Peter Clenott

A heartwarming story about a man and his dog, and the first-ever book about dog parks and the part they play in the lives of both humans and canines. Off the Leash is a group portrait of dog people, specifically the strange, wonderful, neurotic, and eccentric dog people who gather at AmoryPark, overlooking Boston near Fenway Park. It’s about author Matthew Gilbert’s transformation into one of those dog people with fur on their jackets, squeaky toys in their hands, and biscuits in their pockets. Gilbert, longtime TV critic at The Boston Globe, describes his reluctant trip into the dog-park subculture, as the first-time owner of a stubbornly social yellow Lab puppy named Toby. Like many Americans, he was tethered to the digital leash. But the headstrong, play-obsessed Toby pulls him to Amory, and Amory becomes an exhilarating does of presence for him. At the dog park, the dog owners go off the leash, too. Dog-park life can be tense. When dogs fight, their owners bare their teeth at each other, too. Amid the rollicking dog play, feelings tend to surface faster, inedited. Amory becomes, for the dog owners, an idyllic microcosm, the home of enduring friendships and romantic crushes. Meeting daily, a gathering of dog owners can be like group therapy. A charming narrative, Off the Leash will appeal to anyone who has ever enjoyed watching a puppy scamper through a park. Praise for Off the Leash “An admitted curmudgeon just a few steps away from Cruella de Vil, Gilbert sees his life change when he falls in love with a dog person and then falls in love with dogs. . . . Gilbert captures with great humor the world within the dog park. . . . Beyond the individual quirks, Gilbert finds community and the ability to empathize among people who on the surface have little in common.” —Los Angeles Times “Gilbert’s book is witty, sweet, and affirming.” —The Boston Globe