 
Reverse Points: Bird Dogs Reconsidered is an edgy compilation of photos and short texts that delve into the dark side of bird dogs. Not for purists whose hearts lie in the grand traditions, this book salutes dogs that misbehave, smell bad, laugh at their handlers, love to eat and spend as much time thinking about the opposite sex as they do pursuing birds.
The photographs in this volume were taken by Anisfield at dog training clinics and on hunting trips around the country. From Labrador retrievers to English pointers, spinones to wirehaired pointing griffons, a broad sampling of pointers and flushers appear on these pages.
The texts by outdoor humor writers Alan Liere, Jon M. Bronson, Matt Crawford, Michael A. Halleran, Tom Parmelee and Anisfield take various forms as well. Some are short stories; others follow a variety of formats – memo, verse, weather forecast, recipe, news report, etc. Not coincidentally, all the writers are also hunters and bird dog owners. Here they join Anisfield in showcasing the other gun dog reality – the one familiar to anyone who has known, owned or hunted with a true bird dog.
Reverse Points is 84 full-color pages, softcover, large format 11” x 9.” It is available for $29 plus shipping/handling through the Ugly Dog Hunting Company at www.uglydoghunting.com or 877-982-7054.
excerpt:
Several cosmic truths construct the bird dog continuum: If it’s smelly, we roll in it. If it can be upchucked at 3 a.m., we eat it. Porcupines should be chomped, snakes should be tossed, and by all means, if there’s a hornet’s nest in a rock wall, we darn well need to excavate. The prime directive also includes a minimum of three “whoa’s” before a real bird dog would even consider applying the brakes. Truck door inside handles are excellent dental floss. There’s no human bed too small to be shared, and, most important, with the proper conditioning, we can indeed learn to love the stimulation of a highly-tuned electronic training collar.
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