Good Dog. Stay.

Good Dog. Stay.

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78  ·  rating details  ·  1,773 ratings  ·  310 reviews
“The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen about her beloved black Labrador retriever, Beau. With her trademark wisdom and humor, Quindlen reflects on how her life has unfolded in tandem with Beau’s, and on the lessons she’s learned by watching him: to roll with the punche...more
Hardcover, 96 pages
Published November 20th 2007 by Random House (first published January 1st 2007)
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Community Reviews

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Lucy
Dec 20, 2007 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who has ever been owned by a dog
Shelves: justread
first of all, you must know ahead of time that this is really an illustrated essay padded to become a commercial book.It is extremely short. That said, it is still wonderful even though I know that if her name was not a proven financial success this book would never exist. It would have instead been a page in a magazine.
Quindlen manages to write a love story about a dog without being maudlin. she connects her dog's life with the life markers of her family. His puppy hood and her children's chil...more
Nancy
This is a very, very short book with as many pages of pictures as text. However in a few well chosen words, the author successfully eulogizes her beloved Labrador Retriever, Beau, while explaining his significance and influence on her life and the lives of her family. It's an important book for any dog parent to read because having the responsibly for a dog through its lifetime is not always easy. There are times of trial and days when you wonder why you have entered into this relationship--just...more
Cindy Huffman
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Amanda
I acquired "Good Dog. Stay" at a book swap. I am a big time pet lover and I have two dogs (as well as three cats) myself. I was attracted by the pictue of the adorable lab on the cover and looked forward to reading the author's memoirs of her beloved dog. However, I got through the book in one very short sitting (about 45 minutes, if that), and closed the book thinking, "What was the point of that?" Easily one-third of the books pages are random pictures of dogs, and while they are certainly cut...more
Anastasia
Good Dog. Stay.
Even Old Dogs Can Teach You New Tricks
The oldest dog can teach you new tricks, even when it passes away. In this touching and bitterly honest memoir, appropriately named, Good Dog. Stay., Anna Quidlen describes what her beloved Labrador Retriever had taught her throughout it’s life and after it’s death. As Beau was getting older, many of his senses were starting to fail and he couldn’t make it out of the house any more, yet he still showed his long-lost spirit whenever he took tri...more
KDNH
Earlier this week, while at a lunch with co-workers, someone asked how many books I had left in this year’s 52-book challenge. When I told them and said I needed short books so I could read a few during the long holiday weekend (in between the turkey-induced naps), two of them said Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen. The next day, I was lent a copy and it jumped to the top of my “power mode finish” for the year.

I was excited to read this book, and if I’m completely honest, it was for the sole reas...more
Lena Wright
Jan 24, 2012 Lena Wright is currently reading it

The memoir, “Good Dog. Stay.” by Anna Quindlen tells the history of the relationship between her, and her Labrador retriever of fifteen years. Through the use of time shift, imagery, and detailed anecdotes, she shares the experiences and memories made with her best friend. The book beings with her, in a familiar situation. The vets waiting room, without her dog. Beau, on her oriental rug at her penthouse apartment, in New York City. He had become too old to make the journey, so she stopped drag...more
Laurie
This is the story about the life of Beau: a black Labrador retriever. I may be a bit biased as I have an old black Lab but this is a great essay on life with a dog. I think any dog lover would enjoy it very much.
"....And still today I am never really sure of the future, whether the quiet will stretch on for many years or be interrupted by change or cataclysm. There's not much I take for granted.
But the life of a dog is not much of a mystery, really. With few exceptions, he will be who he has alw...more
Laura (booksnob)
Written for readers who are owners of a good dog, Anna Quindlen has written on ode to her dying dog, Beau, and to dogs everywhere. Complete with adorable pictures of many different breeds of dogs, Quindlen writes about her black labrador retriever and relates her memories. Quindlen also provides us with wit, wisdom and lessons that dog owners will smile at and can relate to.

From the first page, Quindlen shares the story of her life and the life of her dog. Beau watched her kids grow up and faith...more
7megan
I read the book Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen. This book was about a dog named Beau who was raised by the author. This book told you about the relationships humans have with there dogs and all of the ups and downs. It talked about how puppies change to real dogs and what changes in them like there behavior and energy level. It also talks about how hard it is to let go of the pet that you love and adore and have had so many memories over the years with. I liked this book because it made me thi...more
Doris
This very short story of a loyal, loving pet serves as a eulogy, not just for Beau, but for all those other pets we have loved and lost. My own black lab/chow mix did not live as long, but we loved her dearly. This book was celebrating a life and lamenting a death.

I did take exception to the comment that people should not dress dogs in clothing, since I did have a sweater for our dog for those days when the cold bit through even the thick fur and protective fat of an outdoor dog. I laugh when I...more
Marsha
All you children of mine out there laughing because your mom read another dog book---Anna Quindlen is a wonderful writer. I read it in 1/2 hour. It should have been an essay, but she writes so poignantly about her dog and her children,too. It's about philosophy, a life well-lived, seize the moment, you only live once kind of philosophy. And she learned that from her dog!!
Joann
Jan 16, 2008 Joann rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Susie Pedigo
For anyone who is a dog lover, this book is significantly moving. I loved it! It's short (a scant 82 pages), half of which are pictures; yet it speaks to the heart. Anna Quindlen, an accomplished writer, shares her personal love of her life with Beau, her Labrador retriever. Beautifully written, Quindlen is right on target with the lessons we learn from our family pets.
Cindy
Aug 10, 2011 Cindy added it
A super fast read (about 15 minutes), but a truly moving story to be cherished by all dog lovers. Anna Quindlen relates the importance of her black lab Beau in his last months of life. As any dog owner can relate, the most difficult part of having the dog is letting go. Quindlen, in allowing herself to let go when she knows its time, underscores the importance of Beau in her life and her family's as well. She knows that we project our thoughts and feelings on our pets and believe them to be the...more
Frances Bessellieu
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kathy Cox
I 'previewed' this book, which was given to my son Dan for Christmas. It's an easy read - lots of dog pictures. I found it really moving. I've owned and loved Labradors for 20 years, and it's a moving, touching story about how they invade (literally) our lives and enrich them.
Janene
The Ravishing Readers Book Club marked their 3rd year anniversary with a holiday celebration and part of that celebration was playing the 'dice game'for books. Each member brought a wrapped book from their own library and we threw the dice and battled for the package we thought were going to be 'it'. Well, I won a bag full of books, and in the bag was this little honey. An actual eulogy of sorts, that the author wrote for her beloved Labrador. It is an extremely quick read, with wonderful pictur...more
Hunter
I really liked this book which is about the author's relationship with her dog Beau. Beau is a black Labrador retriever who is getting really old because he is 15 years old. I can tell you that for a big breed, 15 is very old. I know this because we had a Boxer who was 16 when she died, and the vet said she was the oldest boxer he had ever seen.

The story starts when Beau is old and the author is thinking about when she will have to put Beau to sleep. She realizes that when a dog is old and in p...more
Kara
Jun 25, 2008 Kara added it
Actually I picked this book up on CD so that I can listen to it when I'm walking Gracie or Riding my bike. It was a nice story. Especially for dog lovers.
Matthew Thomas
Not a bad little book. I was just looking for something short in non-fiction and came across this in my small local library branch.

Maybe 40 pages in total (a lot of pictures of random dogs), this book is an extremely short read, and the message is quite simple. But it's a good "pick me up" for anyone who likes dogs to even the slightest degree. It tells of the acquisition of various dogs by the author, their relationships (with each other and with the family), and the end of life for one of them...more
Melea Rose-Waters
Read this in probably an hour or less total. It's a very sweet short story of life with the author's dog.

There are only 2 things that bothered me: one, the book is filled with pictures, which is great, but they are random pictures of random dogs. I would have liked it better had it been filled with pictures of Beau (the dog the story is about). And two, the author says she's never one of those people who treated her dog like a child or referred to herself as "mommy" to her dog..... yet she chos...more
Sherri
...pet lovers MUST READ....yiu will need; an afternoon, a comfy chair, blanket, kleenex tissues and YOUR best friend( of the canine type!)

I have read and read this short story over and over....so much reality here..so much tenderness and thought and wisdom. Too choked up over the ending..filled with mixed emotions of love, surrender, thnakfulness and frank reality.

A MUST READ!!!!..yes, it helps you too, have a black labrador, that looks just like the jacket cover!...however, it's not a requirmen...more
Kira4Inu
This book touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. It caused me to reflect upon the relationship that I share with my 12 year old dog Holly and I pondered quite a bit if she truly felt what I thought she did or if it was just a projection. I normally don't read non fiction books but I couldn't put this one down. I started and finished it in an hour or less. Great pictures of cute dogs are inside too. The cover picture is amazing too, it looks just like Holly. I recommend this book to any a...more
Reese
Before I read any work written by Judith Viorst, Ellen Goodman, or Anna Quindlen, I have already decided that I'll like it or I'll REALLY like it. Their track records are good; and regardless of the work's topic, length, or intended audience, I feel as if each of these writers runs in the lane beside mine, smells my thoughts and experiences, and artfully records them. They articulate the truths that millions of us less articulate folks love to see in print.

A "little" book with wise words and ph...more
Jody
This is probably not the book to read when you are pregnant, past your due date and extrememly hormonal. This is a quick short story about Anna's dog, Beau. It is the life story of Beau and as all life stories, the end is death.

I believe Anna wrote this as a way to heal from her loss of Beau more than trying to tell a readable story. I just hear in Anna's own words how much she and her family cared for Beau and how much his loss meant to them.

The book traces the Quindlen children growing up as...more
Patti
I read this book at breakfast this morning. There are lots of pictures of very cute dogs, so it is a very quick read. I think I should have known what it was about though before I gave it to my aged mother. Quindlen's comparison of the journey of aging dogs and their owners to a person aging gracefully might be better appreciated by those earlier on in the journey.

There is a wonderful passage in the book that I wish every parent would read. Of course as a dog lover, I am biased.

"Sometimes people...more
Ashley
Happy New Year, Ladies (and Jay, if he ever checks this site anymore)!!

I am bored at work today, so I thought I'd use this as an excuse to give you my year-end report (because I want yours, too):

Worst book read in 2007: This one (Good Dog. Stay.) But, my Mom gave it to me, so I had to read it. I have a hunch that the worst-book-of-the-year would have instead gone to The Secret if I had read it (because my Mom gave me that one too) but I cannot force myself to read it after seeing the author on...more
Cathy
Beloved Beau is Anna Quindlen's family's dog, but he's the dog of anyone who's ever had an exuberant pooch. An easy afternoon read, this little book runs off with your heart and leaves you looking for a tissue. Only Anna could so handily leave you laughing and crying all at once. She's a rare author, one of extraordinary intelligence, deeply touching sentiment and a genius for metaphor. Mix those qualities with 15 years of living alongside a wonderful dog and, voila, a little book with a big mes...more
Carolyn Phelps
A book for dog lovers, this short account of Anna Quindlen's life with her lab, Beau, includes excellent photographs of a variety of dogs. I loved her list of what she learned from Beau: "to roll with the punches (if not in carrion), to take things as they come, to measure myself not in terms fo the past or the future but of the present, to raise my nose in the air from time to time and, and, at least metaphorically holler, "I smell bacon!"
Linda
Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite newspaper columnists, so although I'm not a dog-owner, (nor even a dog-lover) I picked up the audio version while browsing the library. I listened to this 96-page gem while I was making cinnamon rolls and finished in a half hour; tears dripping onto the dough while I'm kneading. Any dog-loving dog-owner will relate to this dog memoir. Quindlen is a master with the pen.
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Good Dog. Stay. (Audio CD)
Good Dog, Stay (hardcover)
Life with Beau: A Tale of a Dog and His Family (Hardcover)
Good Dog. Stay. (ebook)
Mein Leben mit Beau : Wie ein Labrador mein Herz gewann (Paperback)

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Anna Quindlen is an American journalist and opinion columnist whose New York Times column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992.

She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter with The New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at the New York Times. She left journalism in 1995 to become a full-time novelist. She currently writes a bi-weekly colu...more
More about Anna Quindlen...
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“I conveniently forgot to remember that people only have two hands, or, as another parent once said of having a third child, it's time for a zone defense instead of man-to-man.” 9 people liked it
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