The Social Lives of Dogs: The Grace of Canine Company
by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth Marshall ThomasEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-05-22
ISBN: 0743422368
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Pocket Books
Product features:
- Canine interaction
Book Reviews of The Social Lives of Dogs: The Grace of Canine Company
Book Review: A quick, enjoyable book for dog lovers
Summary: 5 Stars
I never thouht I would like a book on dogs but Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is a good writer, a careful observer with intelligent unique views that are entertaining and sometimes heartwarming.
The book centers primarily around Thomas' home, full of dogs, cats, a parrot and macaws, and an amazingly tolerant husband. Her primary method is that of an anthropologist, observing and interpreting her own animals. Whereas some in the scientific community would have problems with her method, we must remember that the great child psychologist, Jean Piaget, developed his theories of child development by carefully watching his own children.
She challenges the scientific dogma against anthropomorphism. This is an interesting argument. Thomas argues that as human beings we interpret through a subjective perspective even though we strive for objectivity. She seems to argue for the need to increase our everyday lived understanding of animals, not obtain perfect scientific understanding of animals. There is a difference.
For anyone considering buying a parrot or other large exotic bird, the chapter on parrots should be required reading. I never realized all the problems and complications of owning a large bird.
Thomas' three most controversial essays in the book involve her belief that most dogs are "slaves"; her stand against euthanasia; and her belief that male dogs should be given a vasectomy rather than castration.
My dog, Jasmine, is in love with the boy dog next door, Walter. Every time we let her out she runs to see if Walter is home and she loves to play with him inside his backyard. When I bring her back home she seems heartbroken, like a teenager in love. I always think of Thomas' assertion that we control our dogs and don't allow them to bond and remain with the other dogs with whom they have fallen in love. (I am a victim of anthropomorphism as you can tell). It makes me sad to think that we deprive dogs of loving relationships with each other to meet our needs.
Another controversial essay is on euthanasia. She tells the story of an aged and sick dog that she euthanized. Later she greatly regrets her actions and comes to the conclusion that if an animal can still eat food they should not be euthanized. I am still not convinced. I think she makes a strong argument that when an animal is in too much pain and agony they will stop eating and naturally die, but the thought of an animal in constant agony is greatly disturbing to me and therefore I am not totally convinced by her concepts.
Her argument that male dogs should be given a vasectomy rather than castration was fascinating. She argues that vasectomy allows the male dog to have adequate testosterone in the bloodstream to allow the dog to adequately compete with other males and to be treated with respect by female and male dogs. I never realized that castration changes the smell of their urine and leaves other dogs perplexed as to the gender of the castrated male. However we also have to remember that humans have dogs castrated to stop aggressive fighting, excessive marking with their urine, neighborhood roaming, and mounting behaviors on other dogs. Vasectomy makes them infertile but does not change any of the male dog behavior patterns.
Finally, I found her essay on the development of dogs from wolves to be very interesting, especially her idea that we can still observe the early man-dog social patterns in remote rural third world villages. In these villages, dogs live on the border/boundaries of the village. They alert the village to intruders. They sometimes accompany a hunt for a large animal. They survive by eating scraps and human feces (which contains undigested protein). This is certainly far from the lives of dogs in the United States with the exceptions of wild or runaway dogs which must revert to these patterns just to survive.
The book is short and can be finished on a plane ride. It is thoughtful entertainment - the best kind.
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