num_pages: 240
description: Dog enthusiasts will flock to this entertaining account of an unlikely canine lovers ascent into full-fledged member of the neighborhood dog parkPublishers WeeklyOff the Leash is a group portrait of dog people specifically the strange wonderful neurotic and eccentric dog people who gather at Amory Park overlooking Boston near Fenway Park. And its about author Matthew Gilberts transformation after much fear and loathing of dogs and social groups into one of those dog people with fur on their jackets squeaky toys in their hands and biscuits in their pockets. Gilbert longtime TV critic at The Boston Globe describes his reluctant trip into the dog park subculture as the first-time owner of a stubbornly social Yellow Lab puppy named Toby. Like many Americans he was happily accustomed to the safe distance of TV viewing and cell-phone web surfing tethered to the digital leash. But the headstrong play-obsessed Toby pulls him to Amory and Amory becomes an exhilarating dose of presence for him. The joyous chaos of wrestling dogs and the parks cast of offbeat dog owners  the pack of freaks  gradually draw him into the here and now. At the dog park the dog owners go off the leash too. Dog-park life can be tense. When dogs fight their owners  such as the reckless Charlotte  bare their teeth at each other too. Amid the rollicking dog play feelings tend to surface faster unedited. But Gilbert shows how Amory is an idyllic microcosm too the home of enduring friendships and as the droll but vulnerable Hayley knows romantic crushes. Meeting daily a gathering of dog owners can be like group therapy or The Office or a standup concert. As a TV critic Matthew Gilbert is well-known by his readership for his humorous and wry writing style. A charming narrative that will appeal to anyone who has ever enjoyed watching a puppy scamper through a park Off the Leash is a paean to dog lovers and their pets everywhere perfect for fans of Marley &amp; Me and Merle's Door.
language: English
title: Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park
publisher: Thomas Dunne Books