Inside of a Dog

Inside of a Dog

YA nonfiction
"Let your dog use his skills at watching you. Behavior that his
family doesn't like gets no attention, no food--nothing that your dog
wants from you. Good behavior gets it all. And you, watch the dog.
Look for the signs he gives you that he is about to pee, and take him
to a good place to do it. He'll learn from you. That is how the dog-
human group can turn itself into a family."
I know two couples who are bonding with the new arrivals in
their families and experiencing the joys and travails of turning
twosome into trio. There's making an environment safe for beings
lacking in common sense, teaching the meanings of words, sleep
deprivation...
But those cream colored puppies with their big, bright eyes and
waggy tails are so worth it all.
If you've ever been captivated by a canine companion or wondered
what the fluffy critter gazing at you is thinking and feeling
Alexandra Horowitz's Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, And Know
is a must read for you. I'm reviewing the young readers edition.
It's based on the previously published adult book of the same name.
Horowitz teaches college classes in animal behavior and canine
cognition. She also shared her home for seventeen years with a dog
named Pumpernickel (Pump for short). She blends state of the art
research and narrative beautifully. Her Pump stories are particularly
precious.
Harowitz says even our most closely bonded dogs are not little
humans in fur coats. However, neither are they wolf-like wild
varmints. Over centuries they have been changed by the process of
domestication and an evolution under which critters with human-valued
traits were more able to survive and reproduce.
Inside of a Dog is a very worthwhile voyage of discovery for
human readers. It's a passport to learning why dogs do the sometimes
perplexing things they do and how to use their innate wiring to
strengthen the canine-human bond...
...not to mention keeping your favorite shoes from being chewed
up.
On a personal note, at UMaine Student Women's Association did a great
job educating people about the Hyde Amendment which has been around
forty years too long. They did tabling culminating in an ice cream
party. They made beautiful art work out of flying birds many people
colored.
A great big shout out goes out to Student Women's Association's fine
educational and advocacy work.
jules hathaway



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