Three Books Every Dog Owner Should Read (and incidentally, a bunch ...

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz

Because the author is a cognitive scientist who studied dogs so intensively, watching their behavior in slow motion over and over in order to detect nuances that help us understand dogs how they are rather than how we perceive them to be through accidental anthropomorphism. It is a window into how they think, why they do what they do; it is a glimpse inside of their world. We don’t know what it’s like to smell bacon and sadness at the same time, but they do, and not metaphorically speaking either. Reading this book will help you understand your dog at a level you may have never thought possible thanks to the intense research and work done by Horowitz. I read this book when it came out, when Luna was three, and it changed my life, and probably hers too.

Dog Years by Mark Doty

This is a memoir that captures the life-giving role dogs can play in our lives. To Doty, they provide the level of companionship many tend to think is only capable with other humans. His partner is slowly dying, and he shows in such magnitude and depth that dogs have the power to make despair livable. He says, “It isn't that one wants to live for the sake of a dog, exactly, but that dogs show you why you might want to." And then comes the time that is nearly inevitable for all dog owners, and the heartbreak that emerges from losing them is as untranslatable as the death of any companion you’ve both provided and received unconditional love. If someone were able to translate this heartbreak in a coherent way, it is Doty. This book is a necessary part of my existence. I read it when Luna was one, and it will stay with me always.

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver is a poet with a special ability of interpreting the deepest emotions and then relaying them to us in a way we can easily understand. Her voice is gentle but also tough in the way that the truth can hurt, but is often necessary for living a fulfilling life. She does this in all her poetry, so this poetry book that celebrates the connection between humans and dogs, particularly the connection that appears when a dog becomes a part of your family, your heart, is no less wise, perceptive, intimate, and meaningful. This book is pure magic for dog lovers.

Bonus: Dog Music: Poetry About Dogs collected and edited by Joseph Duemer and Jim Zimmerman

Because I am a poet, and because I have found it harder to write about my relationship with Luna than any other topic (it often comes across as cliche and cheesy), I am included this collection which was my introduction poetry about dogs when I was in grad school, recommended by a professor to help me write better about Luna. These poems about dogs are collected from many authors, and I while I don’t love all of them, I love many of them, and the book as a whole taught me so much about how to express myself in poetry and in life, to effectively communicate what I have inside me (particularly the things that are most difficult to translate into words) in a way that others can understand.

In case you were wondering if I'm so in love with my dog I would do anything for her, or really just because I love looking through and sharing pictures of Luna and I on our worldly adventures, here is a medium sized series of pics of us together, not in chronological order!

luna 4.jpg
Oregon Coast, 2011