Serious research question: Do you read books about dogs? If so, tell me about it.

[nolabear]

What do you think a good dog story does for you? What does it call up from the past or serve in the present? I'm thinking about writing an article about our connection with dogs in fiction. Any serious input welcome.

[RebelOne]

1. "Marley and Me" was a great book, as was the movie.

But I did not like the ending of course.

A couple other books in my bookcase are "Bdcoming Your Dog's Best Friend," by Hartin J. Becker, DVM and "The Healing Paw, ty Billy Roberts. Also good is the "Secret Life of Dogs." Don't know the author because I loaned the book out. But I am sure I can be Googled.

[nolabear]

3. But I want to know why. What moved you, interested you, attracted you?

I am looking for the reasons that fiction (and nonfiction) about dogs is so popular.

[Yooperman]

2. My favorite dog story... "City" by Clifford Simak

They take over the world after mankind leaves... the ants play a big role also. A great science fiction novel. I loved it.

YM

[nolabear]

5. Tell me why. Why were the dogs interesting?

Why would you be attracted to a story with a dog character?

[Yooperman]

7. Well... it was superbly written...

The dogs were helped but did eventually learn to talk. Just the topic... talking dogs and ants that take over the world. How do you make that interesting? He did.

Society breaks down as technology advances and people moved out of the cities...and eventually move to Jupiter where they transform to a different type of being leaving the Earth to lesser forms of life.

Very clever in his writing and how society changes with the evolution of dogs and ants kind of continuing where man left off. I think his perceptions of what a dog would be thinking was appealing and insightful and then for them to be able to talk about it with humans.

Originally it was written as a series of short stories... in the late forties and early fifties then published as a book in 1952. The book was praised as one the best science fiction stories from the decade of the 50s.

How I learned about the book. A good friend of mine who loved science fiction as I did recommended it to me. He said I would love the book and he was right.

It really has to be read to be appreciated I guess.

Hope that helps...

YM

[LanternWaste]

4. Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.

Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.

Gotta be one of the saddest works of fiction I've ever read. I thought it was going to be akin to Watership Down, but with dogs rather than rabbits. I got suckered.... Adams loves animals so much that his book Plague Dogs is to dogs what Schindler's List is to the holocaust-- which can be a good thing and/or a bad thing.

[nolabear]

6. Sounds interesting. What do you look for in a book with a dog as the main character(s)?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Albert Payson Terhune wrote a lot of wonderful dog stories...

I think this was back in the 40's and 50's. I always loved those stories. They were from his own experiences. They really served to show our incredible connection to dogs.