Dr. Sanders weaves personal experience with 'hard science' in this invaluable book about just how important dogs are to humans.
Dogs emerge as thoughtful companions with very active minds.
Linking animal companionship with social as well as personal identity, Understanding Dogs uses detailed ethnographic data in viewing human and animal efforts to understand, manipulate, care for, and interact with each other. He also reveals how, while we often strive to teach and shape our dogs' behavior, dogs often teach us to appreciate with more awareness a nourishing meal, physical warmth, a walk in the woods, and the simple joys of the immediate moment. Understanding Dogs will interest those who live and work with animals as well as those studying the sociology of human-animal interaction. At the same time, we gain a rich sociological insight into the importance of dogs and, by extension, other animals, in the lives of their human companions. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.