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Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two
He asked me what it is with balls...why I love them so much. I had a think about that. It is 'cause they fly. Like birds. I'm supposed to chase birds. I'm a bird-dog. 'Course, she won't really let me. It doesn't stop me barking at 'em and seeing 'em off from my garden. But it isn't the same. Somewhere, deep inside, I know what I am supposed to do, what I am supposed to be. But I can't be that for some reason... things aren't quite set up right for me to chase birds all day and bring them back to her. On the other hand, that's who I am...and you can't be anything else than that... so the balls let me be myself in a world where I can't catch birds all day. She says that's not unusual... She seems to think that we all know who we really are, deep down, and that we spend all our time trying to find a way to be that in a world that doesn't quite seem to fit. We either find other stuff to express it...like balls.... Or we try and be what others think we should be... But you can't be a terrier if you are a retriever, can you? A bit like asking a fish to climb trees. It can be done, but it isn't easy!" Ani, a very familiar spirit, was named for one of the ancient gods. It should, I suppose, have been no surprise when she took over the keyboard and began to write. A year later she had me collect her writings into a single volume at the insistence of her fans... who have been taken by her playful love of life and her odd wisdom...largely because she is saving for an automatic tennis ball launcher. The book is a collection of Ani's periodic posts, Notes from a Small Dog, on scvincent.com, with some other pieces she has asked me to include. She even lets me write occasionally... By this time you may, of course, think I am barking mad myself... you may have a point... but I stand with Orhan Pamuk, "Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.
138 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2013
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Sue Vincent
74 books119 followersSue Vincent is a Yorkshire born writer currently living in the south of England, largely due to an unfortunate incident with a map, a pin and a blindfold. Raised in a spiritually eclectic family she has always had an unorthodox view on life, particularly the inner life, which is often reflected in her writing, poetry and paintings.
She maintains a popular blog, https://scvincent.com and is currently owned by Ani, the inimitable Small Dog, who also writes.
Sue lived in France for several years, sharing a Bohemian lifestyle and writing songs before returning to England where the youngest of her two sons was born. She began writing and teaching online several years ago, and was invited to collaborate with Dr G. Michael Vasey on their book, "The Mystical Hexagram: The Seven Inner Stars of Power".
Since then she has published a number of books, beginning with "Swords of Destiny", a magical tale set in the ancient landscape of Yorkshire. Her retelling of the Egyptian myths, "The Osiriad", came shortly afterwards along with her collaboration with Stuart France. Together they have written the Triad of Albion, the Doomsday trilogy and the first books in the Lands of Exiles series.
These books tell a true adventure in a fictional manner. They are at once a journey into the ancient and sacred landscape of Albion and the story of a growing and rather oddball friendship.
The Triad of Albion was followed by the Doomsday trilogy and France and Vincent are now working on the three books in the Lands of Exile series, where the adventures of Don and Wen stray down the paths of fiction.
They have also published a number of graphic works together exploring folklore and legend, as well as writing independently. https://franceandvincent.com/
Sue, along with Steve Tanham and Stuart France, is a Director of the Silent Eye School of Consciousness, an international modern Mystery School that seeks to allow its students to find the inherent magic in living and being. https://thesilenteye.co.uk
She maintains a popular blog, https://scvincent.com and is currently owned by Ani, the inimitable Small Dog, who also writes.
Sue lived in France for several years, sharing a Bohemian lifestyle and writing songs before returning to England where the youngest of her two sons was born. She began writing and teaching online several years ago, and was invited to collaborate with Dr G. Michael Vasey on their book, "The Mystical Hexagram: The Seven Inner Stars of Power".
Since then she has published a number of books, beginning with "Swords of Destiny", a magical tale set in the ancient landscape of Yorkshire. Her retelling of the Egyptian myths, "The Osiriad", came shortly afterwards along with her collaboration with Stuart France. Together they have written the Triad of Albion, the Doomsday trilogy and the first books in the Lands of Exiles series.
These books tell a true adventure in a fictional manner. They are at once a journey into the ancient and sacred landscape of Albion and the story of a growing and rather oddball friendship.
The Triad of Albion was followed by the Doomsday trilogy and France and Vincent are now working on the three books in the Lands of Exile series, where the adventures of Don and Wen stray down the paths of fiction.
