What the Dogs Have Taught Me: And Other Amazing Things I've Learned - Softcover

Markoe, Merrill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812974506 ISBN 13: 9780812974508

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2005

Synopsis

Award-winning comedy writer Merrill Markoe, the slightly warped mind behind Stupid Pet Tricks, is an old hand with dogs. She knows who’s boss (they are) and the myriad ways a loving pet can make you feel guilty twenty-four hours a day. This new edition of Merrill Markoe’s classic collection of humorous essays gives readers the choicest selections along with brand-new material.

In these razor-sharp essays, Markoe recounts her dogs’ phone chats with animal communicators, her search for past lives, and her brief stint as a stun gun saleswoman. She describes the workshop that taught her how to launch an Internet porn business and another that gave proper instruction in the esoteric art of becoming a dominatrix.

She shares insight into what it is like to structure your day using only dog rules, how to spot a really horrible restaurant, and what it’s like to have a romantic dinner with Fabio. There’s even a bright side to preparing for the apocalypse: “At last, it is time to forget about fat grams and low cholesterol.” This enchantingly rambunctious and boundlessly enjoyable book gives you Merrill Markoe at her best. You’ll devour it in one sitting (and so may your pet).

About this title

Review:

Merrill Markoe, the creator of "Stupid Pet Tricks," won four Emmy awards for her work on the David Letterman show. In these sidesplitting essays--from "The Wacky World of Men" to "An Insider's Guide to the American Woman" to "Showering with Your Dog"--she reveals what she's learned about life from "dogs, celebrities, bachelors, and other beasts."

In Markoe's words, "I pick dogs that remind me of myself--scrappy, mutt-faced, with a hint of mange. People look for a reflection of their own personalities or the person they dream of being in the eyes of an animal companion. That is the reason I sometimes look into the face of my dog Stan and see wistful sadness and existential angst, when all he is actually doing is slowly scanning the ceiling for flies."

Following a collection of sparkling chapters on cultural phenomena--from the "Creeping Gabor Syndrome" (the terror of turning into Zsa Zsa Gabor) to what happens to you when you live alone (and the eight things you can do because there's no one there to stop you)--the last chapter outlines the many lessons Markoe has learned from her dogs: "If you see something you want, and all your other attempts at getting it have failed, it is only right to grovel shamelessly. As a second tactic, stare intently at the object of your desire, allowing long gelatinous drools to leak like icicles from your lips."

About the Author:

Emmy Award-winning writer MERRILL MARKOE has authored three books of humorous essays and the novel It’s My F---ing Birthday, as well as co-authoring with Andy Prieboy the novel The Psycho Ex Game. She has worked as a radio host and a TV correspondent, and has written for television movies and numerous publications. She lives in Los Angeles.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0812974506
• ISBN 13: 9780812974508
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272