August 2014 - Dogear Diary

Dog Days

by Jon Katz

Another book about Katz and the dogs on his farm. He\’s published so many, I\’m not sure if I\’m reading them in order or missing one that came before this, so there might be a gap as the dogs move in and out of his life.

At the point when Dog Days was written, Katz lived on his farm in upstate New York with a border collie, two labrador retrievers, a flock of sheep, a few chickens, a barn cat, handful of donkeys and several other animals. Some come to live on the farm through the course of the book: a giant steer that is incredibly gentle, another border collie who needs rescuing, a surprise newcomer when one of his donkeys gives birth. Katz is careful about finding balance among the livestock and pets on his farm- he usually doesn\’t take on animals in need of rescue, but with Izzy gets into another border collie training project. Which is quite different from the prior experience he had with Orson. Both because this is a different dog, and Katz is in many ways a different person now. It\’s amusing to me that Katz was still viewed as an outsider by many in his farming community- because he didn\’t sell livestock for a living, and kept animals that were \”useless\” such as the donkeys. Yet his neighbors often called on him for help when they needed to find or corral wayward animals- his border collie Rose having excellent problem-solving skills in this regard. None of them had working dogs like her, it seems.

He also showed me how the labs could be so lovable. I admit when I read his previous book, his descriptions of the labrador retrievers bored me. The border collies were much more interesting characters. Yet here his labs come into their own, shining with their versatility and accepting personalities. He takes one along for physical therapy sessions and when the dog becomes very close to an elderly woman they continue to visit her for a while even when she no longer goes to the center. He notices that the other lab is a great dog and often gets left behind or goes unnoticed simply because she is so accepting of situations, but he wants to do better by her, so finds a situation where she can get the attention and exercise she needs, without taxing him more -having four dogs on the farm is more work than he can handle, it turns out. It\’s admirable to see someone who can admit when they\’ve got enough, who can let a beloved pet go to a better home, and still keep the connection to them. I enjoyed this book, and want to read more by the author. He\’s provided plenty!

Rating: 3/5 273 pages, 2007

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Nonfiction, Bios / Memoirs, Current Reads

The Modern Dog

by Stanley Coren

This was a lot easier read than the last book. It covers some similar ground but is not so philosophical and doesn\’t delve so far into the past- instead its concern is more the present relationship that dogs have with humans. In a friendly, lighthearted manner, the book explores such topics as why dogs bond so closely to people, why so many dogs look like their owners, their significance in some religions, their canine behavior, their extraordinary sense of smell, their means of communication, the benefits of raising kids with a dog in the home and much much more. It\’s a nice combination of anecdotal evidence and scientific fact that makes for easy, interesting reading. Things like how bereft owners have tried to clone their dogs, how dog breeds evolved as hunting methods and equipment changed, how rabies probably led to the idea of vampires, the loyalty of dogs that travel long distances to find their owners again, and why cats and dogs often misread each other\’s body language. I liked the inclusion of many folkloric stories such as why dogs sniff each other\’s tails, and the origins of the Chinese \”lion dog\” – the pekingese- being a love affair between a lion and a marmot (sanctioned by the Buddha who changed the lion\’s size). One of the most interesting chapters was about how law enforcement and courts use dogs as witnesses- with their powers of identifying scents. The methods are different from what I expected, and convincing. Also eye-opening was a personal account the author shared about an incident where he bathed his dog in tomato juice in the yard to get rid of skunk smell, with local kids looking on. One of them took photos which later got posted online with false information- as being evidence of animal cruelty! Makes you realize how easily stories can get twisted and people end up misinformed. I looked up more facts on a lot of stuff from this book- just because I\’m curious to know more- and found that in at least one case, the book isn\’t accurate. Makes me wonder about the rest, and realize you have to read it all with some skepticism in mind.