They have also published a number of graphic works together exploring folklore and legend, as well as writing independently. https://franceandvincent.com/
Sue, along with Steve Tanham and Stuart France, is a Director of the Silent Eye School of Consciousness, an international modern Mystery School that seeks to allow its students to find the inherent magic in living and being. https://thesilenteye.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 26, 2015
What a perfect book to place on your coffee table! This collection of poetry is cleverly written, carefully planned, and hilarious. The author writes on a range of subjects seen from the perspective of a small dog and her owner. They muse about common activities like gardening, eating and cleaning. Some go back to explore history like "Homage" and "Sweet Briar" which discuss The Magna Carta and Snow White. Don't know what to do when you can't sleep. You might want to read "Zombie Dawn."
There is no end to the author's creativity. This book is a perfect remedy when you feel you need to kick back and have a good laugh. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a quick pick me up.
There is no end to the author's creativity. This book is a perfect remedy when you feel you need to kick back and have a good laugh. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a quick pick me up.
June 4, 2017
Michael and I are firm Ani addicts so another whole book about Ani’s antics is a real treat. The goings on of Ani’s two legs, sets Michael off into gales of laughter so we are really happy to read about the trials and tribulations of “Her” too.
The book is written in rhyming verse and tells all sorts of tales. To coin a phrase, Ani says:
“The time has come,” the doglet said,
“to talk of many things;
Of tennis balls and squeaky ducks,
and sneaky bees with stings; …”
In this book, Laughter Lies, Life from the Tail End, you will meet some of Ani’s friends, OR NOT:
The cat likes to sit on the roof of the shed
While the dog views this as an intrusion,
It’s all fur and teeth
As the dog growls beneath
And the birds flutter round in confusion.
We get some insights into Ani’s diet:
Its cream cheese and crackers for me and the dog,
While I’m more the epicure… she’s just a hog…
AND
Me and the dog had a sandwich for brunch
(Well, for me it was breakfast, for her it was lunch.)
NOT TO MENTION
The ham disappeared without leaving a trace
Except for the grin upon one small dog’s face.
So if you like to enjoy life and have a good giggle, pick up this delightful book of light-hearted poems and jump right in. There are also some lovely photographs in the book for the reader to enjoy.
The book is written in rhyming verse and tells all sorts of tales. To coin a phrase, Ani says:
“The time has come,” the doglet said,
“to talk of many things;
Of tennis balls and squeaky ducks,
and sneaky bees with stings; …”
In this book, Laughter Lies, Life from the Tail End, you will meet some of Ani’s friends, OR NOT:
The cat likes to sit on the roof of the shed
While the dog views this as an intrusion,
It’s all fur and teeth
As the dog growls beneath
And the birds flutter round in confusion.
We get some insights into Ani’s diet:
Its cream cheese and crackers for me and the dog,
While I’m more the epicure… she’s just a hog…
AND
Me and the dog had a sandwich for brunch
(Well, for me it was breakfast, for her it was lunch.)
NOT TO MENTION
The ham disappeared without leaving a trace
Except for the grin upon one small dog’s face.
So if you like to enjoy life and have a good giggle, pick up this delightful book of light-hearted poems and jump right in. There are also some lovely photographs in the book for the reader to enjoy.
January 2, 2018
A wonderful set of poems, showcasing the talent of Sue Vincent, and her four-legged pooch Ani!
Sue Vincent has a way with words, she can tell a tale in rhyme that hooks you and leaves you wanting more.
Thoroughly enjoyed!
Sue Vincent has a way with words, she can tell a tale in rhyme that hooks you and leaves you wanting more.
Thoroughly enjoyed!
May 31, 2015
An Amusing Book of Clever Poems!
Laughter Lines is an amusing book of poems cleverly written that will cause your laughter to bubble over. It is an extremely enjoyable romp through a dog's life and more. The author's poems carry a musical cadence that still resonant in my mind.
Sue Vincent is a talented poet, author and storyteller extraordinaire. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Laughter Lines is an amusing book of poems cleverly written that will cause your laughter to bubble over. It is an extremely enjoyable romp through a dog's life and more. The author's poems carry a musical cadence that still resonant in my mind.
Sue Vincent is a talented poet, author and storyteller extraordinaire. I look forward to reading more of her work.
March 8, 2021
Sue Vincent's amazingly beguiling Notes from a Small Dog (2013) is the love story between a dog named Ani and it’s human companion. It's told in vignettes--watching Ani's fulfilling life with a human through her eyes as she fulfills the obligations she sees as required of a dog in a human family. There’s empathy, respect, and understanding on both sides as each shows in their actions how valuable the other is to them. Read this passage and see if you wouldn't love to be the dog in this relationship:
"...catching something of my joy in the adventure of the new day as her eyes shone..."
"I’ve noticed you humans do that a lot. You fix your eyes on the details and lose sight of the bigger picture."
