The Dogs Of Central Park

    This captivating volume has been called “a photographic love letter to dogs, their humans, and to Central Park.”  It is that and more - it’s a collection  of 140 color photos that will make you smile and capture your heart.  I find myself returning to it again and again, always buoyed by the joy, innocence, and beauty reflected in the portraits of these canines.  It is as if each picture is telling a story of a special time and day in their lives.

    Internationally acclaimed photographer Fran Reisner must love her subjects for it shows in each photo whether she catches them on The Mall during summer or standing guard at The Boathouse or trotting a snowy path.  She found them in all kinds of weather, even rain when she found Obie, a Boxer-Pointer mix who was rescued in Georgia and adopted.  As she writes, “When I saw him Obie was soaking wet and having the time of his life, greeting every dog or human who happened by.”  He’s pictured by “The Duke of West Sixty-Ninth Street,” a devilishly handsome Weimaraner who “enjoys long walks in the park, romantic comedies, and curling up on the couch with a fresh bone.”

    There are dogs of every size and kind, cuddly, statuesque, from mixed breed rescue dogs to retired Blue Ribbon winners.  As pictured by Reisner they all love and delight in Central Park - it’s where they romp, play, socialize or simply stroll.  As parks commissioner Adrian Benepe notes in the Preface, “In the heart of Manhattan, it takes a dog to understand the beauty of autumn leaves, the thrill of new fallen snow, and the promise of flowers on a rainy spring day.”

    THE DOGS OF CENTRAL PARK is a beauty of a book!