Following the success of his earlier dog-centred books, in particular, Yamrus’s best selling collection of poetry BARK now in its fourth print (Epic Rites Press, 2010), he has published FIVE DOGS– a memoir in which he recalls the five dogs he has shared in his life with his wife Kathy.
In a recent email, Yamrus explained to me the backstory to Five Dogs:
“when i was looking for someone interested in publishing my next book of poetry (to be called SMALL TALK), which was complete and looking for a publisher in these crazy covid times, Concrete Mist Press jumped at the chance to bring it out. in talking with the editor/publisher Heath Brougher, he expressed his excitement at being able to publish me, and over the course of a few weeks he talked about how much he loved BARK and that if i ever did another book about dogs he'd love to publish that, as well...
“i liked the idea, but, knowing that i'm not a juke box and besides, BARK was just too good to try and write new dog poems to compete with them...so, i was at a loss...and then one morning that thing about The Zoomies came to me and i was off to the races. the book really did write itself, and the biggest challenge for me was deciding what NOT to say.”
In the opening page, Yamrus introduces us to the concept of ‘the zoomies’ in an interesting and striking way which should appeal to dog lovers:
“every dog we’ve ever had (and there’s been five of them)
got the Zoomies at one time or another. it makes you
wonder what gets into their heads…they could be lying
there, half asleep, in the sun or in the shade…and then, all
of a sudden the head perks up, the eyes get wide and it’s off
to the races, around and around the yard…into and out of
trees…behind and through shrubs and bushes and around
benches and tables and chairs.”
According to Yamrus, “it’s the closest thing to the perfect description of Joy you’ll ever see in your life. it’s one of the thousand million reasons why we love dogs the way we do.”
If you are unfamiliar with zoomies, here’s a link to a popular youtube dog video if you are up to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqCQQkOPAi0
Interestingly, Yamrus describes his layered, digressive literary style “like an attack of The Zoomies- i sometimes go around and around and around in what seems like circles.”
This book is directly aimed at dog lovers and there are millions of them out there. Yamrus doesn’t have any kids and says “our whole world revolves around our dogs.” After the couple moved into their first house, “with a front porch, a back yard and everything, for Kathy, that everything would have to include a white picket fence and a dog.”
It took Yamrus about two weeks to write Five Dogs. In a recent conversation with Barb Emnett, who describes herself as a Dog Mom (see the link below) he told her that the purpose of the book was to show “how crazy dogs are and how they can drive you crazy but also about how much fun they are.”
Like much of Yamrus’s previous work, Five Dogs is minimalistic, lower case and first person/ conversational in style. His tone is empathetic and he sometimes directly addresses the reader and encourages us to reflect on our own dog-human relationships.
What’s clever about the book is its improvisational feel and Yamrus’s ability to write about his strong emotional attachment to his dogs without resorting to tear-jerking sentimentality or self-pity. He tempers his love & joy of his dogs with moments of great hilarity and the sad, dissembling truth of their impending deaths.
In the core of this slim book, Yamrus devotes individual chapters to the dogs in his life: MIKA, PHOEBE AND ITO, ABBY and STELLA. The concluding chapter OOGIE AND OPRAH, in part involves his dog Phoebe, but is more about a rescued dog Oogie they came across at the vet’s and who is represented in the harrowing poem ‘and all the sick, perverted’. It is one of four of his dog poems in the collection, which were previously published in BARK.
In his recent conversation with Jane Stahl of Studio B (see the link below), Yamrus says that in the book he is “interested in shining a light on the stupid things, the little things” that guide our lives. He is interested in writing about “what dogs do to us and for us.”
Yamrus does not provide detailed portraits of his dogs but deliberately creates minimalistic, highly selected anecdotes to create a vivid impression of their individual personalities. He often leaves it to the reader’s imagination to fill in his artistic gaps to recall their own fond or foul dog memories.
In the chapter ‘Stella’ he enthusiastically writes about how his dog sleeps on the family bed and takes over :
“besides, if you’re still reading this, you probably have your
own dog and you probably do the same thing…and
more…and you probably like it just as much as i do. and
you know and i know that there’s nothing better in the
world than giving up your spot on the bed to a dirty, stinky,
smelly ball of fur who stretches out and pushes you around
and more than likely farts and lights up the whole room
with the glory of the smell, never even waking up, probably
just rolling over and pushing you around again.”
Yamrus reveals to us everyday events- his trips to the breeder, his sense of joy in seeing a pup for the first time, he shares with us his favourite snaps of his dogs, he chuckles as he tells us about a dog’s obedience class or an inept response to an intelligence test.
Yet Five Dogs is not all about the joy of having a companion dog. Yamrus also includes the darker side to having a dog- the tests, the diseases- the small tragedies, and briefly- the deaths.
The front cover of Five Dogs features a slightly blurred photo of Yamrus with Stella, his current dog #5. He is embracing the dog and both are staring directly at the camera. The back cover also features Stella during a thunderstorm. The dog is terrified and has jumped on the lounge obscuring the amused writer while his wife Kathy takes the shot.
Five Dogs is a whimsical, reflective book with a yelp of melancholy. As I flipped through the book I remembered once again the crazy dogs in my own life- Waldo, Leo, Maggie, Terra, Sugar- and more recently Woody- and all of the scattered "shit" they have left behind! As Yamrus writes in 'Stella', "maybe that's why i'm sitting here writing about my dogs. they deserve to be remembered, too. /and appreciated."
The book is available through Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dogs-John-Yamrus/dp/1636251188
Resources:
Visit John Yamrus’s website: http://www.johnyamrus.com
B Inspired- 24 October 2020 – John Yamrus- Five Dogs- the New Book and the Stories that Inspired It! John Yamrus talks to Jane Stahl about the dogs in his life. (30.39):
Reading Eagle- In new book, Berks author John Yamrus shares recollections of his dogs’ lives (Don Botch, 18 October 2020): https://www.readingeagle.com/living/in-new-book-berks-author-john-yamrus-shares-recollections-of-his-dogs-lives/article_57604ad8-0d8f-11eb-893f-97831b929d01.html
Read my 2013 review of Bark on Bold Monkey here: https://georgedanderson.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-interview-john-yamrus-bark.html
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