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| Good Dog. Stay. | 
 enlarge | Author: Anna Quindlen
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.06
You Save: $14.89 (100%)
New (59) Used (65) Collectible (3) from $0.06
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 25142
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 96
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 1400067138
Dewey Decimal Number: 818.5403
EAN: 9781400067138
ASIN: 1400067138
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ** Possible marking on cover. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases.
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Product Description
“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 punches, to take things as they come, to measure herself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise her nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, “I smell bacon!”
Of the dog that once possessed a catcher’s mitt of a mouth, Quindlen reminisces, “there came a time when a scrap thrown in his direction usually bounced unseen off his head. Yet put a pork roast in the oven, and the guy still breathed as audibly as an obscene caller. The eyes and ears may have gone, but the nose was eternal. And the tail. The tail still wagged, albeit at half-staff. When it stops, I thought more than once, then we’ll know.”
Heartening and bittersweet, Good Dog. Stay. honors the life of a cherished and loyal friend and offers us a valuable lesson on our four-legged family members: Sometimes an old dog can teach us new tricks.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Honoring a hound with humor and sensitivity November 21, 2007
54 out of 59 found this review helpful
Anna Quindlen has written a succulent tribute to her beloved black Lab, Beau. It's funny, and fond, sentimentally delightful, a fitting honor to a dog who lived a long life.
There isn't any whining here. She makes you laugh as she recalls the pup who spent so many happy days and when he grew old could still get excited about the scent of pork roast in the oven.
When it was his time to go they said goodbye with dignity. The many photos of dogs enhance this pithy homage to a wonderful dog.
Quindlen is not adequately appreciated for her sense of humor. She is one of our leading literary stylists. This book will be treasured by many dog lovers.
 Dissapointingly short November 28, 2007
48 out of 53 found this review helpful
I purchased this book to be quite honest because the picture of Beau on the cover reminded me so much of my dog Shelly who I had to put down 1-1/2 years ago. I don't know exactly what I hoped for when I purchased this book other than perhaps a loving, funny, retrospective on the life and times of a Black Lab. I guess to a certain extent that is exactly what this book is however there is so little text between all those photos that I can't help but feel that I've been cheated. First off the book is small. Then about half of the pages (or more!) are photos. The text is double spaced. If this had been printed more like any other book it would have taken up perhaps 20 pages total. Somehow, that is just not enough reminiscing for me! I want to hear more of Beau's adventures. I want to hear more about how he aged and how he dealt with Bea (the Quindlen's Yellow Lab companion for Beau). I want more! What little is there is moderately interesting but it lacks the 'wisdom learned through experience' I had imagined I might find between the pages. Overall the book was a disappointment (obviously) and not one I'm likely to read again. But I sure would have loved a chance to say hi to Beau regardless of how bad his book is!
As good as it gets November 24, 2007
28 out of 32 found this review helpful
In my world, an Anna Quindlen book about a dog is about as good as it gets.
This slim hardback, which includes charming photos of dozens of dogs, tells the story of Quindlen's black Labrador, Beau, about his life and death. It's a love story to dogs in general, and Beau in particular. Anyone who knows dogs will see truth in every paragraph, from the absurdity of praising basic bodily functions during housetraining to the ever-present wagging tail. She captures the essence of what a dog is. "When you say "Sit!" a cat rises and stalks out of the room. Most dogs will fall back on their haunches, vibrating slightly, their liquid eyes locked on yours."
The book traces the Quindlen children growing up as Beau grows older. In the end the grown kids make the final decision that it was cruel to keep their ailing pal alive. When the vet makes the final house call. Ms Quindlen has her arms around Beau's neck, whispering in his ear. "Yes, yes, you are the man," I murmured, "you are the best dog, yes, everything's going to be all right."
It took me a half hour to read, and my shirt is still damp from crying. I hugged my chocolate Lab and wrote this review. This is a great book.
 A lovely read December 2, 2007
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
I have to be quite honest. I read this whole "book" at my local bookstore and did not spend a dime on it! Part of the problem is that, though it is selling as a book, what it really is is a quite lovely, funny and moving essay about some of Ms. Quindlen's life with Beau, her Lab. I own a Lab and feel about mine the same way Ms. Quindlen does about hers. Like other reviewers here, I do wish that she would expand this essay into a real book--and that I would buy. But for now, I can recommend this book to all dog owners--and certainly to any of you who enjoy your Lab as much as I do mine. Read it, for sure--the purchasing of it, quite honestly, I have to leave up to you.
 A significant waste of money... December 1, 2007
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
I recently had to put down my Doberman of 12 years. This was an extremely difficult task for me since I had reared this dog since he was five weeks old. So, as you can imagine, his death has not been easy for me and I was looking for something to help comfort me. And, there is no better way to be comforted than to read or hear other stories from other people who (I hope) share the same experiences.
Well, I didn't find that in this book. In fact, this book is a bread sandwich... NO MEAT!!! I never understood the bond between her and her dog Beaux. There were really no anecdotes about the dog and everything she stated was vanilla at best. As someone who just had his dog put down, I kept waiting for something, anything to surface that would make me understand why she wrote this book and how her relationship was special. This should have been an article or an essay... NOT A BOOK.
There are several other pictures of other dogs in this book to basically make it a book. There are more pictures of other dogs than pages with words. I was so disappointed after reading this book because I realized that I could have written something more compelling and substantive regarding the bond and relationship I had with my Doberman than what boring, uninspiring drivel I read here.
Do not spend your money on this book. Instead, write down your own memories of your relationship with your dog. It will be more meaningful and special than what is being packaged here. Again, don't waste your money on this book. It is certainly not worth it.
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