[.ca] The Hidden Life Of Dogs (ISBN 0671517007)

Should be called "A portrait of the irresponsible pet owner":
Absolutely nothing new here. Really, what could you learn from someone who thinks it is fascinating to watch her supposedly beloved dog cross the Alewife Parkway in Cambridge -- repeatedly! As she revels in allowing her "dogs to be dogs" all I could think about was: imagine being her neighbor! (which she does, in fact, imply is pure hell). Maybe if she had learned something interesting from her supposed research you could argue it was worthwhile, although I personally have trouble with the idea of potentially sacrificing great dogs to senseless research. Everything she finds enlightening has already been (better) researched and basically comes straight out of wolf research. Send in the humane society (the dog catcher has already called -- several times)!

Absolutely Enthralling!:
A beautiful and compelling book that celebrates dogs in all their uniqueness and glory. The book's main flaw is Thomas's tendency towards New Age pseudoscience (for instance, by alluding to animal ESP). Other reviewers also point out Thomas's irresponsibility by allowing her dogs to roam free, violating local laws and endangering their (the dogs') safety. I agree, and I'd like to add breeding to the list of complaints - as someone who studies dogs, she should know better than to allow her dogs to reproduce when millions of animals are being killed annually in shelters due to a lack of loving homes. Overlooking these obvious shortcomings, though, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in our canine companions!

Very Interesting:
Despite all of the negative comments of other readers, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very interesting look at the natural behavior of dogs. It is actually one of my favorite dog books and I would recommend it to any one facinated by how dogs think, form relationships, etc. All of these other people need to relax. She obviously is an animal lover and takes care of her pets. So she let her dog cross a busy street unsupervised...get over it! After reading this, pick up a copy of her book "The Social Life of Dogs." I loved them both.

The HIdden Life of Dogs:
I read and enjoyed this book - I also read the reviews of the short-sighted people who failed to mention THE YEAR in which the "dogs running wild" took place - I believe it took place long ago - when we didn't have neighbors living on top of each other, people driving like they can't get there fast enough, and before animal shelters became over run with overpopulation. I found the book very interesting and think that the other reviewers might have given thought to the time in which it was written - a time very unlike the one we live in now.

Refreshingly truthful:
After reading at least 200 books about dogs in an effort to understand mine more fully I found this book. It was enthralling. Everyone who reads about dogs already knows all the old ideas of: sit, stay and the overused "my-dog-is-a-dominating-alpha" theory. This book goes deeper than that, this books explores dogs and their relationships to humans in a non-evasive way. It also questions our society in ways that the majority of dog books never touch on. For example: why do we castrate male dogs rather use the option of vasectomy? If you want to read a regular dog book there are plenty of them out there. If you want to examine human and dog relationships more closely this is the book for you.