what the dog did by emily yoffe

what the dog did; tales from a formerly reluctant dog owner by emily yoffe

What does a mother do when her 5 year old daughter’s favorite book is the American Kennel Club’s Guide to Dog Breeds. When instead of bedtime stories, she wants her mother to read about another dog breed so she knows which one to choose as soon as she is old enough to leave home. The daughter sobs, “I don’t have anything I want! I don’t have a sister! I don’t have a brother!
I don’t have a dog! Dogs are who I am. Dogs are my life.”

So after going to the local animal control facility where her daughter falls in love with a Beagle that is not available. They go in search of adoptable Beagles.
BREW, the local Beagle Rescue, advises right up front that if you want a dog to obey you, stay home, be easy to housebreak and walk off-leash, then a Beagle is NOT for you. My rescue group once had a Beagle that used to take off at every opportunity and not come back for 12 hours. A seasoned Beagle person scoffed and said, “Must be a mix. A true Beagle would not return for over 24 hours.”

What happens when Mom gives in to her 5 year olds desire for a Beagle is just the sub-plot of this hilariously funny book. It is really the story of dogs, people and how we put up with each other or don’t. This book is so funny that my friend’s husband asked her to read the book in another room. She was laughing out loud and he wanted to sleep. Meet heroic dogs, incontinent dogs, bad dogs and good people, bad people and good dogs and truly ignorant members of both species.

Some other books you might like:
For Bea: the story of a Beagle who changed my life by Kristin Von Kreisler
Pack of Two: the intricate bond between people and dogs by Caroline Knapp
Uncle Boris in the Yukon and other shaggy dog stories by Daniel Pinkwater
Bones would rain from the sky by Suzanne Clothier
What dogs have taught me and amazing things I have learned by Merrill Markoe
A widow, a Chihuahua and Harry Truman by Mary Beth Crain

Eliza