Soul of a Dog: Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm


By Tanya Turgeon

Villard Books, 2009

184 pages

$24.00

Ending one year and beginning a new often involves some soul-searching. Is the same true for our four-legged friends? Jon Katz (a name that will ring familiar to dog literature junkies as he authored at least six books with dog in the title) grapples with the issue of a canine soul in his newest nonfiction work "Soul of a Dog." Katz is no Mary Roach, who chronicled her search for proof of the human soul in the New York Times bestseller "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife." Roach tends to take a thoroughly researched and hands-on scientific approach while Katz primarily journals his experience living on a farm with his menagerie of animals (though he does take a break from the solitude to consult with a conservative Bible-quoting pastor who adamantly states animals do not have souls). What Katz and Roach do have in common is an accessible and often humorous way of writing about a much-debated issue.

For the most part Katz devotes each chapter to sharing the history and personality behind each of his animals in an attempt to either demonstrate (as in the case of his gigantic rescued snickers-loving steer Elvis, his sweet-natured donkey Lulu, and his ram-loving Labrador (Lenore) or not (his sheep) that these animals have souls. Whether Katz is recounting a tale of a uniquely behaving hen or the birth of a lamb he always comes back to Rose, his hardworking border collie. This dog is so devoted to Katz and the farm that Katz repeatedly says he can't imagine life without her. At times Katz seems to lose track of the topic but it becomes apparent that every tangent is simply another way of sharing that animal's contribution to his life, which in essence defines their soul. The concept is left open to interpretation but Katz gives at least one good reason to err on the side of soul. "An old tradition holds that at Last Judgement, the non-human creatures of the earth will be called by God to 'give evidence' against each human being." While this may be unfortunate for the likes of Michael Vick and others, it's a great reason to include your dog in any life-affirming New Year's resolutions for 2010.

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