Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories

by Daniel Pinkwater

The humorist, children's book author, essayist, and NPR commentator shares hilarious true-life tales inspired by his sometimes dysfunctional relationships with the dogs in his life. 50,000 first printing.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Animals, Short Stories, Dogs, Memoir

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Daniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my kids, and they loved it just as much as I do! Delightful, humorous, poignant stories about Man's Best Friend, as well as a particular man, and his best friend(s). Daniel Pinkwater is a winsome and brilliant writer, and I always think he's at his best when he's writing about himself. Throw in some dogs, and this is a winning combination!

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by Jessica Day George as we were talking about dogs, specifically Pippin, my favorite wind-up toy. I said I owned it but had never read it (this applies to about a third of the books I own) and she *insisted* that I read it IMMEDIATELY because I was clearly in need of something fun after finishing three intense books in three days.

She was totally right. I was in tears the whole time, because Pinkwater does this thing where he's just going along, telling a story, and then he drops some off-hand comment that is like a humor bomb in the middle of a paragraph, and it's so startling that it's even funnier than it would ordinarily be. Pinkwater is also something of a genius at reproducing the Polish-Yiddish dialects of his father and uncles, and good dialect is something I love in a book. I am not a dog person--Pinkwater addresses this briefly, saying that dogs are far too much trouble to raise unless you are totally committed to them, and it's okay if you aren't--but I love reading about other people's passions, and Daniel and Jill Pinkwater are passionate about their dogs. Brilliant and hilarious, and I wish I'd read it sooner.

[The Dusty Jacket · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about three men who love dogs and the dogs that loved them back. From the author’s Uncle Boris, the most colorful and cultured of his father’s five gangster brothers from Warsaw; to his father who emigrated from Poland to New York in the 1920s and became an expert in parrots; to the author himself who has always been drawn to sled dogs, had a penchant for magic in his youth, and opened up an obedience school while authoring several children’s books, their shaggy tales (pun intended) will delight and warm the heart of any puppy parent, canine cuddler, or doggy doter.

Admittedly, I was disappointed for the first third of the book where I found the title to be misleading—the story related very little of Uncle Boris in the Yukon and the other shaggy dog stories were either mere mentions, brief encounters, or just a few short paragraphs. However, as Mahatma Gandhi once said, “To lose patience is to lose the battle” so I was determined to press on because who was I to doubt Gandhi? Luckily, my patience was rewarded as I was given stories that plucked at my very heartstrings: using dogs to heal troubled boys lost in an academic system; adopting an aggressive Malamute whose imperfections made him the perfect companion; and opening up Superpuppy, a dog obedience business that resulted in several comedic situations and even more valuable life lessons. Pinkwater’s stories of love, loss, healing, and heartbreak will resonate with anyone who has ever had the privilege and experienced the joy of having been loved by a dog.

I sometimes end my reviews with a famous quote that succinctly and eloquently wraps up the overall theme of the story. I couldn’t find anything that expresses this better than Pinkwater’s own words about his many canine companions: They’ve been my teachers, this little succession of barkers—they’ve shown me a lot about how it’s possible to live this life, and also how to leave it, loving it right up to the last second. Whether purebred, crossbred, mongrel, rescue, foster, or stray, these shaggy creatures somehow find a way into a few lucky homes and hearts…and ultimately we are all the better for it.

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[Jane G Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this memoir, which, well, I'm not sure exactly what I thought it would be like, but it turned out to be a collection of memoirs of the author's dogs... Because I love dogs, and especially arctic dogs, I enjoyed the tales, some of them bringing back so many memories of our beloved Zeke in Colorado. Anyway, if you are a dog-happy person, and love a good story, then this is great before-bed reading. Light and fun...

[Sarah Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

stories about family and dogs

Pinkwater is a wonderful writer. I'm not a dog person but his dog stories are wonderful so if you like dogs they're going to be fantastic. Also his stories about people and his family are fascinating. Read it.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bottom Line: I liked Uncle Boris in the Yukon: and Other Shaggy Dog Stories. This is a book for dog lovers. The animals he tells about rarely begin as the one most people would tolerate or learn to handle. With the Pinkwaters they had good homes, good lives and were mourned in their passing. The book is neither maudlin nor mawkish. Throughout there is a twinkle and a sense of pleasure shared by human and dog. Each gets their turn to laugh at the other.


Daniel Pinkwater is the author of many children’s and young adult books. He was a failed sculptor and painter who fell into writing. He is also a man with a gentle self-effacing sense of humor that carries into the books and essays he has written targeted for adults. For many years he presented his material on National Public Radio. I suspect that much of the material in Uncle Boris in the Yukon: and Other Shaggy Dog Stories had been presented, if not in this form as part of his radio broadcasts.

The term Shaggy Dog Story was coined to descried very long jokes wherein the punch line was incidental. The joke was that the teller had taken you in with an overly long set up and almost no payoff. The listener had let themselves be had. Pinkwater is capable of such stem winders, but that is not how he means the term. This book is dedicated to many of the dogs ,with some mention of a few other pets that Daniel and his wife had the honor to share their lives. Between them they had lived with some unlikely animals, they are somewhat unlikely people- but between them, human and animal were bonds of respect and admiration, all remembered here with charm and wit.

