Dogged Pursuit: How a Rescue Dog Rescued Me

Robert Rodi

Jun 2009 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Read Robert Rodi's posts on the Penguin Blog.

"A charming, hilarious look at a little-documented world." -- People

In dog years, Robert Rodi is 350. Age, however, couldn't possibly have prepared him for his experience with canine agility-the athletic cousin to best-of-breed shows. Rodi, an epicure and urban intellectual, picks up agility with aspirations for blue ribbons. His dreams of glory quickly fade when faced with the competition: hearty Midwestern handlers and their ferociously fit pups, who annihilate scrawny, scruffy, Dusty, Rodi's rescue dog and would-be champ, in the ring. The duo is utterly lost in the agility circles, but as in the best human/pet stories, they forge an everlasting bond to carry them through.

Combining the wit of Christopher Guest's Best in Show and the charm of Marley & Me, Dogged Pursuit is an uproarious account of a neophyte's year in the dog show world that abounds in humor and warmth.

Ratings and reviews

Some friends just passed on this book and I find it hysterically funny. Of course, I've done agility with Shelties for the past several years, which probably makes me the perfect audience for this side-splitting description of the sport. He is clearly exaggerating for humourous effect but the basic descriptions of dogs (especially the Shelties), and training, and courses is accurate. BTW, for those concerned about Rodi forcing his dog to run, dogs run agility courses sans collars or leashes, so there is only so much 'forcing' possible. A dog who truly doesn't want to do it will simply refuse or leave the ring. I have a Sheltie who started trotting out of the ring and he is now retired. For most participants, the lure of agility is not ribbons but the forging of a wonderful partnership with the dog. When the dog and human coordinate to successfully complete a course, it feels magical.

Awesome book by Rob Rodi about the trials (pardon the pun) and tribulations of a "Novice A & willing to do his homework" team of agility underdogs. His dog, Dusty stole the show and the accounts of his experiences are easily relatable. A humorous, quick read.

I have been a fan of Robert Rodi for many years and grabbed this book as soon as it was released. I loved every word of it & thoroughly enjoyed learning a little of the personal life of the writer I have long admired. ❤

About the author

Robert Rodi was born in Chicago in the conformist 1950s, grew up in the insurrectionist 1960s, came of age in the hedonist 1970s, and went to work in the elitist 1980s. This roller-coaster ride has left him with a distinct aversion to isms of any kind; it also left him with an ear for hypocrisy, cant, and platitudes that allowed him, in the 1990s, to become a much-lauded social satirist.

His first novel, Fag Hag, was published in 1991 and was swiftly translated into Italian, French, German, and Japanese. It was followed by Closet Case (1992), What They Did to Princess Paragon (1994), Drag Queen (1995), Kept Boy (1997), Bitch Goddess (2002), and When You Were Me (2007). His first nonfiction book, Dogged Pursuit: My Year of Competing Dusty, the World's Least Likely Agility Dog was released by Hudson Street Press in 2009.

Robert's shorter fiction can be found in a number of anthologies, including Men On Men 5, His, and Sandman: Book of Dreams. His novella Glad, Gladder, Gladys was serialized online at USAToday.com. His literary criticism has appeared in the pages of The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, NewCity, and The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review.

Robert is the creator of several comic-book series, including 4 Horsemen, Codename: Knockout, and The Crossovers. He was a founding member of the Chicago-based performance art troupe, The Pansy Kings, who were active throughout the 1990s, and he wrote sketches for the Live Bait Theater's revues Junk Food and Dear Jackie: The Queen of Camelot Remembered.

Robert still lives in Chicago, in a century-old Queen Anne house with his partner Jeffrey Smith and a constantly shifting number of dogs.