Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
My Dog Tulip  By  cover art

My Dog Tulip

By: J. R. Ackerley
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $9.32

Buy for $9.32

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Distinguished British man of letters J. R. Ackerley hardly thought himself a dog lover when, well into middle age, he came into possession of a German shepherd named Tulip. To his surprise, she turned out to be the love of his life, the “ideal friend” he had been seeking in vain for years. My Dog Tulip is a bittersweet retrospective account of their 16-year companionship, as well as a profound and subtle meditation on the strangeness that lies at the heart of all relationships. In vivid and sometimes startling detail, Ackerley tells of Tulip’s often erratic behavior and very canine tastes and of his own fumbling but determined efforts to ensure for her an existence of perfect happiness.

My Dog Tulip has been adapted to screen as a major animated feature film with a cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, and Isabella Rossellini. It has been heralded as “a stroke of genius” by New York Magazine and “the love story of the year” by Vanity Fair.

©1965 Joe Randolph Ackerley (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the greatest books ever written by anybody in the world.” (Truman Capote)

More from the same

What listeners say about My Dog Tulip

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    36
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    19
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    38
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    11
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    27
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    19

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I had heard that this was an excellent dog book, written by a man who loved his dog. I'm not sorry that I read it to satisfy my curiosity. However, I wouldn't recommend it and I certainly won't listen to it again. Ackerley seemed completely fixated on Tulip's elimination and reproductive functions. I know those things are part of owning a dog and can be amusing. They were quite funny in this book the first several times he described them. However, there are many other things that go into a person's relationship with their dog, and the book barely addressed them. Ackerley clearly loved Tulip, but I found myself shouting,

What does Ralph Cosham bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Ralph Cosham convincingly spoke in Ackerley's voice. I probably wouldn't have finished the book in print form. The narration improved the experience.

Could you see My Dog Tulip being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

My Dog Tulip was made into an animated movie. I watched it before reading the book and thought they did an excellent job. It was actually more entertaining than the book. I had hoped for more depth from the book, but unfortunately I got only more vivid descriptions of Tulip's bladder and bowel issues along with her sexual frustration.

Any additional comments?

Save your time and watch the movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Pleasant

As a dog lover and trainer, this was a pleasant listen. It did not hold up to "The Art of Racing in the Rain" or "A Dog Named Christmas" for overall excellence of writing or involvement in the story or the life of the dog. But it did a very nice job of portraying a man and his dog, and the relationship between the 2 species. I will listen to it again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

If you have a dog of your own....

If you have a dog of your own, then you already know this story. His dog is special, unique, responds best to the author. His dog has issues that the owner finds endearing, yet others abhor. Nice read, nice story, but nothing new or nothing revealing here. If you want to read about someone else's dog ownership experience, it may be a good book, But you might be better served to just go out and get your own dog! This book is nothing special!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting Story About Human/Canine Relationship

I love dogs and dog stories and have listened to many. This one was not one of the more emotionally compelling ones, but the writing was good (although a bit challenging to get used to) and I learned a lot of "dog stuff" I didn't know. The owner's love for his dog is clearly and touchingly described. Worth a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Why Spaying Your Dog is a Good Thing

Written in the mid-1950s, this beautifully realized little book documents in strangely absorbing detail the perils of living in a small London apartment with a high-strung female German shepherd who comes into heat three times a year and, in her one experience as a mother, delivers eight rambunctious pups. The author, a distinguished British editor in his day, trains his writerly skills on his dog Tulip's posterior, charting exactly what happens there when she goes into heat and delving into the mechanics of sex with one of her many beleagured suitors. Unlike any dog memoir I've read, it's both a love story and a treatise on the sacrifices and pleasures experienced by both dog owners and their pets.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a chuckle !

I loved this book. I laughed out loud about every few minutes all the way through it. I love the Englishman's discription of the world and it's dogs! If you need a good laugh do buy this book!!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Positive View of a German Shepard aka Alsatians

A very interesting true story that I found from a review in The Week Magazine. However, Mr. Ackerley's love and care of his dog, Tulip, was more obsessive in ways that made me uncomfortable. Specifically his fascination with Tulip's sexual behavior. It just struck me as weird. No question that he was dedicated to the happiness of Tulip, but he was oblivious to or misinterpreted some of her needs. I recommend this book only to the most ardent dog lovers who can overlook Ackerley's eccentricities.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Interesting POV from an Owner

I liked the story. The speaker was good. But it is in a British accent. It was moving and in a way,. It humanizes the animal, while understanding its natural state. A very good book for English majors. There is a lot to analyze.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Obsessed with his dog's nether parts... Ewww

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The first half of the story was very touching but there came a point at which he could not stop referring in reverential language about his dog's beautiful vulva, etc. Very creepy!!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Quirky Book for True Dog Lovers

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this for someone who is a true dog lover. The author is a little weird in his obsession with having his dog Tulip mated.

What does Ralph Cosham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The proper British accent and attitude.

Do you think My Dog Tulip needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, we know enough about Tulip.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful