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

Not many dogs pull sleds these days, and only a few fight crime. But that doesn't mean dogs aren't working. Not according to Jon Katz, whose latest book, The New Work of Dogs, explores the less documented duties canines have assumed within family life. Katz's previous book, A Dog Year, was a popular personal account of the 12 months he spent with two crazy border collies and a pair of laid-back labs, animals that had a transformative effect on his life. Now, with his new book he takes a look at other people's pets, compiling the stories of men and women who have hit a wall in their lives and found comfort in the family canine. According to Katz, the new work of the American dog is to be companion, counselor, nurse, even surrogate child. One of his subjects, Sandra Robinson, is divorced, miserable and thwarted in her dreams of having children. She fills the void with a new puppy, Ellie. Rob Cochran feels walled in by the demands of his family and his high-paying job. Through his dog, Cherokee, Cochran vicariously experiences the simple, uninhibited life that eludes him personally. These are lofty roles for our furry friends, but, as Katz shows, they're up to the task. His list of working dogs is as varied as his register of the people who need them. One chapter tells of the Divorced Dogs Club, a group of divorced women who get together and embellish their list of ways that dogs are better than men. Perhaps the most moving story he tells is of Donna Dwight, a cheerful, dynamic woman dying of cancer whose Welsh Corgi, Harry, accompanies her almost to the gates of death, providing love and companionship all the way. His true work is to save her from feeling alone in the most dreadful hours of her life. And he never flinches, as would so many humans, in the face of cancer's ugliness. "He might not have wanted to push sheep around, but he was ready to work with Donna," writes Katz. As his touching new book proves, a good dog's work is never done.

This is a book that should be required reading for anyone who's thinking of buying a dog. The wide cross section of dog owners profiled allows almost anyone to find bits and pieces of themselves or their lives among the dozen or so vignettes of people and families. Each anecdote reads like a short story in which Katz tries hard not to judge the dog owners, but to help readers understand the frustrations, failures, heartbreak, joy, satisfaction and love that are all part of living with canines. His journalism background helps him draw pictures that are not always flattering and may scuttle the dreams or fantasies many would-be owners may have about what it is like to own and live with a dog. But these are stories that need to be read and understood before a dog purchase or adoption, not after.Katz proposes that the work of dogs has evolved in the past several decades. Once bred for physical labor, dogs seem to have been relegated to something akin to an emotional crutch for members of an alienated, lonely and driven society. What Katz seems to be trying to decipher is how wide a gap there is between the our modern expectations of dogs and their ability to deliver something even close to our demands.But while Katz often talks about the appeal of owners' satisfaction in their dogs' perceived unconditional love, I'm forced to wonder: Isn't the greater appeal of dogs that we are able to GIVE them unlimited amounts of love that they never reject, never mock and never betray? Because, in the end, the love humans give is almost always more satisfying and joy-filled that the love they receive. Maybe that, in the end, is the dog's true appeal.

Katz's insightful thesis is that as our society grows more fragmented and irresonsible many of us will suffer intense isolation, compelling us to look to dogs for substitute sources of friendship and family. As a result, a tragic paradox has inflicted the canine world: On one hand, dogs are now regarded with higher esteem but on the other hand our unrealistic expectations result in disappointment and frustration, resulting in the neglect, abuse, and anger against dogs, many of which are abandoned. Katz isn't saying we shouldn't lavish love on dogs. Rather, he is saying we should be aware of the kind of emotional needs we're requiring our dogs to make and to perhaps not fall into the trap of overdoing our dog obsession. To make his point, he provides about a dozen in-depth profiles of dog owners, many lonely and alienated from society and shows the pressures their loneliness puts on their dogs.

This is a phenomenal book and a very easy read. Jon Katz writes of several case stories of different individuals and their dogs. He examines the bond between human and animal. He explains what their humans expect of them and how the dogs fit in to their world. He clearly depicts how each dog and human react in each story, but also explains later in the book that every situation and relationship is unique. Sometimes a dog will take on different roles as in the case of the author's dog Devon. Devon ordinarily was not receptive to rambunctious children but for some reason warmed up immediately to Joey, a severely disabled boy. The story of Tom and his dog Penny made me laugh at times, Donna and her dog Harry made me cry, and Diane with her dog Chaos made me smile.He examines the life of a dog by explaining the "work" that they perform in a relationship in today's world of dogs and how it differs from years ago when dogs, for the most part, were allowed to run free. You will begin to understand how dogs go from "puppyhood" to many times being one of those unfortunate enough to end up in an animal shelter. He delves into what it's like to run a dog rescue group and eloquently depicts the tremendous effort Betty Jean's organization puts into the rescue effort. Her organization can only make an imperceptible dent in the shelter population; but that dent is worth a life to the dog that's rescued.The author, without exception, must have been on an emotional roller coaster ride when writing this book. He had to delve into the lives of good, bad, and unfortunate relationships as an observer only. The composure with which he writes the book is commendable. He will have any reasonable person laughing, crying, and smiling all in the same book as well as expressing a gamut of other emotions. Any reasonable person reading this book will become introspective, ESPECIALLY a dog owner. I highly recommend reading it!

I've followed Jon Katz's work from his mystery series through his technology writing to his more personal recent non-fiction, and his evolution has been an incredible thing to see. This is a great "dog book", so far as that goes, but it's much more besides - interesting and moving stories and people combined with an original and insightful view of our society... and beautifully written as well.