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Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound | 
 enlarge | Author: Berkeley Breathed
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $7.50
You Save: $11.45 (60%)
New (27) Used (28) Collectible (2) from $4.95
Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 14263
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 48
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 10 x 9.3 x 0.4
ISBN: 0316713597
EAN: 9780316713597
ASIN: 0316713597
Publication Date: October 17, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and children's picture book author Berkeley Breathed crafts a remarkable, hilarious, and yes, even poignant celebration of "flawed dogs": "The bent and plain,/ The unbalanced bod,/ The imperfect people/ And differently pawed." At the core of this "2004 Catalogue of the Piddleton Dog Pound's Very Available Leftovers" is Heidy Strudelberg, "Garbo, Joan of Arc, and Mother Teresa of the nation's unwanted dogs: a reclusive warrior-saint of poundpups." Breathed reveals how Heidy was ousted from the high-falutin vanity dog breeding world when she awarded a muddy three-legged street mutt the Westminster Best in Show ribbon. Now, it seems, Heidy has retreated to the Vermont mountains to run the Last Chance Dog Pound, where defective dogs go for one more attempt at getting adopted. The bulk of Flawed Dogs, once you've laughed your way through the introductions and formalities, is a gallery of pathetic pups with accompanying verses. A picture of an extra-long Dachshund startling the dishes right out of her mistress's hands, is captioned thus: "Here s Sal, it seems no one wants her./ Her ends will stroll off and wander./ A long doggie weenie/ Of noisy linguine/ Sal barks at her butt way down yonder." Dog lovers will be all in a tizzy to get their hands on this crazy, wonderful salute to blemished beagles and faulty foxhounds everywhere. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Product Description
Flawed Dogs presents the annual publication of a fictional dog pound.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 Flawed Dogs November 17, 2008
C. M. Goeggel (Honolulu, HI USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Berkeley Breathed has a wonderful sense of dogs and has produced a funny, poignant book.
A masterpiece for dog lovers -- and everybody else June 15, 2008
Guy P. Harrison (Earth)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
`Flawed dogs' need love too
Review by Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
Very few have fancy pedigrees and you won't see any of them in the Westminster Dog Show. Their limbs may not be of ideal proportions and their fur spoiled by a grease spot or two, but they are no less alive and no less in need of love. That's the message of "Flawed Dogs", a wonderful book for all ages by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Berkley Breathed.
This unique and hilarious book is a treasure that is sure to be a hit with everyone, not just dog lovers. This masterpiece is a mock catalog featuring dogs who are doing time behind bars, hoping for a home. Each dog profiled has an unusual background story. Sadly, something is "wrong" with each one of them so they ended up at the dog pound. The dogs are shown in full Berkeley Breathed glory, with his usual unforgettable style. The art is paired with passionate poetry that is a pitch-perfect. It's not easy to make a reader laugh and cry simultaneously, but this book has the ability to do just that. Because of their "flaws", the dogs face eventual execution--unless some noble human comes along who is able to see beyond their imperfections and recognize some trace of value behind sad and lonely eyes.
"Flawed Dogs" is funny to the level of genius but it also succeeds at delivering a serious message. First you giggle and then you find yourself thinking about how wrong it is for some societies to allow many dogs to reproduce unrestricted to the point where some must be killed long before their time. According to Breathed, about half of all dogs in US shelters are eventually put down. As he points out so well in his book, it's not color, size, shape or behavior that is a dog's fatal flaw. The flaw of not being loved is the only one that matters.
Adults should not be misled by the goofy and colorful illustrations into thinking that this book is for children only. I originally bought this book for my children and, although I have read it to them many times, it has never found its way into their possession. Today it rests safely in one of my personal bookcases, alongside thick philosophy and science books--many of which pale in comparison. Parents should not worry too much about the theme being too disturbing for younger children. Yes, it may raise a few questions about stray dogs seen running the streets, but that would be a good thing, I believe. The more we talk about the problem of "unwanted" dogs (and cats), the more likely we are to do a better job of preventing unnecessary deaths.
Overall, in spite of the serious nature of its underlying theme, "Flawed Dogs" is an upbeat and funny book. Breathed's dogs are unforgettable characters and dog owners probably will recognize a little bit of their dog in a few of them. Breathed is a rare talent and "Flawed Dogs" ranks as one of his best efforts. I've been reading it to my kids for four years and they aren't sick of it yet. That should tell you something.
Other Berkeley Breathed books I highly recommend are: "Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big"; "The Last Basselope: One Ferocious Story"; "Goodnight Opus; and "A Wish for Wings That Work: An Opus Christmas Story".
--Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
 Great book! April 14, 2008
L. Pratt (Avondale, PA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Breathed is such a great writer and he relates so well to children but also to adults. I own quite a few of his books.
My son loves this book January 12, 2008
Randal L. Zelhart (salem, il.)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Got this book for my son for Christmas. He wanted to get it at the Missouri Botanical Garden gift shop. I'm glad I made him wait. He really likes it.
So apropos for those who've rescued a dog from a shelter. January 12, 2008
lady wildflower (Tolland, CT)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound
I bought this as a gift for someone at work who recently rescued a dog from the shelter, who wasn't physically perfect. I knew they'd appreciate this book!
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