Dog Days

The hostess’s dog turned 10 on Thrusday. She’s asking: what animal-related books have you read? Which do you love? Do you have a favorite literary dog? (Snoopy, anyone?)

I have a weakness for dogs and therefore I soak up books (especially novels) that feature canine narrator. I had always wanted to have a dog when I was a boy. But the usual tight living quarter in Hong Kong advised against a pet. Snoopy was my fantasy. As I grew older, and now living in the States, dogs become a reality. They sniff. They play. They slobber. They play catch. People celebrate their strong memories, their sense of belonging, the concept of gratitude, and fidelity. They are some of our keenest observers, taking in our daily happenings with a cycloramic vision. In The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, the outsider who always sees it all and sees it through is most unusual because it is a canine named Enzo. Enzo is the narrator of the novel. In this heart-wrenching but also funny narrative, as the old canine, down to his last days of his lifetime as a dog, takes stock of his life (with much dignity and honor), I’m once again assured that dogs are really men’s best friends. They might not be able to speak and communicate, but they are certainly aware of our gestures and vibes. Another book is W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose, a remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for purpose over the course of four lives. It touches on the universal, rhetorical question that has puzzled philosophers over time: Why are we here? As much as he was taught to avoid men at all costs, the dog’s fate is inextricably linked with theirs, feeling their pain, sharing their joy, and sensing their inner sadness. An ultimate purpose to be fulfilled once again brings the dog to another incarnation—one that truly demonstrates how dog is man’s best friend.