Woof! Writers on Dogs

by Lee Montgomery (Editor)

As the popularity of Marley & Me attests, people love their dogs?and everyone else?s too. For all the time spent on grooming, petting, and other care?it?s as if owning a dog is a religion unto itself. Woof! brings together original essays from acclaimed writers ruminating on the sometimes tumultuous, often selfless love affair between human and dog. Alternately poignant and hilarious, these collected stories of mutts and purebreds alike will win the hearts of the millions who?ve ever loved a member of the world?s most loyal species.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Short Stories, Essays

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Lee Montgomery is the author of The Things Between Us, A Memoir (Free Press, August 2006), Whose World Is This? Stories (University of Iowa Press, September 2007), and Searching for Emily: Illustrated (Nothing Moments Press, October 2007). The Things Between Us received the 2007 Oregon Book Award in creative nonfiction and Whose World Is This? the 2007 John Simmons Iowa Short Fiction Award.

She has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Antioch College and an MFA in creative writing from the Iowa Writer's Workshop. She was the fiction editor at the Iowa Review, the editor of the Santa Monica Review, and editor of Transgressions: The Iowa Anthology of Innovative Fiction (University of Iowa Press), Absolute Disaster: Fiction from Los Angeles (Dove Books), and the upcoming Woof! Writers on Dogs (Viking Penguin, September 2008).

Montgomery's fiction has appeared in Black Clock, Iowa Review, Denver Quarterly, Story Magazine, Black River Review, the Santa Monica Review and the Antioch Review. Nonfiction has been published in Alaska Quarterly, the American Book Review, Boston Magazine, Travel Holiday, 'Scape, The Hollywood Reporter, Tin House, Paris Passion, Boston Phoenix, the Oregonian, Willamette Week New England Monthly, the Antioch Review and the anthology The Honeymoon is Over (January 2007, Warner Books). Whose World is This? was also nominated for the 2008 Ken Kesey Award in Fiction.

She is the editorial director of Tin House Books and the executive editor for Tin House magazine. She lives with her husband and their two bizarre dogs in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Kim]

A nice collection of various authors memories of the dogs in their lives.

[Amy]

Loved it, and of course I would... I have three dogs!
One excerpt after another really spoke to me, this one in particular:

"I think in grief we need to do two things: to feel our feelings and to be protected from the world. When you are trying to feel your feelings, the world abades with its noises, its gravity, its temperatures and atmospheres. In the world, even having a self is a burden. For better or worse, the self has relationships, and then, in service of the relationship, the self must be performed, using that agreeable puppet of the body. It's too much to ask sometimes. One needs to retreat into nowhere, be nothing, be relieved of existing. And with the dog there is no performance. One can be just feelings and instruments of perception. One cannot see oneself in mirrors; one cannot see mirrors at all. When the self is forgotten, all mirrors turn to glass.
One can, in fact, become a dog."

[Sara]

Dog stories. The forward said this is a different type of dog book. The focus here is more on the owners. A couple of good points. One story ended with, “you all know how dog stories end, so no details”. No crying for this story. Others were quite sad, but usually because the owners either cared too much or too little. Frequently, I didn’t like the owners.

[Dianna Winget]

This is quite a hodgepodge of essays from famous people about the dogs who have touched their lives. Some are moving, some are funny, some highly relatable, and a few I just didn’t get. But overall, if you’re a dog lover you’ll enjoy this book. Super cute cover to boot :)

[Aryn Roth]

You can guess how most stories begin & end. Was hoping for more humor but that's a different story.

[Sonje Hawkins]

The introduction says it all. There have been MANY books and short stories written about dogs. However, the stories in Woof! are so diverse, so different, so honest, I hoped each and every one of them was true because they each moved me. I know the love of a dog. But these writers capture their dogs' dignity, bravery, intelligence, goofiness, kindness, and generosity in a novel and refreshing way. My favorite stories were those written by Anna Keesey and Rick Bass. Keesey's "Let's Go My Love," not only beautifully captured the fears and concerns women often face in a society in which they are told to get married, have children, look a certain way, etc., but accurately captured the bond that can form between a vulnerable woman and her understanding and loving dog. The dog may not speak, but at some point, you two are in it together. Bass also captures this unspeakable bond between human and furry companion in "Sick Dog." His account of his dying hunting dog is moving in that it does not paint the animal as weak or feeble; Bass truly shows the reader how dignified his dog is, even as he slowly fades away. And the reader feels Bass's longing for one final hunt with his beloved dog right along with him. (Also, his theory on heaven is breathtaking.) Yes, I am a passionate dog lover. But I also love great writing. And this book delivers, whether you love dogs or not. I cannot do this book enough justice. But any book that contains one of my favorite quotations about dogs, ("My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet."-Edith Wharton) is well worth consideration as a fun addition to your library.

