Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Four recent books to celebrate National Dog Day

It's not too late to honor National Dog Day (August 26, 2014). At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Ellen Wehle tagged four recent books for the occasion, including:
Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park, by Matthew Gilbert

Matthew Gilbert used to be, in his own words, “that guy who rolled his eyes at people who treat their dogs like children.” A Boston writer and natural-born hermit, he kept the world at arm’s length, preferring to interact by cell phone. But that was before he fell in love, first with a human, then with a yellow Lab puppy named Toby. Off the Leash is Gilbert’s laugh-out-loud funny account of the personalities he encountered at his local park, where the real trick, as any dog lover knows, is making nice with the other owners. As Gilbert drolly points out, it’s not just the pups that get aggressive. Ordinary canine behaviors like humping or snarling can easily lead to human shouting matches, and the park comes complete with a bully: the badly trained whippet whose owner is in denial. Despite it all, this mismatched group of people, with nothing in common but their squeaky toys, inspires Gilbert to open up as he never has before.
Read about another book on the list.

Visit Matthew Gilbert's website and Twitter perch.

Coffee with a Canine: Matthew Gilbert & Toby.

--Marshal Zeringue