Hounded : the lowdown on life from three dachshunds : a memoir

Format:

Book

Title:

Hounded : the lowdown on life from three dachshunds : a memoir

Author:

Ziselman, Matt.

ISBN:

9781455527021

9781455527014

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York : Center Street, 2013.

Physical Description:

xxi, 263 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Contents:

Staring Contest, You and Me, GO! -- Be Quiet! And Speak -- The Clock Is Licking -- After You, Bitch! -- Poop du Jour -- The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease; the Whimpering Wheel Gets a Treat -- You Lick Your Human with That Tongue? -- Urine My World Now -- Spot Isn't a Name: It's a Location -- OCDog -- Dog in a Blanket -- Let 'er Rip! -- Slow down, Where's the Fire Hydrant? -- Death by Kisses -- Do You Smell What I See? -- I'll Wash; You Try -- What's Your Position on Doggy Style? -- Lawn Moaner -- Running with the Big Dog (Singular) -- All Creatures Great and Still Very Much Moving -- Dream Wiener -- Afterword.

Summary:

"Hounded ... is a funny, bittersweet memoir of a flawed human being who's lucky to live with three adorable pets who teach him about snacking, sleeping, and love"--Provided by the publisher.

Personal Subject:

Ziselman, Matt.

Ziselman, Matt. (OCoLC)fst01995008

Subject(s):

Dachshunds -- Behavior.

Dog owners -- United States -- Biography.

Human-animal relationships -- United States.

Conduct of life.

Geographic Term:

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	636.7638 Ziselman	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Living with three strong-willed, highly individual Dachshunds can be equal parts entertaining, frustrating and rewarding. Just ask Matt Ziselman.

Armed with a fresh, creative voice that is unabashedly cranky one moment and profoundly poignant the next, Ziselman mixes hilarious canine stories, with heartfelt reminiscences from his own life, the results of which is a memoir of illuminating life lessons, courtesy of the three thoroughly Teutonic Dachshunds that he shares his life (and couch) with: Baxter, Maya and Molly. Seemingly mundane moments, like Baxter's incessant, neuroses inducing staring, Maya's inexplicable refusal to walk through the front door and Molly's obsessive compulsive love for a torn and tattered blanket become, through Ziselman's insightful eyes, a treasure trove of observations that any dog-lover will appreciate. In a market where Americans spend more than $40 billion a year on their pets, this work of razor-sharp wit and quiet tenderness will reach out and grab readers everywhere by the heartstrings and-quite possibly-their leashes.

HOUNDED wraps universal insights in hot-dog-shaped packages, providing true dog lovers with many knowing nods, honest belly laughs and an accurate, warts-and-all reflection of the fascination, wonder and love that they have for their dogs.

And that Matt Ziselman obviously has for his.

Author Notes

Matt Ziselman grew up in Long Island, New York. By the time he was twenty-five, he had worked as a stock boy, cab driver, landscaper, movie theatre manager, nightclub promoter, garbage man, stagehand and other assorted, deeply unfulfilling occupations. In other words, Matt was destined for advertising. First as a copywriter, and later as a Creative Director, Matt has been involved in marketing some of the world's leading brands, where his work has won numerous industry awards. When he's not placed in the awkward position of having to refer to himself in the third person, Matt lives in New Jersey where he tries to keep three Dachshunds, a 12-year old daughter and one wife blissfully happy, but not necessarily in that order.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This banal series of biographical essays purport to be life lessons the author gleaned from his three dogs. If the morals themselves came within a mile of profundity, readers would be more forgiving of Ziselman's logical leaps and lame bromides, such as "Little things don't mean a lot: They mean everything." Former advertising creative director Ziselman postulates that the only reason one of his dachshunds is happy all the time is that she actually is aware of her own mortality (and knows every moment is precious). Life cycle events are treated with Seinfeld-lite snark ("I think that whole 'beauty of childbirth' thing doesn't really kick-in until a snuggly soft blanket is caressing the baby and the daddy is being equally caressed by 20 mg of Valium") that will distance many readers rather than inviting empathy. Sophomoric humor ("now's as good time as any to tell you that there's going to be a fair amount of this cheap word play, like that 'shit you not' line going on for the next few pages") will also not be to all tastes. And self-adulation, as in a section where writers at a workshop tell him that he "can write [his] ass off," doesn't help. Agent: Wendy Sherman, Wendy Sherman Associates. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Self-described cranky author Ziselman has learned a number of things from owning three dachshunds, which he imparts in this charming and funny memoir. In common with all dog lovers, Ziselman is obsessive about his dogs, but unlike the common canine-centric pack, he is able to tease out and articulate life lessons from what he's observed in his dogs. Weaving tales from the dachshunds into memories and stories of his own life, he delves for the truisms common to both and ends each chapter with a Dachshund Life Lesson. Several poignant chapters pair the early deaths of Ziselman's parents and the parallel lessons from their lives and the lives of the dachshunds. What saves this book from treacly sweetness and makes it hard to put down is Ziselman's wonderfully sharp, witty voice.--Bent, Nancy Copyright 2010 Booklist

Preface: Dog Day of Summer	p. xv
1 Staring Contest, You and Me, GO!	p. 1
2 Be Quiet! And Speak.	p. 18
3 The Clock Is Licking	p. 29
4 After You, Bitch!	p. 37
5 Poop du Jour	p. 46
6 The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease; the Whimpering Wheel Gets a Treat	p. 58
7 You Lick Your Human with That Tongue?	p. 74
8 Urine My World Now	p. 83
9 Spot Isn't a Name: It's a Location.	p. 97
10 OCDog	p. 102
11 Dog in a Blanket	p. 118
12 Let 'Er Rip!	p. 129
13 Slow Down, Where's the Fire Hydrant?	p. 141
14 Death by Kisses	p. 153
15 Do You Smell What I See?	p. 166
16 I'll Wash; You Try.	p. 180
17 What's Your Position on Doggie Style?	p. 191
18 Lawn Moaner	p. 205
19 Running with the Big Dog (Singular)	p. 218
20 All Creatures Great and Still Very Much Moving	p. 232
21 Dream Wiener	p. 255
Afterword	p. 261

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents