Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road - Hardcover

Selis, Jeff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811828301 ISBN 13: 9780811828307

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2001

Synopsis

When Jeff Selis set off to explore this vast country of ours, he brought along his best friend Seamus, his loyal dog Otis, and his trusty 1965 Polaroid Land Camera. Dog Bless America is the result of this three-month-long--and very canine-friendly--sojourn. From a dachshund named Grover Cleveland posed in front of Mt. Rushmore to Rock and Roll, a pair of black labs in Memphis, Tennessee, Dog Bless America captures America's finest in all of their tail-wagging, tongue-flapping, wet-nosed splendor. In addition to meeting the local hot dogs in each of the fifty states, Jeff, Seamus, and Otis encountered calamities, epiphanies, and even the occasional out-and-out serendipitous moment (who knew St. Louis's annual "Woofstock" would be held on the same weekend that Jeff, Seamus, and Otis just happened to be in town?!). So if the garbage can hasn't been tipped over in a while, and the doggy door just isn't swinging like it used to, try reading Rover a page or two from Dog Bless America. It's guaranteed to make him proud to be a dog--and an American one at that!

About this title

Review

Dog lovers, make some room on the bookshelf--you won't be able to resist this utterly adorable photo book of dogs around the country. Jeff Selis's Dog Bless America is the result of his road trip from sea to shining sea, during which he made friends with and snapped a photo of at least one dog in every state. Selis includes the highlight of each pooch's life, whether it's a love of the simple things like tummy tickles or heroic escapades such as rescuing a child lost in the Sierra Madre mountains. The dogs' stories are arranged alphabetically by state, and about a third of the entries include an excerpt from the author's journal that mentions a special high spot of the trip, the town, or his own dog's local experience.

Photos of some fairly famous dogs--or dogs belonging to famous people--are here, but most of the book focuses on the lovably average. One pair of pooches from Memphis, appropriately named Rock and Roll, keep the King's dream alive in the evening, when they "pay tribute to him every day just by having their names called for dinner." Franklin, Jesse Ventura's wrinkle-faced pup, is featured for Minnesota, while a touching statue of Shep is pictured for Montana's page. According to locals, Shep's master died in 1936 and his casket rode back East on a train. Shep waited by the station every day for five years, waiting for his master to return. The statue was erected years after his death, which was mourned by hundreds of folks. Dogs like Shep remind us why we love dogs in the first place--their charm, loyalty, and friendship are unsurpassed. --Jill Lightner

About the Author

Jeff Selis lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Alice and their three children -- two of whom are dogs. When Jeff isn't out producing televison commercials for clients such as Nike and ESPN, he can probably be found with a camera in his hands and a dog in his viewfinder.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0811828301
• ISBN 13: 9780811828307
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 96