as a rescuer blend funny with fury, heart-warming and humorous yet also eye-opening for readers as they discover the emotional and difficult work of rescue organizations. Kelsey proves that her bark is just as potent as her bite."

--Joseph O. Patton, Publisher, Capital City Free Press

Review
"Delightful! Worldly insightful! . . . Nola Lee Kelsey, a consummate writer who knows her stuff, has a quick mind and sharp wit, and it's not all about dogs.

If you have any interest in animals, you'll like this book. If you're involved with animal rescue organizations, you'll love this book. Nola Lee Kelsey, a consummate writer who knows her stuff, has a quick mind and sharp wit, and it's not all about dogs."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Dogs Eye View Press (October 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980232325
• ISBN-13: 978-0980232325
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,442 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs? Yes. But much more, October 16, 2008

By	Christian McCallister "dr dolphin" (The waters of the Great Lakes) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Nola Lee Kelsey is somewhat of a nomad, and she is definitely an advocate for animal welfare and supporter and expert on animal rescue shelters. Through the combination of these factors, she has traveled much, with consistent involvement with rescue shelters in many countries, with much of her experience coming in Thailand and the United States. In Dogs Funny Side Up, we get a collection of colorful stories about Ms. Kelsey's experiences.

The book is set up in chapters, with each chapter covering a different topic. I believe these chapters were written at different times, but that is just a guess. The topics vary widely, as does the tone of the writing. The chapters on Christmas in Dogtown are joyous celebrations. The advice chapters, on subjects like how to end up with the best choice of a dog from a rescue shelter, are very matter-of-fact and commonsensical.

When it comes to the chapters about animal abusers, dog-fighting, or people who think they know all about dog behavior because they watched a television program, though, watch out! The gloves come off, the rapier is unsheathed, and it is no-holds-barred. To say that the humor is biting or cutting, would be a dramatic understatement. To say that it is caustic or scathing, would miss the humor of it, but would not be too strong.

Some of the chapters cover events in the author's experiences with her own dogs. Her misadventures around finding a good house- and dog-sitter, for when she travels, are funny. Her experiences, regarding dogs biting people, are not funny, but are very informative.

The chapters about the temple dogs in Thailand gave me information I had not known, as well as a view into a culture that is unfamiliar to me. I found them fascinating.

Reading this book elicits as wide a range of emotions as the varied topics covered and the shifting tones of the writing. The Christmas in Dogtown tails, uh, tales, were heartwarming and made me smile. I ignored the occasional political comments, as I saw them as off-topic, but those were few and far between. I cheered some of the hard-hitting jabs at dog-fighting enthusiasts. I laughed aloud at Ms. Kelsey's comparisons between raising a child and adopting a dog. I wonder what her son thought of the book, although I doubt that he did not know her views before.

About the Author (from the back cover): Zoologist Nola Lee Kelsey has penned an eclectic brew of books from the scathingly wicked, rural satire Bitch Unleashed Revised!: The Harsh Realities of Goin' Country to the charming, children's read-aloud Let's Go Visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Over the past two decades Kelsey has worked as a Dog Caregiver for Best Friends Animal Society (Nat Geo's Dogtown), a Reptile Keeper, a Marine Park Trainer, and a Wildlife Rehabilitator. She's also a self-confessed serial volunteer for global animal rescue organizations. As she's meandered the globe, her humor articles have appeared in publications from Reptiles (1-year) to The Bangkok Post.

This publisher offered me, and I accepted, an advanced reading copy (uncorrected proof), probably because I had read and reviewed Ms. Kelsey's Let's Go Visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

-- Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, laugh, learn, October 28, 2008

By	Alan Anderson (Colorado USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I am not particularly interesting in reading about dogs -- I read this book because I loved "Bitch Unleashed Revised!: The Harsh Realities of Goin' Country", also by Nola Kelsey. I am very glad I read "Dogs: Funny Side Up!". This book not only is filled with razor sharp wit and subtle wry intelligence; but, dog-gone-it, I actually learned a few things in spite of the fact that I normally read for fun rather than wisdom. The diverse spectrum of topics, settings, and situations keeps the essays interesting. I would give this truly original book five stars for people interested in the wide world of dogs, or four stars for the nonpet owners. Read it, laugh, gain new perspectives!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful! Worldly insightful!, October 11, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Delightful! Worldly insightful!

Quoting from the back cover:

"Welcome to a 'dog-gone' hysterical perspective born out of a life that has literally gone to the dogs. From Nat Geo's Dogtown to the temples of Northern Thailand, Kelsey's biting satire offers an outrageously fresh perspective on the world of animal rescue and a life spent among man's best friends."

My favorite chapter is titled So Ya Wanna Start a Sanctuary. Allow me to share the opening paragraphs with you:

"Many of us dream of starting our own animal sanctuaries. In my world you hear this fantasy so often you'd think shelters would be as common as pigeons in Balboa Park or Republicans in denial.

"After two decades of working at, and volunteering for, every ilk of animal rescue, in addition to attending seminars on founding sanctuaries, and driving past many more, I fancy myself quite knowledgeable on the basics of sanctuary operations. This is precisely why I don't start one."

If you have any interest in animals, you'll like this book. If you're involved with animal rescue organizations, you'll love this book. Nola Lee Kelsey, a consummate writer who knows her stuff, has a quick mind and sharp wit, and it's not all about dogs.

Kaye Trout
Reviewer