Search - The Hidden Life Of Dogs

So following the lives of the feral dogs living on your property may be interesting...but on the other hand...it's a story of poorly socialized dogs who do not receive enough companionship or attention from the people that "own" them.

Dogs have been changed from the wolves they once were into human companions. Denying them proper training, companionship and socialization in favor of some sort of "pack mind" that they can't fully attain as dogs...it's just cruel and sad. What dogs want most is not other dogs...but a loving home with responsible owners. This book does a disservice to that ideal.

If Ms. Thomas had been my neighbor, I would have hated her. She let her dogs run loose all the time and then couldn't understand why this upset the people who lived near her. "We meet Misha, a friend's husky, whom Thomas followed on his daily rounds of more than 130 square miles, and who ultimately provided the simple and surprising answer to the question What do dogs want most? Not food, not sex, but other dogs." Yes, and if I had encountered her dog off leash, I would have called animal control. I love animals but my little children do not appreciate big huskies running loose on the sidewalk and neither do I. It's irresponsible and potentially dangerous.

She makes assumptions in this book about the behaviors of all dogs, based on the observations of her pugs and huskies. Some of her observations are interesting, but hardly count as science. My flat-coat retriever has an entirely different set of instincts, behaviors and desires, and I would never assume her personality and day to day activities reveal some amazing truth about canines. This book is an amusing read but I found myself rolling my eyes too much for me to be able to rate it highly or recommend it.

I love my dog. But in reading this book, I learned more about the author than dogs. It was interesting. I don't think I would give up my bed so the dog could give birth there--so maybe I don't love my dog as much as she does--However????