Date Posted:16:22:38 03/09/07 Fri Author: Syl Subject: A Good Dog
This one was sent in by Madelyn. You did good, lassie, thanks!
TITLE: A Good Dog
AUTHOR: Jon Katz
GENRE: Pet biography
Having read some of Jon Katzs recountings of his adventures at Bedlam Farm on Slate.com, I couldnt wait to get it and read it. It wasnt in my hand twenty-four hours, and I had read it cover to cover.
A Good Dog is an extraordinary love story of a man and his lifetime dog. Some of us are dog lovers, I was told once, and some of us are dog people. Theres a difference. Jon Katz is a dog person. He gets dogs. He is willing to go as far as he must to make sure his dogs know they are loved and wanted and cared for and that they are happy. When they arent, he wants to know why.
His love for Orson goes far beyond what most people feel for their pets. The lengths he was willing to go to are far beyond what most people would do to make their dog happy, too.
A Good Dog includes some of the other characters of Bedlam Farm as well. I had previously read stories of Rose, the donkeys, Mother the cat and Winston the Rooster. But this book is about Orson, and he is the main focus.
A Good Dog is a true story, and therefore, not my usual reading fare. I tend to shy away from non-fiction. It is usually, in my opinion, dry and stating facts that I already know, like reading a textbook. I read for entertainment. This book managed to entertain me and make me think all at once.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs. In the end, Jon has to make some hard decisions regarding Orson, some that wont be popular, by any means. But he makes those decisions based on information and his own morals, and they are decisions he has to live with.
Having an Orson in my life, I dont envy when Ill have to make these decisions, but maybe what I learned in this book will help me accept the decisions a little easier.
Judie, 00:16:18 03/11/07 Sun