Title: Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound
Author: Berkeley Breathed
Copyright: 2003
Pages: 48
Author Website: www.berkeleybreathed.com
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5 stars
Finished: 7-20-09
The Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound, founded by former Westminster Dog Show judge Heidy Strüdelberg (who was removed from the show when, in a fit of hysteria, realized the error of her ways and named a three-legged streetdog Best in Show), is a refuge for the the unloved, uncared-for dogs of the world. Heidy Strüdelberg's philosophy is "Not for the cut of their coat, but for the content of their character shall we love them!"
There are several layers to this story. In typical Breathed fashion, the art is both outrageous and sublime, and the limericks and rhymes are witty; "Bipsie was bought to replace / The dearly departed Sweetface. / A beauty in blues / With some parts chartreuse / She clashed with the whole bloody place." There is a moral to this story, though; that even though someone or something isn't perfect does not mean that it deserves any less love. The book is also Breathed's plea to future dog owners to go to their local dog rescue and adopt a loving pet there. Even though these dogs may not be the best in the pack, may not be perfect, does not mean that they are not looking for loving homes or not as deserving of one. Breathed can be sneaky like that, mixing an all too important message into a wild, fun romp of a book, so that you don't even realize that you are getting a message until the very end.
2 comments:
This book is on my bookshelf as well. Great book, indeed.
A self-storage unit wouldn't be appropriate for this kind of books. They need to be somewhere to be seen and read by many people.
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