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(This is the narrative with the "last three words" mentioned above). If you ask us which of them are still alive,our answer is: They all are. Weingarten asked his readers at the Washington Post to tell him about their old dogs. In the acknowledgments of "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs," he thanks the countless people whose dogs had their pictures taken but didn't get into the book. May old dogs live forever." You'll love "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs", even if you've never been owned by a dog. This captivating book is a tribute to our old dogs, our best friends. There are eight of them, including little gingerbread man, large gingerbread man, purple teddy bear, and mousie. But they have no real personalities yet, other than "cute and cuddly." Old dogs, however, have their own distinctive personalities, quirks and traits, developed over a lifetime.
Ben Franklin said nothing is certain, except death and taxes. His daily job is done, his destiny fulfilled. He deposits each member of his flock under the coffee table and ignores them the rest of the day. Turned out she was going next door, walking into our neighbor's house through the dog door and eating all their dog food." The story of Harry S Truman in the front of the book is the most loving, moving tribute to an old dog I've ever read. He writes, "For this omission we entirely blame the editors of Simon & Schuster, who, for reasons known only to them and for which they will no doubt have to answer in the Hereafter, balked at producing a 1,294-page book." "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs" combines a striking full-face, full-page photograph of each old dog (taken by Michael Williamson) with a narrative opposite each. We meet Chester, the Pembroke Welsh corgi, on page 35. But here are two more certainties: you will cry when you read the last three words on page 13 and laugh when you read page 18 of "Old Dogs Are the Best Dogs" by Pulitzer Prize winners Gene Weingarten and Michael Williamson. People love books about puppies.
All dogs profiled in this book were at least 10 years old when their portraits were made. Sparky, page 135, kept gaining weight. At bedtime, Chester takes all eight of his flock upstairs, one by one. Finally they realized that when she'd wake them at three every morning to be let out, "She'd take a long time. What's a house dog to do.
Gene Weingarten writes at the beginning of the book, "This is a tribute to old dogs, a celebration of their special virtues. Harry S Truman was the author's dog. They're so cute and cuddly. Her owners were puzzled.
Every morning, Chester takes his own personal flock downstairs, one at a time, in his mouth. Mr. Herding is in that breed's DNA.
.beautiful portraits of man's best friend, in the latter stages of their life, made me laugh, cry and relate to all the wonderful dogs in the book,(having 4 dogs myself) I have gifted it many times over to friends that have older dogs.they loved it as well.
Not exactly riveting. Instead it was a picture book of a host of old dogs pictures and their stories. I was very disappointed in this book. I had read the essay by the author about "OLD Dogs." and expected this to be more of the same.
I could not put it down. (Or, perhaps a calendar with all of that magnificent photography).Thank you Gene Weingarten for sharing the stories of these dogs, especially for the story of Harry. I have an extensive collection of books about dogs and I would rank this book right at the top. I highly recommend this book and I sincerely hope that the author and the photographer will consider creating a sequel. Thank you Michael Williamson for the astonishing photos. This is such a wonderful book and it is a must for all dog lovers. The profiles of the dogs and the accompanying photographs are so touching.
I can't stop reading it over and over. I bought this book for myself, my parents and my best friend. I lost my dog of nearly 17 years this spring and I can't tell you how nice it was to share in the celebration "old dogs." This book is beautiful, touching without being melancholy and funny at the same time.
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