MEMPHIS READS: UNDERWATER PUPPIES and UNDERWATER DOGS by Seth Casteel


Andrea reviews UNDERWATER PUPPIES and UNDERWATER DOGS by Seth Casteel, Little Brown Publishing, 2014.

Right now with the state of the world, I have not been reading anything too heavy or obscure. I keep up with news and current events, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out hearing “Corona Virus,”  “stimulus check,” “COVID-19,” etc. I am comfortable in my thoughts that a lot of us probably feel the same way, so I decided to review these books to hopefully relieve some tension.

Seth Casteel is an award-winning photographer and was on assignment to take pictures of a family’s beloved dog. During the shoot, Casteel was inspired to throw a tennis ball into the family’s pool. Like most dogs, the pet saw that as “fetch.” Before the dog retrieved the tennis ball, Casteel captured hilarious and expressive pictures of the family’s dog underwater.

His technique is simple (throw a tennis ball or any other suitable pool toy underwater) and let the dog go after it.  While the dog is playing fetch, take pictures to capture these hysterical moments. Instant laughter and stress relief!

If you don’t actually feel like taking the pictures, that’s okay. Check out either or both of these anthologies- UNDERWATER DOGS or UNDERWATER PUPPIES. I promise you will at least giggle.

Casteel’s works, according to his bio, have been in various media outlets, including the New York Times, National Geographic, the Today show, Animal Planet, as well as many internet homepages. He also is  an established advocate in the rescue dog community.

Go ahead and take a look at his works- you’ll smile, giggle, and laugh out loud, and that’s probably what you need to do right now.