The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love, and Family Book

I found this book at a Goodwill while I was on my honeymoon. Each chapter details a different person's unique relationship with his or her dog, and shows how, in many cases, dogs are filling a particular emotional need. In one chapter, we see a boy who beats his dog to "toughen the dog up" so that the boy feels less threatened in his neighborhood; in another chapter, we see a woman who wanted children but never had them, who then "babies" her dog to the extent that she can't bear to discipline her, not even for potty-training. We see dogs let go that should have been kept with their families, and dogs kept with their families who should have been let go. We see healthy and unhealthy human-dog relationships. Each one is heartbreaking in its own way.

But what really makes this book worthwhile is the last chapter. After Jon Katz has laid out his examples, he examines what this means. Is it healthy for humans or for dogs now that dogs' "work" has become providing emotional support to humans rather than herding sheep or catching rats? Are so many dogs abandoned because their humans no longer find them "necessary" after working through a particular trauma, or because they can only disappoint when they're expected to fill roles that should be filled by other humans? The questions posed and the research presented are thought-provoking and urge the reader toward healthier relationships with both their pets, and with other humans. Any dog lover will probably see a little bit of themselves in at least one of these stories--for better or for worse.