I borrowed this one from the public library

Rating: 3/5 274 pages, 2008

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Nonfiction, Current Reads

The Wolf in the Parlor

by Jon Franklin

Jon Franklin is a science reporter, and he explores in detail \”the eternal connection between humans and dogs,\” dwelling mostly on speculations about the past, how our species evolved together, affected each other, became so dependent on one another. Posits that our predecessors may have been so successful and out-competed or survived where other early hominids didn\’t, precisely because they had dogs at their side. Examines how our very senses have come to compliment each other (man and dog), how man has shaped dog breeds to his need and whim, how dogs\’ social behavior meshes with ours, and so on. Through the lens of anthropology, biological and evolutionary sciences, and the very everyday experience of adding a dog to his own family- a standard poodle named Charlie. I was just as surprised as Franklin to find how little we actually know about the history of dogs, considering how close we are to them- he claims it is a truly symbiotic relationship. I was alternately intrigued and bored with his meanderings- he often goes into other topics and when the writing got philosophical I lost focus. So this is one of those cases where you have to remember that my rating systems denotes a personal response to a book, and doesn\’t necessarily reflect on the quality of that book. I actually thought I wasn\’t going to finish this one- I was skipping a lot of stuff in the first hundred pages, but then either it got better, or I started to pay more attention. Gave me a lot to think about.

Rating: 2/5 283 pages, 2009

more opinons:
The Poodle (and dog) Blog
The Dog I\’ve Always Wanted

Tags: 2/5- Just Okay, Animals Nonfiction, Current Reads

The Bus Driver

by Todd H. Doodler

The day starts with one person on the bus: the driver. He picks up two girls talking on the phone, three firemen whose truck broke down, four boys dirty from playing etc.- each page a successive number up to ten. You see them all pile on until the seats are completely full- including eight dogs carrying fleas- which makes no one happy! Then we count down from ten to one again as people (and dogs) get off the bus- but your child can practice a little math, too. Sometimes two groups of people get off at the same stop- five basketball players get off at the stadium plus the four boys, who want to watch the game. Seven nurses and six doctors get off at the hospital together- even more counting to do! It\’s also educational for little kids because it gets them thinking about where different people might want to go on the bus, and the purpose of their destination. The rhymes are a little awkward sometimes; I found myself rephrasing to make them smoother, and the illustrations are goofy but my kid doesn\’t care about that.

Rating: 3/5 20 pages, 2013

more opinions:
Journey of a Bookseller
Jean Little Library

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Baby books, Current Reads

Giant George

Life with the World\’s Biggest Dog
by Dave Nasser with Lynne Barrett-Lee

When the author and his wife started looking for a great dane puppy, they knew they wanted a big dog. But they had no idea how big George was going to get. It amused me that he was the runt of his litter, and ended up being the largest one! He tipped the scales at two hundred and forty-five pounds, standing four feet at the shoulder. He had to have his own queen-sized mattress to sleep on, and wouldn\’t fit in their regular car, only a truck. He liked to ride around in a golf cart. You would think living with such a large animal would be problematic, but aside from his huge appetite, and the inconvenience that his head easily reaches every countertop, the dog is actually mild-mannered and very gentle. He was very close to his family, in fact would get extremely anxious if left alone. It was touching to read how bonded George became with his owners, and how he helped them get through some tough times. When their veterinarian made comments that George was larger than any other dog he\’d seen, they looked into it and friends suggested they try for the world record, since the dog currently holding the title had recently died. The part about how they had to apply for the Guinness World Record was interesting, and I was surprised to see how passionate some people got about this- other dog owners trying for the same record going so far as to contest his measurements, some said they were exploiting their pet and posted unkindly remarks about the dog online. Of course he became famous and the family tells about taking their dog to visit schools, veterinary conferences and other events. Many people travelled to see him- it was difficult to fly George anywhere as he didn\’t fit in any commercially-made pet crates! This was a fun read.