The opening tells of how Pinkwater’s father and uncles came to America. They came as continental gangsters only to be out classed by American gangsters. They each built new lives. Daniel’s father would make it somewhat big in the scrap clothing business and this preoccupation made for a lonely life for the son. As a child he would wish for a dog that would be his dog and the closest he would come was from the stories of his uncle, Boris, who claimed that his Alaskan sled dog spoke to him in Yiddish.

From this slow beginning we eventually get to Pinkwater the pet owner, husband and even dog trainer. He and his wife Jill published Superpuppy: How to Choose, Raise, and Train the Best Possible Dog for You still in print; an award winning book for the new pet owner.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first third is a great autobiography up through the age of about 25--with dogs as a reference point. I highly recommend this part as funny, compelling, and culturally interesting. Also well-written. The rest was not worth the time--seemed rushed and much less self-reflexive.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, shaggy dogs included. My favorite bit: "C. had lived in a teepee and had partaken of many herbs and natural substances, and I am not obliged to accept her opinions."

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny memoir. Pinkwater's not kidding about the shaggy dogs.

[Linda Spyhalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister shared this book with me because of my love of dogs! It was a small (200 pages) book about a couple who loves dogs and sort of train dogs. As usual with dogs it shares some of the fears and the great sharing of love that happens between an owner and a dog. Wonderful detail about the dogs and their adventures!

[Sara Tiede · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. I feel like I have given up on more books in the past year than I normally do, but this one just couldn't grab me. The early chapters were surprisingly depressing. Pinkwater uses humor (in theory) to lighten the mood, but the most I ever felt like was a little chuckle. The middle chapters (I made it about half way through) were surprisingly dull. For a memoir about pets there were fewer than expected, and the ones that made an appearance didn't elicit as much emotional response from the author as expected either. And there wasn't very much at all about this Uncle Boris who features so heavily in the title and cover illustration. If I owned this book, I'd probably eventually finish, but it was a library book and I had several more highly anticipated books just about to come to me on hold, so I returned it and will be unlikely to feel inspired to search it out again.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and entertaining series of recollections, involving many wonderful and zany dogs (and various other critters)! As a dog-person myself, I was giggling and nodding as I read Mr. Pinkwater's adventures. He has a fabulous way of portraying his love of all things canine!

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed DMP's autobiographical stories and the stories about his father and uncle in the first third of the book.

The last two thirds of the book were okay. I'm not a huge fan of dogs in general, so several dozen dog stories weren't my favorite thing ever.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at the author's life through the lens of dogs he has known!

[Michelle Hassinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully funny. A must for dog lovers!

[Dan Blackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection of funny stories.

[elstaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pull quote/note
"They enrolled me in an academy known as Golden Military Institute. The school slogan was 'Honor, Duty, Country, Remedial Algebra.'" (49)

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever loved a dog, or if you've ever been unable to love a dog, or if you've ever loved Daniel Pinkwater, read this. Rereading this book of shaggy dog stories makes me laugh sometimes until I cry. I can't say that about many books. We learn about Pinkwater's Polish Jewish gangster ancestors, who specialized in "removals." We learn about his Husky. We learn about the last journey of the Hoboken ferry. We watch Pinkwater make joy out of what seems like a somewhat miserable childhood. We watch him make sense of dogs. There's nothing fancy here, but it's so good I don't want it to end.

"He and his brothers were Jewish thugs, and it was a point of pride that they were more cultivated and showed more style than the Poles who followed the same profession.

I have a photograph of my father and his brothers in those days. They are manicured and pomaded, holding whangee canes and kidskin gloves, wearing flash neck-ties, and staring into the camera with the expression of a cape buffalo contemplating a tourist.

The enterprise of my father and my five uncles was that of hijacking goods from express wagons, then ransoming them back to their consignors according to a strict schedule of fees. Anyone declining to redeem his merchandise would begin a run of bad luck requiring doctors, the fire brigade, or even the rabbinate - but since everybody was familiar with the system, serious mishaps were generally avoided.

The brothers did well. They were treated with respect, and their earnings were above average; they wore snappy clothes, acquired such art objects as they were able to appreciate, attended the finest brothels and knew everybody.

Including Jack London (aka Ossip Weintraub, the tailor's son), author of The Call of the Wild, known locally as A Ruf Fun der Vildernish....."

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinkwater, author of children's books and a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, delivers a witty rumination on his experiences with dogs. Uncle Boris, one of the many colorful and dysfunctional adults of Pinkwater's childhood, gave his parents a Pekingese named Bobby shortly before the author's birth. Uncle Boris made a living selling fake purebreds and assured Pinkwater's father that "a dog lik dis is all deh rage in deh best parts of Brooklyn." Bobby's sole redeeming feature was that he appointed himself the new baby's guardian, thus protecting Pinkwater from his "precivilized" parents. Also featured here are other family pets, such as the asthmatic terrier Bootsie and Pedro the psychotic parrot. After Pinkwater married, he and his wife Jill began acquiring malamutes; as a result of the training challenges that ensued, they established themselves as experts who taught people "how to better enjoy dogs." They published what they learned in the 1977 book, Superpuppy, but even this latest volume contains a few tricks of the trade. From anecdotes about an aging wolf named Matilda to reflections on how dogs have shown him "a lot about how it's possible to live this life," Pinkwater's light and extremely entertaining read will please animal lovers of all stripes. (Publishers Weekly, 10/15/2001)

When I was in graduate school, I read a few of Pinkwater's children's books. They were quirky and strange and humorous, so this book intrigued me. To my delight, very similar in tone with sweet, humorous dog stories.http://www.goodreads.com/images/close...

