Is your dog your best friend, soul mate or family member?

Or all three? Then this book will definitely be worth your time. I suppose after introducing myself via my first dog, Rudy, in my last post, I should continue on with the rest of the dogs we’ve had over the past quarter century. I will leave that to another time. It’s been preempted by a book I’ve read titled One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics, and Organic Pet Food. The author is Michael Schaffer, a former staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer (the same newspaper where John Grogan of Marley & Me fame worked) and U.S. News and World Report, along with writing for The Washington Post, Slate, and The New Republic. Schaffer has two pets, Murphy the Saint Bernard, and Amelia the black cat. He claims neither is overly spoiled. I think he practiced good journalism in reporting objectively about issues arising in the New World order of dog ownership/guardianship – whichever term you prefer.

The book is fascinating in so many ways. It is not intended to be an in-depth study; any of the chapters could be expanded to book length. Rather it is an overview of how American society (69 million households have one or more pets and spend $40 billion annually on pet care, food, etc.) has elevated pets, particularly dogs, to new heights. The book is Schaffer’s attempt to explain the hugely profitable, big spending 21^st century world of American dog culture and how we got to this point. The book is only 257 pages and could easily have been twice that. Let me cite a few chapter titles that might pique your reading interest. Man’s Best Friendster. (Yes, each of my four dogs has his/her own webpage on Dogster.com.) Hip Replacement and Health Plans (Yes, one of my four has had a hip replacement that set us back financially. If I am ever seriously ill, I wish to be sent to that same pet hospital, thank you very much. Their care was phenomenal.) Legal Beagles (What is your dog worth in a court of law?) Toy Town (Who knew Kongs were accidentally invented by a Coloradan whose dog loved a particular VW suspension part given him to chew on?) The $100,000 a Year Dog Walker? (I obviously was in the wrong profession.) From Alpo to Omega-3 Fatty Acids (I’m still confused after three decades about what constitutes a good dog food. The war of the raw food vs commercial foods wages on.) It Takes a Village to Raise a Puppy (Sue Sternberg, the guru of dog temperament testing, turns her efforts to substituting dog pulls for dog fighting to combat cruelties around the country.) The American Way of Pet Death (I could have used a pet bereavement group back in 1985 when Rudy passed on.) Has anything snagged your interest? There is so much packed into this book: tidbits of information I’ve not encountered elsewhere and I’ve read a lot of dog books.

This is not a Marley & Me kind of book. You won’t read much about Schaffer’s own pets. There are no personal marriage, children and relationship issues here. It is a well-researched book that is edifying and entertaining for dog lovers, a must read to keep up with the new ways Americans (and some other countries that are playing catch-up) treat and regard their dogs. Those of us who occasionally pamper our dogs, have standing appointments for grooming, never leave home without the dog(s), schedule play dates, research alternative medical treatments, have our vet’s number on speed dial, research to keep up with the best in diets for our dogs, and walk these furry ones in the worst of weather will appreciate Schaffer’s balanced approach to showing us how we relate to our dogs in 2009. So read about Jade the Rottweiler, Ben the Beagle, and Murphy the Saint Bernard and know you and your dogs are in exceptionally, if not a bit zany, good company.

Check out more about Michael Schaffer. It’s got some interesting links and other writings by this entertaining columnist.