Carol Prisant (1938–2021)

Received as a host gift from a person we had not been introduced to but was accompanying a couple we knew well. I guessed when he asked what would make a good host gift, they had mentioned we were collectors of a wide variety of antiques if that helped him any. When they heard that the facility was to be this timely guide, instead of warning him off, they wanted to see our facial expressions when he would force us to unwrap it. As it was later relayed to me, I just stared at it, trying to figure out exactly what I was holding (it does have a busy cover, instead). I admit, I caved; when I figured out it was a guide, I immediately thanked him for such a thoughtful gesture, and I had heard about the show. Now, I can read up before I watch my first episode. I handed off the book and told him we needed to get him a drink.

I never read it, but he still received a Thank You card within three days.… (más)

Carol Prisant vividly tells the story of her life, love and dogs throughout this short, easy read. From her first pets – a bird and a monkey – to her 10 dogs, the book illustrates a person that truly wants to be an animal person. I found myself frustrated with the “memoir” (which the author says often that this book is not) as Prisant relived the stories of pet ownership. While her accounts of her life through the dogs that came into it were honest, some of the choices made by Prisant and her husband did not show that true dog lover that she claims to be.… (más)

This poignant and sparse memoir is an absorbing read. A tale of marriage via the dogs the couple adopts, it is, at times, unsettling in the offhand way the dogs are treated, as if they are property to be obtained and given away, like unwanted furniture.

But, at times, it made me think of how my life would have been different with or without a pet. Would I have met him without that cat? Could I have moved there if I had not been tied down to a dog?

Ultimately, I think the writer makes mostly correct, if selfish, decisions, about the dogs she keeps. And, overall, dogs enrich and influence her life.… (más)