Mordecai Siegal: Giant of Pet Writing Leaves the Stage

by Steve Dale

Profound is probably the right word for his influence. It can be argued that no one who wrote about pets had the impact of Mordecai Siegal, 75, who passed away April 1. Mordecai Siegal wrote 33 books in the process changing the face of pet writing.

Siegal's first book was "Good Dog, Bad Dog," written with dog trainer Matthew Margolis. The team would write 10 books together.

Born in Philadelphia, Siegal was once a Broadway actor, toiling in mostly forgettable work. He did have one shining moment in the "Three Penny Opera" alongside Bea Arthur and Ed Asner. If you'd asked Siegal then, he would have said his goal was to write the next great American novel.

In 1970, Siegal and his wife, Vicki, experienced a blessed event. Their "baby" was Pete, a Siberian Husky who liked to chew. Siegal met a young dog trainer named Matthew Margolis on the street and hired him on the spot to deal with the chewing problem. Margolis looked around Siegal's apartment, brimming with books, and asked, "What is it that you do?"

Siegal explained that he was an author. Of course, he wasn't a published author, but that was only a minor detail. Margolis naively suggested the two team up to write a book about dog training. Siegal thought the idea was hysterical, because, after all, he wasn't a dog writer. Months later, his novel still not published, he called Margolis. "Remember that book idea you had?" he growled.

Knowing that having Roger Caras' name on the book jacket might boost sales, Siegal had thought about asking the legendary pet writer and ABC TV reporter to write a blurb for "Good Dog, Bad Dog." Coincidentally, one morning Siegal and his wife were driving in East Hampton, N.Y., and noticed a mailbox with the name Roger Caras. Could it be him?

Siegal told me how Caras came to the door in his bathrobe, inviting the couple in for coffee. Caras did lend his name to the book jacket and many others for Siegal, and they became lifelong friends. When Siegal asked how he could possibly thank him, Caras simply said, "Pass it on." Siegal did just that throughout his career, supporting others who write about pets.

Margolis went on to host the series "Woof! It's a Dog's Life" on PBS, made countless TV appearances and ran a hugely successful dog-training facility.

"I owe my career to Mordecai," Margolis says. "He was able to communicate in ways I don't have the talent to do. As a result, so many dogs have been helped."

"Good Dog, Bad Dog" was released in 1973. "When we saw 'Good Dog Bad Dog' at the (now defunct) Doubleday Bookstore, we were so thrilled to have a book in print," Margolis recalled. "Mordecai just loved books anyway, but we really wanted the book to sell, so we both called the bookstore several times - using different voices - saying, 'This 'Good Dog Bad Dog' is so amazing, it should be in the window.' The last call we made, they pretty much answered the phone saying, 'So what do you have to say about 'Good Dog, Bad Dog'?' The next day, the book was in the window."

Few, if any dog-training books had ever enjoyed such robust sales, eventually convincing bookstores that dog and cat books ought to have their own sections instead of being intermingled with books about wild animals. "Good Dog, Bad Dog" is still in print, and has been published in about a dozen languages.

Siegal, the guy who once couldn't get published, subsequently received more offers than he could accept.

"I know this sounds crazy, but at first, I resisted," he once told me. "I loved pets, but his wasn't what my plan was. I really wanted to write that great American novel."

However, you can't raise a family based on plans, so Siegal eventually went with the tide and the books began to flow. Other titles include "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things" (with Margolis), "I Just Got A Puppy. What Do I Do?" (with Margolis), "Woof!" (with Margolis), "A Dog for the Kids," "The Cornell Book of Cats" and "Simon and Schuster's Guide to Cats." Siegal also wrote for Harper's Bazaar, Redbook, Reader's Digest and many other magazines, not to mention nearly every dog and cat magazine.

Siegal was President of the Dog Writer's Association of America (DWAA) from 1994 to 2000, an organization he loved. He was twice presented with the DWAA Distinguished Service Award (1987 and 2000) and was inducted into the Dog Writer's Hall of Fame in 2007.

"I was thrilled we could announce his induction into the Hall of Fame at Westminster," says David Frei, long-time voice of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. "Mordecai was the best ever at communicating to the public about training and care of all pets."

Frei said he watched Seigal do a reading from his last book, "Dog Spelled Backwards," at a local bookstore. "He was in his element, soaking up the crowd. He gave each character his own voice, and he acted it all out. He was ebullient."

One story Siegal included in "Dog Spelled Backwards" was a salute to his childhood dog, Tarzan. "I was an introverted kid, and I really mean troubled," Siegal once told me. "This puppy wouldn't have it. He instantly became my best friend and I believe he changed my life. I don't know what would have happened without Tarzan. In a sense, he saved my life."

While he never did write the great American novel, Siegal's writing was no less great and no less important. He is survived by three children.

Available at Amazon.com:

Mordecai Siegal's Books

For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend

PET STORIES and PET ARTICLES ...

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