The book is a mixture of poetry--usually the author sharing her dog-loving emotions--and lots of narrative as the small dog describes his job:
"She thought she’d be helpful and have second helpings Distracting me nicely with wagging and yelping."
"She has explained it all to me. I don’t know if she realizes how much I understand..."
It is a light-hearted upbeat story, even after Ani notices there is something wrong with her companion and she doesn't know how to make it better:
"She smells funny. She’s wearing these big white things wrapped round bits of her, and she doesn’t smell right. I’m not sure I like it."
"I felt really miserable after that. I just curled up all damp in my bed. Couldn’t even be bothered to bark at the pigeon through the window."
Every passage in this book is narrated exactly as I would imagine a dog thinks. It’s as though Sue Vincent was a dog--beloved by her owner--in a prior life. This is the feel good book of the year. Even cat people will fall in love with this book.
"...catching something of my joy in the adventure of the new day as her eyes shone..."
"I’ve noticed you humans do that a lot. You fix your eyes on the details and lose sight of the bigger picture."
The book is a mixture of poetry--usually the author sharing her dog-loving emotions--and lots of narrative as the small dog describes his job:
"She thought she’d be helpful and have second helpings Distracting me nicely with wagging and yelping."
"She has explained it all to me. I don’t know if she realizes how much I understand..."
It is a light-hearted upbeat story, even after Ani notices there is something wrong with her companion and she doesn't know how to make it better:
"She smells funny. She’s wearing these big white things wrapped round bits of her, and she doesn’t smell right. I’m not sure I like it."
"I felt really miserable after that. I just curled up all damp in my bed. Couldn’t even be bothered to bark at the pigeon through the window."
Every passage in this book is narrated exactly as I would imagine a dog thinks. It’s as though Sue Vincent was a dog--beloved by her owner--in a prior life. This is the feel good book of the year. Even cat people will fall in love with this book.
December 30, 2019
A delightful book written from the point of view of a charming dog named Ani with some words of wisdom from Ani's owner, Sue, interspersed throughout. Ani is everything you would want in a fur baby. She is lovable, playful, mischievous and clever. I have a dog and imagined her saying and doing the same things as I read the Ani chapters. Here is some dog wisdom: "We're always in love. With everything really...smells...toys...people... It's hard for me to imagine how it must be for you lot who aren't..." Ani, Page 138. And here is some human wisdom: "To me, she is a laughing free-spirit, who knows what must not be done in order to love peaceably n her environment and knows, too, where the boundaries lie between necessity and choice. Which ought to be pretty much the same for all of us." Sue, page 105. All dog owners would love this book about the antics of Ani and her relationship with her human.
February 18, 2018
Where to start with a review of Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two by Sue Vincent? I loved this books so much and so did Michael. It became a bit of a contentious book between Mike and I as I sneakily read ahead and Michael realised that I wasn't starting where I had finished reading to him and made me go back. He was very determined not to miss a single word. I love this type of story, told mainly through the eyes of a small and very cute dog called Ani. Sue depicts day to day life in such a humorous and fun filled way and I found it a wonderful way to end each stress filled day to sit down and read a few chapters of Ani's antics to Michael [and to myself of course thereby sparking Mike's intense displeasure as mentioned above]. Sue writes beautiful descriptions of the natural environment where she lives and her depictions of some of Ani's learning experiences are very funny. I can just picture the surprise of a small dog taking a flying leap into a pond that has frozen overnight. Sue describes Ani's anxiety and attention when she is ill and her concern and caring when Ani is ill. This book is altogether completely delightful and tells a beautiful story of the special relationship that can develop between man and his best friend. There are also a few of Sue's humorous and clever Ani poems thrown in for good measure. This genre of book is just up my street and I rated this book five out of five on Goodreads. I have ordered the next book in the series and am anxiously waiting for Amazon to deliver it.
Read
November 3, 2015Continuing the journey begun in The Initiate and Heart of Albion, Don and Wen find themselves sliding ever deeper into the mythology, folklore and symbolism that abounds in the English countryside.
Things are getting serious.
Wen-of-the-Wild-Locks has uncovered a Flaming Hill in the centre of the Field of Sheaves but Wide-Eyed Don, our cautiously sceptical anti-hero is still having none of it.
Anu, the Bird-Dog, is intent on inventing more and more new games to play. Falling out of the bullet-car backwards is definitely not one of them and sadly, solitaire also appears to be out of the question.
The evil Count Dashwood has gone missing without so much as a by your leave even though he knows as well as we do that every good tale needs an A-list baddie.
