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On Dogs: An Anthology
This entertaining anthology offers an array of writers past and present expressing their thoughts about dogs. With a humourous introduction by actor, producer and dog-lover Tracey Ullman. The writers and poets collected within these pages reflect on the joys and pitfalls of dog ownership with brilliant wit, insight, and affection. From Roald Amundsen s account of using and eating sled dogs in his expedition to the South Pole, to J.R. Ackerley s tender portrayal of his ill-behaved dog Tulip, ON DOGS traces the canine s journey from working animal to pampered pet. Introduced by Tracey Ullman (an inveterate adopter of strays), with 6 characterful dog portraits by animal photographer Rhian ap Gruffydd, and cover image by Picasso of his dog Lump. Contributors include Alice Walker, David Sedaris, A.A. Gill, James Thurber, Miranda Hart, Will Self, John Steinbeck, Barbara Woodhouse and many more.
170 pages, Hardcover
Published November 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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October 20, 2019[Gifted]
A broad collection of very short pieces of writing about the joys of dogs, from Miranda Hart to Shakespeare. Very English and very tongue in cheek, the edition is gorgeously designed too. This would make an excellent Christmas present.
A broad collection of very short pieces of writing about the joys of dogs, from Miranda Hart to Shakespeare. Very English and very tongue in cheek, the edition is gorgeously designed too. This would make an excellent Christmas present.
February 21, 2025
“Late one evening, while lying on a blanket in the garage, Duchess gave birth to a litter of slick, potato-sized puppies. When it looked as though one of them had died, our mother placed the creature in a casserole dish and popped it into the oven, like the witch in Hansel and Gretel.
‘Oh, keep your shirts on,’ she said. ‘It’s only set oh 200. I’m not baking anyone; this is just to keep him warm.’”
“Eulogies always tended to be brief, our motto being ‘Another day, another collar.’”
“A week after putting her to sleep, I received her ashes in a forest-green can. She’d never expressed any great interest in the outdoors, so I scattered her remains on the carpet and then vacuumed them up.”
“There are too many dogs! Sometimes the truth hurts, but that is the truth. The cost of this canine population explosion is a cycle of abandonment, overcrowded animal refuges and euthanasia.”
“Dogs have understood that they can use their genes to become smaller, furrier, weaker, worse hunters, reedier-voiced. Wolves went on being better and better wolves and now they're just behind the cheetahs in extinction's waiting room.
Dogs, meanwhile, have their own doctors and holiday homes.”
“Paris Hilton was frequently depicted with her favourite dog Tinkerbell Hilton, and many argued, created an increased demand for Chihuahuas, which in turn resulted in a large number of abandoned Chihuahuas. This became known as ‘the Paris Hilton syndrome.’”
“The Chihuahua's ambiguity is in some respects reminiscent of the bonsai tree: the dog can be regarded as a piece of nature brought into the social sphere as a portable proof of humanity's omnipotence, thus highlighting what the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan describes as the inseparability of dominance and affection. In short: the Chihuahua is a holy bonsai wolf.”
“In 2007, Daniel Edwards sculpted a diseased Hilton with a grieving Tinkerbell by her side, challenging the traditional sexist association of women with animals.”
‘Oh, keep your shirts on,’ she said. ‘It’s only set oh 200. I’m not baking anyone; this is just to keep him warm.’”
“Eulogies always tended to be brief, our motto being ‘Another day, another collar.’”
“A week after putting her to sleep, I received her ashes in a forest-green can. She’d never expressed any great interest in the outdoors, so I scattered her remains on the carpet and then vacuumed them up.”
“There are too many dogs! Sometimes the truth hurts, but that is the truth. The cost of this canine population explosion is a cycle of abandonment, overcrowded animal refuges and euthanasia.”
“Dogs have understood that they can use their genes to become smaller, furrier, weaker, worse hunters, reedier-voiced. Wolves went on being better and better wolves and now they're just behind the cheetahs in extinction's waiting room.
Dogs, meanwhile, have their own doctors and holiday homes.”
“Paris Hilton was frequently depicted with her favourite dog Tinkerbell Hilton, and many argued, created an increased demand for Chihuahuas, which in turn resulted in a large number of abandoned Chihuahuas. This became known as ‘the Paris Hilton syndrome.’”
“The Chihuahua's ambiguity is in some respects reminiscent of the bonsai tree: the dog can be regarded as a piece of nature brought into the social sphere as a portable proof of humanity's omnipotence, thus highlighting what the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan describes as the inseparability of dominance and affection. In short: the Chihuahua is a holy bonsai wolf.”
“In 2007, Daniel Edwards sculpted a diseased Hilton with a grieving Tinkerbell by her side, challenging the traditional sexist association of women with animals.”
February 21, 2025
Good book to keep in the car
December 30, 2019
I am a dog lover and I was gifted this book. The first two stories were nice and I was thinking how many people would love to read this cutie. The following stories were horrid! Then they got even worse and I've had trouble sleeping ever since. I have an aging dog and the stories are dreadful and mean. Would you like to be asked to sacrifice your dear pet and then be served his fresh head in a soup bowl? I hardly think this is a book anyone would enjoy.
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October 16, 2025[Gifted]
A broad collection of very short pieces of writing about the joys of dogs, from Miranda Hart to Shakespeare. Very English and very tongue in cheek, the edition is gorgeously designed too. This would make an excellent Christmas present.
A broad collection of very short pieces of writing about the joys of dogs, from Miranda Hart to Shakespeare. Very English and very tongue in cheek, the edition is gorgeously designed too. This would make an excellent Christmas present.
January 9, 2020
Very interesting muses on dogs. Very definitely not sugar coated. Especially liked the AA Gill story. This was a2019 Christmas present from Richard.
January 21, 2020
charming little book about everything dogs - my takeaway is that it's humans that need training, not so much dogs....
January 5, 2021
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews