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.

Author: B. J. Hollars
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 11/01/2015
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.57w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9780803277298


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2015

About the Author

B.J. Hollars is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He is the author of numerous books, including Flock Together: A Love Affair with Extinct Birds (Nebraska, 2022), and Go West, Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail (Bison Books, 2021).