A perfect book for the dog lover in your life
From the Mouths of Dogs: What Our Pets Teach Us about Life, Death, and Being Human by B J Hollars Publisher: University of Nebraska Press Pub Date: November 1, 2015
Description
What is it that dogs have done to earn the title of “man's best friend”? And more broadly, how have all of our furry, feathered, and four-legged brethren managed to enrich our lives? Why do we love them? What can we learn from them? And why is it so difficult to say good-bye? Join B.J. Hollars as he attempts to find out—beginning with an ancient dog cemetery in Ashkelon, Israel, and moving to the present day.
Hollars's firsthand reports recount a range of stories: the arduous existence of a shelter officer, a woman's relentless attempt to found a senior-dog adoption facility, a family's struggle to create a one-of-a-kind orthotic for its bulldog, and the particular bond between a blind woman and her Seeing Eye dog. The book culminates with Hollars's own cross-country journey to Hartsdale Pet Cemetery—the country's largest and oldest pet cemetery—to begin the long-overdue process of laying his own childhood dog to rest.
Through these stories, Hollars reveals much about our pets but even more about the humans who share their lives, providing a much-needed reminder that the world would be a better place if we took a few cues from man's best friends.
Review
If you love animals, you need to read From the Mouths of Dogs. The book is a powerful tribute to our beloved pets and a testament to how much they influence our lives. Hollars also addresses issues we often shy away from discussing.
Through the chapters, Hollars interviews a wide range of people about their experiences, from humane officers and a woman running an adoption facility for senior dogs to the family of Bruiser, a bulldog whose impairments require a specially designed orthotic. Hollars explores places like the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, the country's oldest and largest pet cemetery, as well as the nature of the bond between a woman and her seeing-eye-dog.
Some stories will make you laugh and smile. Others will bring tears to your eyes. What unites all of them is the clear bond between dogs and their humans and the immense impact they make on our lives. Hollars is a wonderful narrator. He does an excellent job demonstrating how much we can learn from our beloved pets.
From the Mouths of Dogs is a perfect choice for any animal lover.
5/5
I received a copy of From the Mouths of Dogs from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
http://muttcafe.com/2015/11/from-the-mouths-of-dogs/