There are sacred hills sprouting up under practically every foot-step and our insipid intrepid heroes are fast running out of functions to give them.
“We’ll try and have it all resolved for you before the pubs open.”
“Don, as usual, is gagging for a pint.”
Things are getting serious.
Wen-of-the-Wild-Locks has uncovered a Flaming Hill in the centre of the Field of Sheaves but Wide-Eyed Don, our cautiously sceptical anti-hero is still having none of it.
Anu, the Bird-Dog, is intent on inventing more and more new games to play. Falling out of the bullet-car backwards is definitely not one of them and sadly, solitaire also appears to be out of the question.
The evil Count Dashwood has gone missing without so much as a by your leave even though he knows as well as we do that every good tale needs an A-list baddie.
There are sacred hills sprouting up under practically every foot-step and our insipid intrepid heroes are fast running out of functions to give them.
“We’ll try and have it all resolved for you before the pubs open.”
“Don, as usual, is gagging for a pint.”
April 1, 2015
This book came to my attention after discovering this writer contributed to a regular blog, Daily Echo (http://scvincent.com/), I had been lucky enough to read some of the excerpts and when I discovered these tales (no pun intended) had become a book I had to buy it.
Sue Vincents writing is beautiful and the variety of work she creates is astounding. Ani instantly captures the minds (and hearts) of all those who read her stories. Ani’s interpretation of the world is hilarious (and true) and her journey from pup to pen-pusher is magical. An endearing collection that will brighten anyone’s day. Along with a fabulous collection that would make any heart melt.
My only complaint is that I think my henry will now forever be known as the hoover monster! Lol. I can’t wait for the next collection of adventures from Ani’s world.
Sue Vincents writing is beautiful and the variety of work she creates is astounding. Ani instantly captures the minds (and hearts) of all those who read her stories. Ani’s interpretation of the world is hilarious (and true) and her journey from pup to pen-pusher is magical. An endearing collection that will brighten anyone’s day. Along with a fabulous collection that would make any heart melt.
My only complaint is that I think my henry will now forever be known as the hoover monster! Lol. I can’t wait for the next collection of adventures from Ani’s world.
April 21, 2016
What a great fun read - perfect 'laugh out loud' poems for dipping into at any time!
One or two of them will exercise the reader's Yorkshire accent a treat.
The author and her 'small dog' make a formidable team with their wry look at life together as well as life in general.
See my review also at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U...
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00US...
http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B...
One or two of them will exercise the reader's Yorkshire accent a treat.
The author and her 'small dog' make a formidable team with their wry look at life together as well as life in general.
See my review also at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U...
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00US...
http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B...
May 20, 2016
I thought I would try something different
Not something I usually do
But I have just read a fabulous book
And I wanted to write a review!
If you enjoy a great poem
And love to have a good laugh
Then you will love Ani’s antics
To get out of having a bath!
If legends are more to your fancy
St George and the dragon – the truth
To slay it takes one feisty princess
Not some weak, callow youth!
Do you have a sense of adventure?
To do what very few dare
Stand out from the crowd and be noticed
With vibrant red pillar box hair!
These stories are just a selection
In the book there are tales of all kinds
So I urge you to read it
Sue’s brilliant book, Laughter Lines!
Not something I usually do
But I have just read a fabulous book
And I wanted to write a review!
If you enjoy a great poem
And love to have a good laugh
Then you will love Ani’s antics
To get out of having a bath!
If legends are more to your fancy
St George and the dragon – the truth
To slay it takes one feisty princess
Not some weak, callow youth!
Do you have a sense of adventure?
To do what very few dare
Stand out from the crowd and be noticed
With vibrant red pillar box hair!
These stories are just a selection
In the book there are tales of all kinds
So I urge you to read it
Sue’s brilliant book, Laughter Lines!
December 19, 2013
What a delightful read. Ani, when she gets to use the computer, tells about her days and her exploits. There are a couple of charming poems interspersed with Ani's tales. Sue Vincent also adds a couple of chapters about life.
This was an easy read. Well written and charming. I don't know how you could read this and not fall in love.
I recommend this book for dog lovers. It would be a great gift for someone too. Besides, Ani is trying to sell enough books to buy herself a ball thrower thingy.
This was an easy read. Well written and charming. I don't know how you could read this and not fall in love.
I recommend this book for dog lovers. It would be a great gift for someone too. Besides, Ani is trying to sell enough books to buy herself a ball thrower thingy.
April 22, 2017
I fell in love with Ani via her blog posts, and fell in love with her all over again while reading this book. This is a well-written - not to mention, often entertaining - read, which anyone who loves dogs will enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews