I love when you come across a book that changes your views. A book that sticks with you and you can't quite get it out of your head. This book is one of those types of books.
Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love my animals and wish I could help all those poor souls where were given a terrible lot in life. The curious thing about animals is that we can learn their habits and mannerisms, as well as identify their mood; however, we cannot know what they are truly thinking. We can speculate until the cows come home, but we do not know for sure what goes on in their minds.
Animals are so quick to trust us, as human beings, and forgive us...to an extent. Wild animals have a survival gene that is very dominant. Our domesticated animals have suppressed that gene because of our domination over their being. Today we, as human beings, tend to fail these creatures by gaining their trust and then betraying it, often repeatedly. Fortunately, there are many of us who feel that is wrong and try our best to ensure these things are not happening...at the very least in our own little corner of the world.
This book is a unique attempt to interpret a dog's thoughts. It follows the dog through their life, or in this case lives. The dog is born repeatedly under the guise of finally fulfilling the true purpose of a dog.
There are many reasons why I so enjoyed this book. The points of view of the dog are rather interesting. Many of the behaviors are things I've questioned with regard to my own dogs. I also like the fact that the story starts out under less than favorable circumstances and continues on from that point, providing us with a variety of situations in which a dog can find themselves. Throughout the book the dog takes on the form of many dogs, in a variety of types and with a variety of names. However, his bigger lessons learned in his previous "life" stick with him and navigate him through the current life he is leading. The premise behind such a notion is one I've come to believe for most circumstances and species. We call it the survivor gene, deja vu, and reincarnation. Whatever it is, I believe it serves us well in many circumstances.
I also enjoyed the perceptions of the dog with regard to the humans around him. I can't speak for everyone but I've often wondered about the merit of the sensitivity of dogs. We can teach them to seek out drugs and bombs. We can teach them to do search and rescue. We can teach them to identify the changes in ourselves when we experience seizures, behavioral manifestations, and spikes in blood glucose. Often this is accomplished with dogs who show a certain level of capability. If we can believe all of that, and prove it by daily actions, then why is it so hard to believe that most, if not all, dogs have the same capabilities to a different degree?
Why do we not trust dogs when they do not seem to like a person we've never met? Why do we tell our dogs to be quiet when they are sounding an alarm to something we cannot see? Why do we discount their instincts? I, for one, do not tend to do that; which is probably part of the reason why I enjoyed this book so much.
If you are looking for a feel-good dog book, you will enjoy this one.
Happy reading!!
Judi
