My Dog Tulip

August 30, 1999
British man-of-letters Joe Randolph Ackerley's (1896-1967) oddly affecting portrait of his pet German shepherd, a high-strung dog named Tulip, is considered a classic of animal--human relationships. First published in England in 1956, but long out of print in the U.S. (where it was released in 1965), this elegantly written canine biography will prove irresistible to sophisticated dog lovers. Seldom has an individual pet's complex personality been delineated so perceptively, with so much wit, grace, care and literary style, yet without sentimental exaggeration or doting. Ackerley, a bachelor, describes his daily walks with Tulip, trips to the veterinarian, country visits, rides with her on a London bus and life in their small flat. With an earthy realism tempered by a peculiarly British restraint and sense of humor, he dwells in sometimes tedious detail on Tulip's behavior in heat and on her excretory habits. Disastrous attempts to mate her finally bear fruit, and there is a marvelous, touching account of Tulip giving birth to eight puppies, for whom Ackerley finds homes. Though unsociable and defiant at times, Tulip, who lived to age 16, is steadfastly loyal, and her incorruptibility serves as a foil to expose human insensitivity, arrogance, self-centeredness and unreliability. One can even forgive Ackerley his constant snobbish, condescending references to "working-class" people and their presumed ways. In its own quirky fashion, Ackerley's wry valentine to his beloved pet is as much a book about the difficult art of living and loving as it is a dog story.