"'Cooking with Dogs' is a delightful little 'gift' book that explores the bonds between us and our dogs through a collection of meditative vignettes. The short essays, none more than a page long, are paired up with wonderfully drawn illustrations. The book has little to do with cooking: the title refers dually to warmth, sharing and sustenance, and to 'cooking' as plucked from the world of jazz, being 'with it,' inspired, excited. These meanings are carried through multiple themes, such as 'Common Scents,' 'Philanderer,' "Chasing Rabbits,''Food,' and 'Sensory Perception.' Developing a greater understanding of our pets is certainly a goal of most people. This book, filled with anecdotes and insightful stories of moments in the lives of dogs, sheds light on this understanding and quickly penetrates to the heart of the matter. This playful and attractive book reveals a true celebration of our friendship with dogs." -- The Bark, Fall 1998
"A book for people to read to their pets. Or who might think about reading to their pets. That is to say, people who really, truly, and deeply love their dogs and value their friendship and the company they provide. Karen Dowell seems to understand them -- both the people and the dogs -- very well." -- Linda Richards, The January Review, October 19, 1998
"Dowell's poems and short observations about the dogs in her life should be required reading for all dog owners." -- Bar Harbor Times, September 16, 1999
"It is no surprise that Karen Dowell's former occupation was business writer; she certainly understands the economics of words. In 'Cooking with Dogs,' Dowell has crafted a series of short, vividly imagined vignettes -- prose poems really -- about life with and without her 'sons,' two rather handsome and strapping Labs pictured with the author on the dust jacket. The titles of the pieces hint at the generally playful and often experimental nature of the prose: 'If Dogs Could Fly,' 'Common Scents,' 'Sleeping Around.' At times, Dowell writes like a closet e.e. cummings, as in this excerpt from 'Dog Poets:' 'They learn young to smell emotion -- sniff around cliches to find stories pungent with spirit. Yellow graffiti. Whiffs of e.e. in urine scrawls. Territorial tales ripe with spontaneity.' The illustrations by a group of talented artists ably complement these whimsical flights of fancy, but be careful while reading 'Cooking with Dogs' or you might wind up burning ! your supper." -- Tim Hall, AKC Gazette, November 1998
"Karen Dowell's 'Cooking with Dogs' captivates with both pictures and words. Her poems and short observations about the dogs in her life should be required reading for all dog owners. Not because they will learn anything new from these little scraps of canine 'arcana,' but because she puts it so well." -- Nan Lincoln, Bar Harbor Times, September 16, 1999
"This is a howling good holiday gift (If you can wait 'til then to share it.)" -- USA Today, September 18, 1998
Wonderful--a book for Jiggs. No, not the comic strip character. Jiggs was a truly great dog I had as a kid in Texas. -- Charles Barsotti, cartoonist and author of A Girl Needs a Little Action, Kings Don't Carry Money and The Best of Charles Barsotti
Dog lovers, that passonate breed, will be eating out of Karen Dowell's hand by the time they get to the end of 'Cooking with Dogs.' She knows who's boss in her household and doesn't resent it a bit. In fact it's fed her sense of humor, of loyalty, of tenderness. Even a cat person like me can have serious fun with this book--except for the drool. I can't get over the drool. -- Rosellen Brown, author of Before and After, Civil Wars and Tender Mercies
Last night, I read 'Cooking with Dogs' to my sagacious yellow lab. She pretended not to understand these tasty morsels of life. This morning, I found the book chewed to shreds. Wit, wisdom, and roughage. Like me, she had eaten up every word with a hearty appetite. -- Marjorie Robins, Newsday Travel Editor
What a combination! Witty, gritty, and wise prose in a playfully elegant book. This woman knows her dogs. -- Siri Beckman, artist and author of A Dog Named Blackberry,and Small Victory
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Cooking with Dogs" The kitchen is empty. You've gone for a walk, leaving me to cook alone.
No curious black noses glide along the counter's edge. No puddles of drool shine on the floor. No feet or tails to trip over. No nudges to remind me you like cheese.
I slice mushrooms in begging silence, set aside some chicken skin, and wish I were cooking with dogs.
