A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs and Me by Jon Katz

From Publisher's Weekly: The story line of Katz's latest book can be summed up very simply: two dogs die and two new ones join the family, but its charm comes from an intricate blend of witty anecdote and touching reflection. Katz has shared his affection for years with two low-maintenance Labs, whose "chosen work was to reflect on the state of the world, lick neighborhood kids, and accompany [him] through midlife." So it is somewhat surprising that he next adopts a frenetic and demanding border collie he occasionally refers to as "Helldog." His life turned upside down; his writing schedule disrupted, he learns to center his life around a dog's needs rather than vice versa. After adopting the homeless Devon, Katz adopts his second border collie, Homer. He's fallen in love with the breed's intelligence and curiosity. In fact, both breeds seem to touch something in his soul: the Lab his centered, peaceful side; the border collie his troubled side. Over the course of the year, Katz reflects on the importance of devotion to and understanding of any animal taken into the home; ways to live peacefully with border collies; and even the problems of midlife crisis. "Once in a great while," he muses, "the right person is fortunate enough to get the right dog, to have time to take care of it, to connect with it in a profound way."

I have previously read Jon Katz's "The Dogs of Bedlam Farm: An Adventure with Sixteen Sheep, Three Dogs, Two Donkeys, and Me," which takes place some years after Dog Year, and I've decided to go back and read the books leading up to Bedlam Farm. Having loved Bedlam Farm, I thought it was a safe bet that I'd like the previous books as well. I wasn't wrong. I adored this book. I'm a dog lover through and through, and having owned a variety of dogs throughout my life, I can relate to the problems and triumphs experienced by Katz in caring for his dogs. It's obvious that he loves his dogs tremendously and that he sincerely tries to care for them as they deserve. I know that some reviewers have taken the author to task for certain of his behaviors in caring for his dogs, most particularly yelling at them and even throwing a choke chain at one of them on one occasion. While no dog lover would ever condone such actions, however, it is entirely unrealistic to expect anyone to react to stressful situations in the way they should each and every time. I'm sure that anyone who has ever had a dog (or a child, for that matter) would, if honest, admit to yelling at, hitting, or otherwise treating the dog or child in a way that objectively they should not have done. I myself have yelled at both my dogs and child much more often than was proper. But hopefully, like Katz, those instances have helped me to learn that it was my behavior that needed to be changed, and that my interaction with both dogs and child have helped me to become a better person. That is the message that I took from this book, and I think it is one from which all of us can benefit.