Rating: 3/5 255 pages, 2011

more opinions:
Shannon\’s Book Bag

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Animals Nonfiction, Current Reads

The Pig Who Sang to the Moon

by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

This book makes a very strong case for turning vegan. In it, Masson looks closely at the emotional lives of common farm animals: the pig, cow, goat, sheep, chicken. Also ducks and geese. He presents evidence that these animals are quite sensitive, amiable and sociable creatures, which made them easy to domesticate in the first place. They make friends, often from other species. They get lonely, mourn the loss of their young or companions, show fear at approaching death. They display gratitude and trust towards those who treat them kindly. They like music.They can dream. One scientist, Masson informs me, says that even bees dream (about flowers). Yes, the book is full of anecdotes but there is also scientific evidence presented of how certain animals\’ brains have very similar functions to ours. Of course they can feel: emotions are more basic than logical thought (and so many animals display that, too). So, the point of it all is that these animals have the same basic needs and desires we have: to live comfortably, be with their companions, raise their offspring. Knowing that should influence how we treat them. I was aware before of the awful conditions pigs, chickens and cows are usually kept in, but did not know other things for example how goose down is stripped from living birds (kept in crowded conditions) so that they can grow more feathers and be stripped again. It is so painful for them they often go into shock, and after four or five \”pluckings\” they die. It seems to me that sheep are goats are not treated so badly as the others, but Masson points out that we still take their young away from them, cause them stress and pain and often misunderstand or ignore their needs. Not to mention eating lambs: Mary had a little lamb / Her father shot it dead / And now it goes to school with her / Between two chunks of bread.

A tough thing, to be the child of a farmer. But the book isn\’t all about animal distress! Much of it is intriguing accounts of how how animals feel, the depth of their emotional lives. Other things too, like the fact that in ancient Egypt pigs were not eaten but valued for their work in agriculture- they were used to thresh grain and to plant it, too. Goats show a sense of humor. They don\’t actually eat tin cans but will eat the paper labels off cans, or shirts off a clothesline! Wild ducks know which ponds on private land are safe during hunting season, and will flock there the day before the season opens. How do they know? Pigs\’ skin and organs are so similar to humans that scientists are studying how to use them in transplants. And more. Compelling book.

Rating: 4/5 277 pages, 2003

Note: if you have written about this book on your blog, do tell me know in the comments. For some reason google blog search fails me: I get pages upon pages of results from top-name booksellers, animal-rights websites (relevant, but not what I want) and media sources, not blogs. I looked through eight pages of results without finding one normal reader\’s blog. Why?

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Animals Nonfiction, Current Reads

more TBR

My list is just getting longer and longer….

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell – The Lost Entwife
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson- James Reads Books
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley- Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity
Let the Tornado Come by Rita Zoey Chin- Bermuadonion’s Weblog
California by Edan Lepucki- My Porch
Beg by Rory Freedman
A Game for Swallows by Zeina Abirached- Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity
Landline by Rainbow Rowell- Things Mean a Lot
Intern by Sandeep Jauhar
Doctored by Sandeep Jauhar- Caroline Bookbiner
All My Patients Kick and Bite by Jeff Wells
Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow by Dr. Jan Pol
A Feathered River Across the Sky by Joel Greenberg

A Squirrel Forever by Douglas Fairbairn
Babylon’s Ark by Lawrence Anthony
Second Ascent by Alison Osius
Bound by Night by Larissa Ione- Musings of a Bookish Kitty
On Cats– Doris Lessing
Tobermory by Saki
Particularly Cats by Doris Lessing
Animals Are My Life by Eddie Straiton
Blind Corners– Geoff Tabin
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Old Age of El Magnifico by Doris Lessing

Tags: TBR additions

James Herriot

The Life of a Country Vet
by Graham Lord

James Herriot is one of my all-time favorite authors. I have all five of his books on my shelf, used to have a collection of cat stories too, until I realized that was redundant (the stories being selected from the other books). My children have a few of the picture-book versions on their shelf, too. So I was curious to read this biography when I found it at the library.

