If you didn’t have enough reasons to love Vincent Price, here’s one more.

Vincent Price loved animals, in particular dogs, and his favorite dog was the one he owned, a dog called Joe.

Vincent was so enamored with his four-legged pal that he wrote an entire book about him called The Book of Joe, in 1961, which begins as follows:

“This is a tale of how I went to the dogs or, to be numerically correct, to the dog. Now please do not expect this book to end with a glorious proclamation of rehabilitation. Not a chance. After fourteen years I’m incurably hooked on, intoxicated by, and addicted to - my dog Joe.”

I had never heard of Mr. Price’s foray into canine biography before, but now have it on my growing list of books I would like to read,  and going by some reviews on Good Reads, it sounds like a treat:

If you are ever lucky enough to find this out of print and rare book, you will be delighted by the WONDERFUL stories it contains. Told as elegantly and masterfully as only Vincent Price could tell. I could hear his distinct voice within every written word. A real rare gem for Vincent Price fans or Dog lovers in general.

This book tells not only the story of Joe but of other Price pets. Including apes, camels and roosters, just to name a few. The book is somewhat auto-biographical in nature as it relates to his love of animals. Sometimes sad but often hilarious, I laughed more often than I cried. I always enjoy a happy ending and so Mr. Price delivers as the climax and ending becomes triumphant yet poignant.

This book helped me remember that the world lost not only a great Actor when Mr. Price died, but a loving husband, father, gourmet cook, art critic, and one of a dog’s best friends.

It appears Vincent Price’s The Book of Joe is a much sought after and rather difficult to find book, so I guess until I’m lucky enough to own a copy, I will have to make do with these charming ink drawings by artist Leo Hershfield, which illustrate Mr. Price’s book.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
One day Vincent had help bail Joe out of some legal trouble:

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23 - ACTOR DEFENDS DOG - Actor Vincent Price thinks his dog, with which he’s featured, is “the world’s best dog…I love him so much I’m here to defend his honor against this charge.” The dog is charged with running into the street and upsetting a bicycle ridden by Charles F. Benjamin, 60. Benjamin is suing Price for $13,193 for a broken collarbone.

Thankfully, it was all resolved successfully.
 

 
Via Mynewplaidpants and Iheartvincentprice