By Marilyn Dalrymple
I finished this book in one sitting and while reading it, if I wasn’t smiling, I was laughing! It’s delightful!
One hundred and ninety one pages of color photographs of man’s best friends smiling, snickering and just being what dogs are best at – entertaining. Many of the photographs have a short story about the pet. For instance, “Portia is a rescued racing Greyhound. A major reason for her joy is the love of her boy, Patrick.” Accompanying the story is a photograph of a smiling boy – Patrick – and Portia.
Page 60 features two obedience dogs, Freedom and Glory. They say to each other, “Yeah, it’s a great class, but I don’t feel like I’m learning anything I’m going to use in the real world.” Beautiful little Piper loves to cuddle – the kids call her a “lapsnatcher,” and she loves to chase sandpipers at the beach, says the story.
Purebreds are featured and so are the pets with questionable heritage. They all have a smile, grin or at least an earnest effort at having one or the other on their faces. Dog couples like Fatney and Shelly and Elwood and Walter have a section of their own. Greyhound Charley whispers in Bella’s ear, “Did you hear the one about the cat who walked into a bar?” By the look on Charley’s face, he wants to hear the punch line.
Anyone can easily understand why dogs are referred to as man’s best friends after reading this book. If you are a dog lover, the book is a must. It would make a gift that the recipient would be forever grateful for.
The book came about because of a “Smiling Dog” contest the magazine, Bark initiated. The wonderful images in this book display the dog’s boundless enthusiasm for life. (We can learn a lot from dogs.) This small volume brightened my day and made me giggle. It will be at the front of my book shelf so I can refer to it often.
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