[Peggy]

For anyone who loves dogs, I urge you to check out these wonderful essays by some wonderful authors who write on what else-dogs. There is a woman who shares her bed with her dogs and figures out she needs a king size one to accommodate all of them. In this book, you'll meet a man taking his beloved hunting dog out for one last hunt before he dies. Another essay is from the dog's perspective, he imagines himself a colonel. Then there is a family who gets a dog from a rescue only to find out their good dog is not as good as they had thought, and the author wrestles with the notion of taking it back (that story hit home to me since I volunteer at a rescue). All the essays in this collection on dogs are very entertaining. I think it is must read if you want to just some good writing on dogs. It certainly deserves a Paws up!

[Katie Wudel]

Oh, I thought this book was so lovely. Eloquent, most of the time anyway. Had I not recently experienced a profound change in my personal outlook on life simply because I adopted a dog, maybe I'd think this book was silly. But I related so strongly to most of these essays. My dog is now a huge part of my life. I was cold, neurotic, and anxious every day, and now I'm happy and relaxed and totally in love with my dog and my fiance and the world. It was nice to read several of the writers I love pulling apart the weird phenomenon of our love for dogs, making it sound as beautiful and disruptive as it truly is. Rarely too sentimental (often not sentimental enough!), this book made me laugh out loud and cry. What more can you ask for from a good book?

[esmepie]

I picked this up at the library thinking I would read an essay a day about dogs, but I couldn't stop reading this cover to cover. Really a delightful book and a reminder how animals/dogs can be the connection and way in to exploring deeper topics. I absolutely loved most of these essays. Some were a bit too esoteric which is why I stopped at 4 stars. But several of the essays (Jim Shepherd, Denis Johnson, Mary Otis, The Big Kahuna) were amazing, funny and lovely. Highly recommend for anyone who loves dogs. But, be careful, perhaps not appropriate for someone who has recently lost a pet. Some of the essays are quite sad.

[Stefan]

This book contained four well-written stories about dogs: The Big Kahuna, Schnauzer Talking, Becky Hungry Coyote, and Bridgette. These four stories were quite funny to read, and it was interesting to learn about how different breeds have different characteristics. Sadly, many of the stories in this book were uninteresting, boring, or poorly written. A interesting skim read, that was pleasantly different then most book I read.

[Christine]

Like most collections, each essay is hit or miss. This book is to be avoided if you're recovering from a pet's death or if you feel compelled to read a book cover to cover (I admit to skimming through a few essays I thought were dreadfully dull.) The Big Kahuna is my personal favorite--funny, eloquent, and sweet.

[Emily Von pfahl]

Some of the essays were wonderful, others simply okay, and two that I skipped (one in full, one in part). Also, a great deal of dog death took place. Ultimately though, the issue with these essays is that they frequently only use dogs as their starting points, and instead focus on the authors' lives apart from dogs. So not what I was hoping for or expecting.

[Brenda Deflem]

As a doglover, the only choice you have while reading this book is being emotionally touched to the bottom of your big heart, and identify yourself with the owners, as well as with the dogs. Great book !

[Gina Whitlock]

This was a great book if you love dogs. It didn't receive great ratings but I found it funny and heart-wrenching. It dealt with the joy and pain on owning a dog (whose lives are too short). I always looked forward to reading each essay.

[Jenny]

This was pretty good, but I honestly couldn't finish reading it. Apparently dogs are required to die in every dog story. Too sad for me.

[Laura McKelvey]

http://thedismantledlibrary.blogspot....

[Kathi Olsen]

Another anthology of dog stories only this time by professional writers.

[Darla]

Finished. Not remarkable, some of them hard to continue reading. Would not recommend to fellow dog lovers, wouldn't recommend to anyone, I guess.

[Jamie]

I was so depressed! I wanted to love it but it made me cry too much