📖 Ten Poems about Dogs from Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press
First published 2011
Reissued October 2025

My thanks to Candlestick Press for my copy of this pamphlet

The dogs that sniff and scamper their way through the pages of this mini-anthology are of all shapes and sizes. There are hairy dogs, wonky dogs, corgis and pugs. There’s a puppy that loves to swim in the sea and a dog that barks all day until its owners come home again.

We can’t help loving dogs, even when their mischief exasperates us. In one poem, we hear a dog describing its unsociable antics in a voice that’s humorously confident of its owner’s unconditional love:

“I know you love me. Oh yes you do!
Just look at my big brown eyes gazing at you.”

from ‘Corgi’ by Carole Bromley

The poems celebrate the mild mayhem that owning a dog brings, as well as the many moments of fun, companionship and joy. They demonstrate that dogs are indeed “a miniature illumination” in our human lives.

Poems by Herbert Asquith, Carole Bromley, Jeanette Burton, Jane Burn, Billy Collins, Jeanette Dubrow, Vince Foxall, Caleb Parkin, Siegfried Sassoon and Stevie Smith.

Cover illustration by Sam Cannon

Donation to Dogs Trust

📖 My Review

Those who know me know that I have an abiding love for cats rather than dogs and I have to admit to being rather scared of our canine friends especially when they come scampering towards me. However, I know just how comforting a pet companion can be and fully appreciate that dog lovers will be enamoured of this fine collection of poems which celebrate all things canine.

The cover is so appealing that you can’t help but be charmed by the content and smile at some of the mischievous antics of the dogs who show such character and joie de vivre whilst at the same time being aware of the strength of the relationship between dogs and their owners.

I particularly enjoyed the togetherness of :

“Who’s this - alone with stone and sky?

It’s only my old dog and I -

It’s only him, it’s only me;

Alone with stone and grass and tree”

From Man and Dog by Siegfried Sassoon

And the intuitiveness of dogs in this lovely poem:

“They know, most days, that the world is too confusing a place.

They know that you are prone to hiding away. They know

that without them, you probably wouldn’t go out”

From Why all dogs are Kind by Jane Burn

The ten poems which make up this lovely collection will appeal to all those who love animals and will be of particular interest to anyone who has a canine companion. I found much to enjoy and whilst browsing the poems I realised just how much our furry friends mean to us and to our mental well being. Ten Poems about Dogs is the perfect gift instead of a card for anyone who has a special dog companion in their lives.

About the Publisher 

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter/X @poetrycandle 

Blue Sky @candlestickpress.bsky.social

Website

Author Spotlight ~ Patricia Furstenberg

I am delighted to welcome Patricia Furstenberg as my guest on the blog today

A very warm welcome to Jaffareadstoo, Patricia. Thank you so much for spending time with us today and for sharing your thoughts about Why Poetry and Dogs are As Good as Gold...

There are few things that cheer me up as much as seeing a dog’s tail wag! The first cup of coffee in the morning, spending time with my children and husband, writing and reading top my list. 

I want you to remember the last time you saw a dog wagging its tail. Close your eyes and place yourself in the moment. Where were you? Was it sunny? How were you feeling? Were your worries forgotten? Were you by any chance smiling? Watching a dog wagging its tail is pressing “pause” on the life’s play button.

Poetry is very much like a dog wagging its tail. It gets us to live in the moment. You can read just a stanza and, for a mere few seconds, it will transport you out of this world and into a time and space where daily issues and life’s burdens are irrelevant. Where the light shines inside you, revealing forgotten emotions, long lost excitement and new horizons. 

Very much like our pets, poetry is as good as gold for our souls.

Forget ALL you’ve learned in school about poetry. It doesn’t matter what the author wanted to say. Embrace the joy of reading, find your own interpretation and allow the feelings to erupt, the smile to spread over your mouth or the question to shoot upwards and forward and linger in your mind and over your face long after you closed that book.

Forget all you’ve learned in school about poetry, because poetry can be easy to follow, it can be funny and, without any doubt, it can and should mean different thing to different readers.

The benefits of owning a pet and taking joy out of it are well known. Perhaps if one would look at poems from a health benefit perspective, we would give poetry one more chance into our lives. Very much like our beloved pets, poetry allows us to slow down and escape the everyday digital whirlwind; poems can boost our mood, fighting off the occasional state of loneliness, giving words to those untamed feelings; poetry even allows us to travel within our mind, transporting us on a cool mountain path or half way across the world.

Poetry may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am sure there is a poem to match every mood and suit each one of us.

Celebrating the simple things in life as seen through the eyes of our old time favorite furry friends, “As Good as Gold” is a volume of poetry revealing the talent and humor we always knew our dogs possessed.

Dogs are full of questions, yet they are famed sellers of innocence especially when it comes to explaining their mishaps and often foolish effervescence through such pondering as “Why IS a Cat Not Like a Dog”, “As Brown as Chocolate”, “Silver Stars and Puppy Tail” or, best yet, “Dog or Book?”

A book with an enormous heart for readers of all ages, it includes 35 poems and haiku accompanied by expressive portraits of our canine friends. The poems are grouped in: Questions, Colors, Musings and Haiku.

My thoughts about As Good as Gold..

There's something quite charming about a set of verse, particularly one that involves animals. Even though it's quite obvious that our household is ruled by feline companionship rather than canine, nevertheless, the kitties and I found much to enjoy in reading As Good As Gold. From the delightful illustrations which highlight the joy of this book, right through to the actual content itself, the whole thing made me smile. It is obvious that the author has had a great deal of fun in writing the poems and haiku which are primarily aimed at children but which are also rather soothing for grown up readers too. Either reading to a sleepy child or just enjoying the beauty of the words on a busy commute, there is something within As Good As Gold for everyone to enjoy.

About the Author

Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. 

With a medical degree behind her, Patricia is passionate about mind, brain, education and the psychology behind it. Using her knowledge she crafts stories and poems that are great fun, as well as teaching empathy. What fuels her is her fascination for writing and… coffee.

She is the author of the beloved Joyful Trouble, The Cheetah and the Dog, Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles and many more, all available through Amazon. She has personal work and educational articles published on Huffington Post SA, MyPuppyClub.net and ITSI_SA. She blogs extensively at http://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/

She now works on a novel about the lives of military working dogs in Afghanistan as well as three more poetry books about Africa’s bravest creatures. Patricia lives with her husband, children and their dogs in sunny South Africa.

Website

Twitter @PatFurstenberg #AsGoodAsGold

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