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Daniel Pinkwater's commentaries on NPR over the years so I was looking forward to reading this short book on his experiences with dogs. Unfortunately, it turns out that I can take only so much of his style at a time. After a quick burst of reading about half the book in a single sitting, it then took months to finish it, reading just a few pages at a time. I'm not sure what happened, perhaps it just became a bit tiresome reading the same type of mildly humorous story about the same type of dog over and over again. And there were so many dogs! And most of the them were the same breed of dog, one malamute after another, they all just started to blend into one after awhile. Recommended for people with malamutes who might be able to discern the differences in personalities in these dogs better than I can.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have heard Daniel Pinkwater on NPR for years as a commentator, and I have seen his children's books at bookstores before, but this is my first foray into his adult work.

Gently told with a wry sense of humor, Mr. Pinkwater tells a family story of a love for dogs. It begins with Uncle Boris and allows us to walk through the author's own life with canine companions. I laughed more and more genuinely with this book than I have for quite a long time as a reader. I recognized my own stories of being a dog companion. I acknowledge the place that these marvelous critters have in my own life.

I recommend this for anyone who understands the depth of animal companionship or just wants to understand it.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Pinkwater. He's got this quirky sense of humor that makes me smile. Really, I think he's a little crazy, but now that I've read this book and a little about his childhood, I understand why so many of his characters are kids with a weird family. Write what you know, right?

I love the dog stories too. Really, there are a lot of fun stories in here. Some get a lot of play, like the one at the beginning about his Uncle Boris, the Polish gangster turned Yukon prospector. But the brief little paragraph about how he met his wife was a jewel.

[Gypsy Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Daniel Pinkwater's commentary on PNR, it was fun to read this book.

Page 79
"I had come to a certain understanding through my study of Zen Buddhism, and observation, particularly in connection with my activity as an artist. What I understood was this: it's possible for an educated person to deny the evidence of his own eyes and think he's seeing something else based on whatever prejudices he's been taught. We know what we're doing at all times -- and at almost all times, we obscure that knowledge with thought"

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

First 100 pages are very entertaining, a sort of autobiography of Pinkwater's childhood. The second half of the book goes in too much detail about every single dog he ever had. "Got this dog, then it died, then I got this other dog, then that one died, then I got another dog...." And so on and so forth. Plus he starts doing dialog for his dogs.... which is so ridiculous. As a dog owner and trainer, his obsession gets a little out of hand, which is great, but as a reader and even a dog lover, it becomes too much and too repetitive even for me.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of remembrances from Daniel Manus Pinkwater about growing up with and loving animals, most particularly dogs (excluding boston terriers). The more one reads about Pinkwater's life, the less bizarre his fiction seems and the more I appreciate him as a writer and a person. I'm not a person who own dogs or pets generally but I earned a greater appreciation for them. Very funny, very sad, very human.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinkwater tells the stories of all the dogs in his life, from Bobby, the Pekinese given to his parents just before young Daniel’s birth, to Juno, an Alaskan malamute Pinkwater bought because he was enthralled by the sight of two sled dogs in Manhattan. Along the way there were Stan, the Irish Setter, Bootsie, the terrier, Arnold, the puppy, and not to be forgotten-- Pedro the parrot. Pinkwater is a children’s book author and commentator on NPR, and always makes me laugh.

[Deborah D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Pinkwater's voice and speaking style was strong in my head as I (finally) got around to reading this.

I found I enjoyed it more in smaller nuggets - a couple chapters at a time. The wry tone in the later chapters reminded me of his conversations with Scott Simon on NPR. I bought this book because of the chat they had when it was first published.

Everyone has had (or has known!) a dog which exhibited at least one of the traits his own dogs had.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a children's book when I snagged it at the library booksale (Pinkwater writes some funny stuff for grade school kids), but it's a memoir about the dogs Pinkwater grew up with and then had as an adult. He and his wife actually wrote a puppy training guide. Interesting stuff, although I found the beginning (the parts with Uncle Boris, actually) a little slow. Good to read if you're interested in wolves, Malamutes, or Akitas.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a novel about Uncle Boris, and though Mr. Pinkwater's uncle is mentioned a few times, it is basically a memoir of growing up with his rather eccentric (to say the least) family, leaving home as an adult and -- the dominating aspect -- marrying Jill Pinkwater (who provided the illustrations) and raising dogs over the years. It is truly a delightful read, and I feel I have actually gotten to know all the dogs they have had. Highly recommended, especially to dog lovers.