Doggerel: Poems About Dogs

by Carmela Ciuraru (Editor)

From Chaucer to Billy Collins and from basset hounds to brindle bull terriers, Doggerel presents a robust brood of the most charming verse tributes ever offered to our beloved canine companions.

The rich and assorted cadences of some of the most distinguished poets across the centuries ring out from these pages–from Spenser, Shakespeare, and Pope to Merrill, Merwin, and Muldoon–celebrating pooches of every pedigree and persuasion. Here is Margaret Cavendish’s barking chorus of beagles on the hunt; Elizabeth Bishop’s “Pink Dog” alongside Robyn Selman’s “My Dog is Named for Elizabeth Bishop”; Charles Baxter’s villanelle “Dog Kibble,” whose dog-narrator decides that “Life isn’t meaningless because there’s food”; and the desultory charms of Jane Kenyon’s unleashed dog, nuzzling about on a drizzly afternoon.

From lazy dogs curled up by the fireplace to audacious hounds howling at the moon, from mutts to purebreds, puppies to old dogs, Doggerel is an irresistible gathering of fast and faithful friends.

Genres: Poetry, Dogs, Animals, Anthologies

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2003

About the author

Carmela Ciuraru is the author of Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms, and her anthologies include First Loves: Poets Introduce the Essential Poems That Captivated and Inspired Them and Solitude Poems. She is a member of PEN American and the National Book Critics Circle, and she has been interviewed on The Today Show and by newspapers and radio stations internationally. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In memory of Duke-
THE POWER OF THE DOG

By Rudyard Kipling.
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
But when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years that nature permits
Are closing in asthma or tumors or fits
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers, or loaded guns.
Then you will find--its your own affair
But--you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will
When the whimper of welcome is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You still discover how much you care
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em the more do we grieve;
For when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short time loan is as bad as a long--
So why in Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you say about a collection of poems about our best friend - the dog? From playful puppyhood through a life pampered or brutal to commemorations to a lost pet, companion or work helpmate. Some written in unknown times but there is one that goes back to the 15th century into the modern times. Some names are familiar while maybe, most are not but provides an introduction to many new poets.

This is not a book to be rushed through but savored. Savored like the poem to the glutton who would eat just about anything and paid for it with a troubled tummy. Poems about walks on a lease to the 'joy' of the hunt. To a favored breed or that most adorable mixed breed.

It's a rather irresistible collection that makes you want to read just one more...

2021-111

[Elena Sala · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a charming little book filled with poems for dog lovers. It includes poems written by Lord Byron, W. H. Auden, William Wordsworth, Geoffrey Chaucer, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, Emily Dickinson, among many others.
You won't find cheesy poems in this collection: some are funny, others are heartbreaking, and most of them are delightful (except those related to hunting, which I found distressing). If you love dogs like I do, this lovely tome will steal a smile from you every time you open it.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time to read a book of poems about dogs. Some made me think, some made me sad, and some made me glad I have a great relationship with my dog. I'm going to look for more poems about dogs now. Enjoyed this little book.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some enjoyable poems in here, many though were not my particular style and many focused on an age when dogs were used much more for hunting or might be killed by their owners which while true to the times I found a bit distressing as a reader.

[Angie Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful slim volume of Dog poems, some are funny, some are sad, but all are delightful.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems for dog-lovers, even if you don't usually read poetry. Lots of sweet, rhyming poems I can imagine reading to children, or memorizing for fun. I read bits of this book during odd moments and between other books, just for a break from prose and life in general. My only complaint was the last section, about dying dogs - hard to read. But on the whole, this was a great collection of appreciation for those wonderful creatures who love us, no matter what.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catching up on a book I've had in my personal library for quite some time. This fit a poetry prompt for the 2023 Pick Your Poison reading challenge.
As another reviewer commented, many of the poems were written during historical times when dogs were more utility animals than family pets. So, thematically and linguistically, this book has a dated feel to it.

[Sassafras Patterdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little book and I'm pretty much always a sucker for dogs and poetry - i'm glad it's on my bookshelf though the sections that were heavily about hunting dogs were .... a lot for me, similarly the memorial section at the end was painful because i hate reading about dogs dying.

[mwr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously -- don't ask me. I don't know why I'm doing this.

Highlights include
Pope's Argus
Elliot's The Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles, and the Intervention of the Great Rumpuscat
and Caroline Fry Wilson's extremely upsetting The Dogs of St Bernards.

But yeah, mostly this is exactly what you'd expect

[John Geddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple nice pieces in the collection, but a lot that was included only for subject matter rather than substance. Fine but certainly not required reading.

[Frame Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

just found this @library, just love it, love dogs, love poems, so perfection! posted to my sis's fb pg& gonna buy a copy for each of us;
not reading cover to cover, but a poem at a time, yesterday's was "Walking the Dog" by Howard Nemerov, my boyfriend's favorite dog poem, & Nemerov, one of his fave poets. My poem for today is "Dog Dreaming" by W.S. Merwin, & I posted that one to my sister Michele's page, just know she will love, we are huge dog lovers...

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little book, and a great collection of dog poems, including many of my modern favorites (Elizabeth Bishop, Maxine Kumin, Liesl Mueller, Mark Strand, and W.S. Merwin; Merwin writes the best dog poems) and many heralded greats (Byron, Wordsworth, Barrett Browning, Cowper). It's a tiny, charmingly bound book (from the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series) and would make a great gift for a literate dog lover.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, esp. if you know dogs and like poetry. How often do you find Stevie Smith and William Cowper in the same volume? The whole book is worth discovering one poem - Jill Ciment's incredible "Mommy" - a hilarious dog-riff on Plath's "Daddy." Would be a fun gift for a dog-loving English major...

[Gracee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an on going read - I don't think I've ever picked up a poetry book and read it cover to cover. My youngest son gave this to me for Christmas one year, and I just found it again. I read a few poems, then savor them for a few days, then read again, and savor...

[h · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little collection. As a noted Crazy Dog Lady, I'm a lover of all things dog related. This book contained several new-to-my-eyes poems and a few old favorites as well. I will gladly admit to crying, too. So...THERE.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

every dog poem ever written in english, which is to say, too many for me

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for dog lovers, especially those who also like poetry. Many of the poems reminded me of my own dogs.

[Brent]

Available at Carlos Museum Bookshop ~
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