Shelley's Book Reviews

The Paws That Refreshes

17-Nov-2009

Dogged Pursuit: My Year of Competing Dusty, the World's Least Likely Agility Dog by Robert Rodi is a hoot and a half. Or rather, a woof and a half. It's the real story of a self-described "jaded, urban cynic" who takes up agility training with his dog Dusty in the hopes of winning competitions. Keep in mind that Dusty is a 19-pound sheltie rescue dog with significant behavioral issues [READ: anti-social and neurotic]. Also keep in mind that his owner is an elitist intellectual with his own bag of neuroses. They're an unlikely pair, to be sure, but their experiences in the rarified world of canine competition are downright hilarious.

Dogged Pursuit is a man-and-his-dog memoir of a middle class gourmand with champagne tastes who enters the quirky world of agility trials and Sloppy Joes. Feeling like an outsider and not really into the camaraderie of the dog world, Rodi just wants to win. After several disappointing competitions, he realizes that he's projecting his own anxieties and insecurities onto his dog: "My dog's pathologies are of my own making. He takes his cues from me…God, I've gone and created a mini-me on four legs." No kidding!

Rodi has more than his fair share of competitive spirit and is determined to win those blue ribbons. Despite repeated failures and outright embarrassing performances at the agility trials, Rodi and Dusty persevere. But when Dusty doesn't overcome his fierce shyness around people and other dogs, Rodi hires a "canine communicator" (dog psychic) to help him understand his pet. This chapter is particularly funny. And then there's the chapter about the pet acupuncturist. You can only imagine.

While Dusty has some undeniable socialization issues, the problem really lies with his owner, who's best described as a drama queen and prima donna. Recounting a nosebleed he gets, Rodi writes: "So here I am, sitting in a frigid car in the middle of a barren prairie with my life's blood cascading from me in the most humiliating possible manner." Or his car trouble, which he describes as "a dramatic personal crisis, over which [I] eventually and with difficulty triumph…" Oh, please! Get a grip. Despite the hyperbole, Rodi and Dusty's experiences on the agility circuit make for very entertaining reading.

The chapter that had me laughing till tears were streaming down my face is called "Magic Time," in which one particular dog owner turns to rather unconventional methods to relax her dog before competing. I can't say any more because, well, I might blush. But take my word for it, this is the most bizarre and hilarious thing I've ever read. It just confirms my suspicions that dog owners live in different world altogether, where apparently, anything goes. Dog lover or not, I recommend this book to everyone. It's a howling good read.

For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library's Web site.