Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs

The Ideal gift for any dog lover!

Great

Marvelous book

If you are a dog person, you need this collection. I was amazed at how eloquent and articulate these writers' dogs turned out to be ;-), but then again, with all of a writer's various books at their disposal, it's probably a byproduct of their surroundings. As you read and reread (and savor) the poems in this collection, you will no doubt recognize your own furry friends, their moods, their joy, their fears, their laments. To read this collection is to see the world through the eyes of your dog. This is a gem, and I have given copies as gifts to many people. You will treasure this book and when you pick it up to re-read a favorite poem you will remember all the dogs you have known and loved.

This was a fun, easy read. Many of the poems were funny and some were twists on famous poems. Often photographs of the poets with their dogs accompany the poem and that's a sweet touch. I think the main value of this collection is in celebrating the love between humans and animals. In general I think the poems in this collection were quite literal and low brow- I would be surprised if the median time spent writing each poem was more than an hour (I had a discussion with my friend on this type of modern art wherein he said, "You can't spend more time perceiving art than the artist spent conceiving it." I said, "Maybe they were conceiving it subconsciously," to which he replied, "Then maybe I'm perceiving it subconsciously"). Thus almost all of the poems slipped from my mind as soon as I read them, without leaving me worried that I'm missing some deeper level or subtlety. There were a few poems that I thought were particularly well written and interesting. For example, I loved Elise Paschen's love poem that ends "So keep your name and stay unwed with me" with its simple, forlorn entreaties, and Rick Bass's The Odyssey made me cry- it was like a montage in which all the pain and joy of an entire human lifetime were compressed into the few pages that describe the life span of a dog. I don't even own a dog but I do love animals. If you have no interest in dogs then I doubt you will find the few gems in this book worth the read but if you enjoy animals/dogs and/or love poetry then I'd recommend it. I find these collections of short works often inspire me to write something of my own and this was no exception- after reading, I was moved into writing a little ode to my own pet.

Exquisite poetry about our best friends: The Dogs. An absolute must have for dog-lovers. Terrifically funny, heart-touching and down to earth, too, this book is a treasure.

Know anyone who is sad, lonely, disgruntled, angry or beyond any human help? Gauranteed relief is in sight if you send this person a copy of UNLEASHED by Amy Hempel and Jim Shephard.. I keep my copy close by and stash an extra copy for emergencies. . And I'm not easily pleased. It's a book of dog poems, poems by writer's dogs. I'm quite partial to the story/poem told by Rick Bass's dog, Homer. Homer , the Alpha dog, is both embarrased by his sister, Anne, and is worried by her habit of peeing when she gets emotional . To his horror, Anne will even take a dump right out in the open where humans walk. Homer says "I go into the woods and hunker behind a tree. I am modest. I am loyal. We are twins. Children are the only ones who can tell us apart." As you read, Homer's' " The Odyssey" your heart gets bigger and bigger and bigger until you feel it's dangerous to your health to read any farther. For hero-dom, I place him right up beside John Muir's dog, Stickeen.