Leo Hershfield

Our 16 year old schnauzer passed away on New Year's eve. I had this book on my TBR for a little while and thought that this would be a good time to read an unapologetic homage to a really good dog. The fact that one of my three favorite actors (with Peter Cushing and Basil Rathbone rounding out the trinity for me) wrote this book was just the icing on the cake.

Let me start out by saying that, if it was even possible, this book elevated my already stratospheric opinion of Price as a witty, polished, gentle, self-deprecating, and uncommonly classy gentlemen of a style that probably doesn't exist any more. And he dearly loved dogs, and Joe in particular. To be fair, he also owned many cats over the years and was equally devoted if perhaps less doting--but cats aren't usually up for that nonsense anyway. They are too cool.

Syrupy sweet at times, but this must be forgiven because after all, don't we all gush about our dogs at times? Even more than our children, I imagine. Price starts with his first dog and ends with Joe, mercifully while Joe is still in his prime, and along the way we learn of every pet from the teenager to the seasoned veteran actor all told with that classic style and droll humor. Add to this the fact that proceeds benefit humane societies and this was a perfect book for me at this time and I imagine all dog lovers would agree. There are also humorous stories of other animals, including horses, fish, chimps, and a particularly funny series of stories about 2 bantam roosters that he owned while living in Beverly Hills. I also came to realize that as much as I like Price, his neighbors may not have agreed....… (meer)