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Avg. Customer Rating:(based on 32 reviews) Sales Rank: 10366 Category: Book
Author:Gene Weingarten Publisher:Simon & Schuster Studio:Simon & Schuster Manufacturer:Simon & Schuster Label:Simon & Schuster Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published) Media: Hardcover Edition: 1st Simon and Schuster Hardcover Ed Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 160 Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2 Dimensions (in): 8 x 7.7 x 0.7
Product Description Anyone who has ever loved an old dog will love Old Dogs. In this collection of profiles and photographs, Weingarten and Williamson document the unique appeal of man's best friend in his or her last, and best, years.
This book is a tribute to every dog who has made it to that time of life when the hearing and eyesight begin to go, when the step becomes uncertain, but when other, richer traits ripen and coalesce. It is when a dog attains a special sort of dignity and a charm all his own.
If you've known a favorite old dog, you'll find him or her on these pages. Your dog might go by a different name and have a different shape, but you'll recognize him or her by the look in an eye or the contours of a life story. There is the dog who thinks he is a house cat; the herder, the fetcher, the punk and the peacock, the escape artist, the demolition artist, the patrician, the lovable lout, the amiable dope, the laughable clown, the schemer, the singer, the daredevil, the diplomat, the politician, the gourmand, and the thief. Plus, as a special bonus, you will find the first Latvian elkhounds ever photographed.
Old Dogs is a glorious gift book and a fitting tribute to that one dog you can't ever forget.
Gene Weingarten's wonderful book January 4, 2009 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ben Franklin said nothing is certain, except death and taxes.
But here are two more certainties: you will cry when you read the last three words on page 13 and laugh when you read page 18 of "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs" by Pulitzer Prize winners Gene Weingarten and Michael Williamson.
People love books about puppies. They're so cute and cuddly. But they have no real personalities yet, other than "cute and cuddly."
Old dogs, however, have their own distinctive personalities, quirks and traits, developed over a lifetime.
This captivating book is a tribute to our old dogs, our best friends.
Mr. Weingarten asked his readers at the Washington Post to tell him about their old dogs.
In the acknowledgments of "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs," he thanks the countless people whose dogs had their pictures taken but didn't get into the book.
He writes, "For this omission we entirely blame the editors of Simon & Schuster, who, for reasons known only to them and for which they will no doubt have to answer in the Hereafter, balked at producing a 1,294-page book."
"Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs" combines a striking full-face, full-page photograph of each old dog (taken by Michael Williamson) with a narrative opposite each.
We meet Chester, the Pembroke Welsh corgi, on page 35. Herding is in that breed's DNA. What's a house dog to do?
Every morning, Chester takes his own personal flock downstairs, one at a time, in his mouth. There are eight of them, including little gingerbread man, large gingerbread man, purple teddy bear, and mousie. He deposits each member of his flock under the coffee table and ignores them the rest of the day. At bedtime, Chester takes all eight of his flock upstairs, one by one. His daily job is done, his destiny fulfilled.
Sparky, page 135, kept gaining weight. Her owners were puzzled. Finally they realized that when she'd wake them at three every morning to be let out, "She'd take a long time. Turned out she was going next door, walking into our neighbor's house through the dog door and eating all their dog food."
The story of Harry S Truman in the front of the book is the most loving, moving tribute to an old dog I've ever read. (This is the narrative with the "last three words" mentioned above.) Harry S Truman was the author's dog.
Gene Weingarten writes at the beginning of the book, "This is a tribute to old dogs, a celebration of their special virtues. All dogs profiled in this book were at least 10 years old when their portraits were made. If you ask us which of them are still alive,our answer is: They all are. May old dogs live forever."
You'll love "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs", even if you've never been owned by a dog.
great book for dog owners and dog lovers December 26, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
...beautiful portraits of man's best friend, in the latter stages of their life, made me laugh, cry and relate to all the wonderful dogs in the book,(having 4 dogs myself) I have gifted it many times over to friends that have older dogs ...they loved it as well!
This old dog not the best. December 21, 2008 0 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was very disappointed in this book. I had read the essay by the author about "OLD Dogs..." and expected this to be more of the same. Instead it was a picture book of a host of old dogs pictures and their stories. Not exactly riveting.
Outstanding. I loved every page. December 9, 2008 I have an extensive collection of books about dogs and I would rank this book right at the top. This is such a wonderful book and it is a must for all dog lovers. The profiles of the dogs and the accompanying photographs are so touching. I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book and I sincerely hope that the author and the photographer will consider creating a sequel. (Or, perhaps a calendar with all of that magnificent photography!)
Thank you Gene Weingarten for sharing the stories of these dogs, especially for the story of Harry. Thank you Michael Williamson for the astonishing photos.
Fantastic. Warm and Smart Book. December 7, 2008 I bought this book for myself, my parents and my best friend. I lost my dog of nearly 17 years this spring and I can't tell you how nice it was to share in the celebration "old dogs." This book is beautiful, touching without being melancholy and funny at the same time. I can't stop reading it over and over.
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