Dog Memoirs

I heard a story on NPR's Morning Edition the other day on recently published dog memoirs. One of the show's reporters, Julie Rovner, worked her way through a stack of books all having to do with how dogs transform their owner's lives. The books reviewed by Rovner touch upon various aspects of dog ownership: adopting a new breed, adopting a dog through a breed specific rescue group, the story of an Iraq vet and the bond he shares with his golden retriever, another about the business of pure breed dogs and dog shows, and lastly, Jon Katz's book, Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die.

Of all the books reviewed I'd like to read the one by Jon Katz sometime in the near future. Katz is a journalist who has also published a number of books about the dogs in his life and the small farm he runs in upstate New York. I read his book, Soul of a Dog, last year and found his writing to be thoughtful and engaging. Having experienced the loss of a pet earlier this year I'm interested to see what Katz has to share in his most recent book. I like reading his blog now and then. He's very open and honest about the ups and downs of farm ownership and life in general. Oh, and his photos are gorgeous!