The first thing I learned was that the real Herriot is named Alfred Wight, and the real James Herriot is a footballer (soccer player)- Wight was an avid soccer fan and used the name of one of his favorite players. I read about Wight\’s parents and his childhood in poverty-stricken Glasgow during the 1920\’s. The book started to get interesting when it reached Wight\’s years in veterinary college. He dreamed of working with small animals- cats and dogs- but work was hard to find so he took a position in a Yorkshire practice that mainly served farmers. According to Graham Lord (who knew the man personally), Wight had always kept diaries, was an intelligent well-read man, and practiced his writing skills with dedication. He didn\’t get his first book published until he was in his fifties, and the big story of this book is how that amazing success came about, and then just kept growing. Wight based his stories on real life, but changed a lot of facts, names, personalities to keep characters\’ true identities obscured (though that didn\’t last- some were incensed to find how they had been portrayed, others flattered), rearranged dates to suit his narrative, used anecdotes and tales told in veterinary school, and purely invented others. In short, his books are more than fifty percent fictional. But the basis in reality is so solid that they feel true, and are so well-written, warm and funny and down-to-earth that they became wildly popular. So I was right when I shelved my collection of Herriot books among the fiction.

It was revealing to read about the struggles in Wight\’s life, about his personal crises and health issues, his private griefs. For me the best part of the biography were the chapters that described his experiences with the publication process, how his growing fame changed the village he lived in, how he refused to let it change his life, even when in later years fans were lining up outside his surgery door every morning for autographs. He was always kind and friendly to his readers, but got sometimes got upset at their intrusion as well. He continued working as a vet, even when he was a multimillionaire and didn\’t need to, and others urged him to just take up writing full-time. Being a vet was his life, writing was on the side. I admired that.

Rating: 3/5 276 pages, 1997

more opinions:
The World is Quiet Here 101
Engine Summer

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Bios / Memoirs, Current Reads

Pip and Posy

The Little Puddle
by Axel Scheffler

A mouse and bunny friend play all day together- walking their dolls, building a city, pretending to be lions. They are having so much fun the bunny forgets to stop when he has to pee, and has an accident on the floor. His friend reassures him, helps clean up, loans some dry clothes, and they continue playing. Next time he has to go, bunny boy remembers to use the potty. And they take a bubble bath together. Cute little reminder for kids who are potty training (mine is not perfect at it yet so this was a nice book for her).

Rating: 3/5 24 pages, 2011

more opinions:
There\’s a Book
Read with Rosie
Kids\’ Book Review
Buzz Words

Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Baby books, Current Reads

The Caged Virgin

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I was curious to read another book by this author after finishing Infidel; have been waiting for it to come off the library hold list. Ended up just skimming through, reading parts that caught my eye. It\’s a treatise on women\’s rights, especially in regards to how they are treated in some Islamic countries. Main topics are how women are suppressed and/or mistreated by men, arranged marriages, genital mutilation, the lack of trust and respect women are given, and their often dismal lack of education. Plus all of the social fallout from the above, in certain cultures and places in the world. And what she suggests we do about it. This is important information, but it can also be dry reading- personally I absorb information better when it is embedded in storytelling. So when the author told about several different women she assisted as a translator among recent immigrants to the Netherlands, I paid attention. When she went into moral philosophy, social criticism and plans of action, I quickly lost focus and began skipping pages. Sorry. I did notice that she included in her book advice and instructions explicit for Muslim women who wanted to run away from their family situation! Kind of a short guideline on what not to do, what to expect, how to plan. I also found interesting a section that went through the ten commandments, and gave her thoughts on each one. Also very interesting her description of the film that caused so much controversy, including the relatively short script for it. Read objectively, it did not seem as offensive as I first imagined- but I cannot really judge, as I haven\’t seen it. I imagine the visual has a greater impact. Likewise I can\’t give a firm opinion on this book, because I didn\’t read it all, just some pages here, some pages there. A lot of it felt repetitive to me. I very recently read her opinion on all the same topics, her stance and her personal stories regarding them, in the previous book (with a lot more detail to the stories) so I suppose that\’s why I couldn\’t stay focused here- not enough new material it seemed.

Abandoned 187 pages, 2004

more opinions: Kulna: For All of Us

anyone else?

Tags: 0/5- Abandoned, Nonfiction (general)

Month: August 2014

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