The Hidden Life of Dogs - Marshall Thomas

 Dog Rape

Are you kidding me?  "The Hidden Life of Dogs" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has been collecting dust on my shelf for perhaps ten years.  I should have left it to continue collecting dust.  All the time it's been there, I would see it occasionally and think, "One day I will read that book".  I would think warm thoughts about how, contained within it pages, was information pertaining to our shared love of dogs and the belief that they are more than just man's best friend.  Knowledge that they share with us a few bits of what make us human.  Those bits include the ability to think, the knowledge between right and wrong, self-awareness, and the ability to consider events yet to come.  I did not know I would be treated to a pornographic description of two dogs, not just mating, but having sexual intercourse followed shortly thereafter by the appalling description of a dog being raped by another dog.  Well, this is a book review, and not a commentary to pass judgment on the author's belief, however, Marshall Thomas has professed to having observed her subjects before writing this book for over 100,000 hours.  That gives her ten times the necessary experience to master any subject -- her mastery of the subject of dogs fails to show up within the brief pages of her book.  What shows up is a pattern of illogical conclusions and advanced states of hypocrisy where she clearly condemns certain owners for how they care for their dogs, but undeniably shows an utter lack of concern for her own.  And that goes beyond letting a dog free wheel about town -- many dogs do that -- it's about failing to recognize that the pack begins with her.  She is the Alpha, her dogs return to wildness was out of necessity because they lacked an adequate leader.  Domesticated dogs had the good sense to come sit next to the fire some 20,000 years ago.  The fact that they still choose to do so is evidence enough that they possess an advanced awareness of their surroundings.  The "Hidden Life of Dogs" is a self-delusional fantasy by someone who does not have that same level of awareness.  The only one a dog's life is hidden from unfortunately is her.  The artwork in this book keeps me from disposing of it.