Fun poem. I remember the poem and the poet from the Spectator thread where the challenge was to write poems for Eliot's Book of Practical Dogs. I do like this one quite a bit, though the same poet, as I recall, produced a large number of wonderful and amusing dog poems for that competition. I think some of his others were even better.
Yes, "hip to the orbital path" is the standout phrase in this poem.
There are a few spots where things could be smoothed out a bit. For example, these lines:
Although Jake may resemble an ordinary hound,
the ideas in his caninish brain are profound.
He’s versed in all principles quantum mechanical,
delights in the odors of all things botanical,
clued in to the canine affairs round the burbs,
and so clever, he knows not to step off of curbs.
For reasons of grammar/syntax, I'd reverse the order the the last two couplets:
Although Jake may resemble an ordinary hound,
the ideas in his caninish brain are profound.
Clued in to the canine affairs round the burbs,
and so clever, he knows not to step off of curbs,
he’s versed in all principles quantum mechanical,
delights in the odors of all things botanical ...
While I enjoyed the Newton/gluten rhyme, I'm not sure why liking tofu and gluten is a sign of brain power rather than a sophisticated palate.
My biggest problem with the poem is L11-12. It is too soon at that point to tell us how Jake is like an ordinary dog who likes to chase cats, etc., only to tell us in the next line that he memorizes Frost poems. Doing so undercuts the punchline where Jake is at last revealed as a plain old fun-loving dog rolling on a stinky trout. In L11-12, I'd prefer to see another astonishingly unlikely sign of Jake's sophistication. Let him yowl arias from Puccini, for example. Wait until the last line to show him, for all his talents, as just another lovable mutt.
But well done overall.
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