Customer Reviews:
 Something new March 3, 2001
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I admit I skimmed over, towards the end, some of Ackerley's agonized accounts of Tulip's heats. But I relished most of the book, and I am as grateful to the author as I am to any writer who does something authentically new and different, and does it well. This book should be read in conjunction with Ackerley's other books, especially "My Father and Myself." By itself "Tulip" may seem to be the document of a very strange man, but considered with Ackerley's whole output it comes to look like just the most groping and unflinchingly honest of Ackerley's remarkably free and honest writings. Frankly it's amazing that a book written more than 30 years ago, on a topic (the lives of animals) at the center of contemporary worry and action, should seem so advanced, and just so ... beyond the pale. And, of course, Ackerley's prose is faultless. Every serious reader should give this book a chance.
 Hair-raising; not for dog lovers January 8, 2001
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
Well, a lot has been said about others about the grittiness of detail. I work as a vet tech & have 3 dogs, so I'm used to all that sort of thing but his descriptions even bother me. You wonder if the guy is quite right in the head. After going thru all sorts of misadventure trying to breed her, and watching the birth with fascination and tenderness, he immediately goes for a bucket to drown some pups because he's just realized that he can't have that many dogs in his apartment. Trying to take into account that this all took place a long time ago (by the standards of the dog behavior & training culture), this book still offends me and plain old gives me the creeps.
 Hilarious and Touching June 5, 2000
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
It's hard for me to understand how some of the reviewers could have failed to appreciate Ackerley. If you've ever owned any kind of pet at all, this book is a must. To be sure, it's not for the squeamish--Tulip's romantic life is the one of the chief topics, and the author minces no words describing the tactics deployed by Tulip, her many canine suitors, and even her owner himself in his attempts to produce true-blooded offspring. But Ackerley approaches even this sensitive subject with both humor and a strange sweetness. He once wrote that Tulip was his true love, the only creature who loved him and whom he could love unconditionally, and after you read the book, you understand why. Tulip's character--defensive, offensive, protective, delicate, beautiful, affectionate, and ever-so-vital--is as moving as any portrayal of a mere human. Unmissable.
Disappointment May 11, 2000
4 out of 15 found this review helpful
I read a review of this book a few months ago in a dog magazine. It sounded good, I made a note of it. I must say the book has been a disappointment to me. I agree with two of the reviewers before me--the book lost its punch in last half with the endless breeding babble. Also I obtained a cheapened and altered book from the one I saw pictured in the review. I would say this book is over rated and over priced.
 Overrated May 1, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
The author's devotion to his pet, Tulip, and his determination to attend to her well-being were very touching. I also appreciated how he admitted to his mistakes in "dog-rearing." However, it seemed to me that all he talked about were the dog's biological functions, be it elimination or the reproductive cycle. There's nothing wrong with the topics but they took up the entire book--in particular, he went on for chapters about the dog's heat cycles. I started flipping through the pages very quickly toward the end.
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