Dog Years

A Memoir

By: Mark Doty

Narrated by: Mark Doty

Why do dogs speak so profoundly to our inner lives? When Mark Doty decides to adopt a dog as a companion for his dying partner, he finds himself bringing home Beau, a large golden retriever, malnourished and in need of loving care. Beau joins Arden, the black retriever, to complete their family. As Beau bounds back into life, the two dogs become Mark Doty's intimate companions, his solace, and eventually the very life force that keeps him from abandoning all hope during the darkest days. Their tenacity, loyalty, and love inspire him when all else fails.

Dog Years is a remarkable book: a moving and intimate memoir interwoven with profound reflections on our feelings for animals and the lessons they teach us about life, love, and loss. Mark Doty writes about the heart-wrenching vulnerability of dogs, the positive energy and joy they bring, and the gift they bear us of unconditional love. A book unlike any other, Mark Doty's surprising meditation is radiantly unsentimental yet profoundly affecting. Beautifully written, Dog Years is a classic in the making.

I cried my face off

This is a beautifully written book about love and loss and the peculiarities of human emotion. This was the first work that I have read by Mark Doty, and I am not at all surprised to learn that he is a poet; Doty reads the prose as if they were verse and the steady, rhythmic quality of his reading serves to create an intimate space into which the reader is invited to sit and grieve with him.

I feel the need to add that, while Mark Doty is a gay man, and he reflects on both the loss of his partner to AIDS as well as the rebuilding of his life with a new love, the themes in this book are universal and the recounting of personal trauma enriches the text, rather than diluting the author's message. The focus of the book is Doty's relationships with his pets, and how they affect and are reflected in his human relationships. Anyone who has mourned the loss of a loved one, canine or otherwise, will not only connect with Doty but find themselves experiencing their relationships, with their pets and loved ones, with a fuller awareness.

Mark Doty & Dogs

This book was such a surprise. One of our most notable U.S.poets is also an incredible memoirist.
I wept and laughed through Dog Years --and am now listening to it for a second time. It is not your ordinary "dog book." It is much more about the bigger issues of mortality, humanity, humility and love. A truly inspiring, amusing, heartwrenching piece of literature. Thank you, Mr.Doty.

Laughter and tears

I laughed many times listening to the story, and I cried too. It was told so well. I have had similar experiences with two similar dogs and with a spouse who left too soon. This story and the good narration helped me to remember a little better, and to grieve, and to celebrate the memories at the same time. Soon, I will look forward to getting to know and love a new dog.

KDB

If one loves dogs, they will love this book!! Excellently written and narrated! Get it!

Sweet, funny, and deeply moving

Doty reads his prose like his poetry, with halting careful phrases and attention to tone and detail. His canine memoir is perfect in itself, filled with sweet anecdotes and profound reflections on life, love, happiness and death. The lessons he reaps from the dogs and people in his life are as rewarding to the reader and listener as they are poignant and real to the author. A beautiful, touching memoir.