Our Dogs, Ourselves

By Alexandra Horowitz

In this book Alexandra Horowitz examines what's called the 'dog-human bond': examining all aspects of the complexity of this unique interspecies pairing. From her position as a dog scientist, she uses the science of dogs and dog-human interaction to ground a consideration of the various ways that dogs, as a species, reflect us, and how they reflect (sometimes badly, sometimes well) on us. And she goes beyond the cognitive science to consider the culture, laws, and human dynamics that reveal and restrict this bond between two disparate species.

Horowitz shows that when each person makes the decision to breed, own, or adopt a dog, we enter into a relationship that will change us. It changes the course of our days: dogs need to be walked, fed, attended to. It can change the course of our lives: dogs weave their way into our lives with their constant silent presence by our sides. There are still many (often non-'scientific') questions that remain unanswered about dogs: about their minds, yes, but especially about living with dogs in our society, and how we can best treat them now and in the future. This books addresses those questions. It is intended for the curious dog owner and science-lover alike, who wants to read good, intelligent thinking on dogs, not overly sentimental but not without heart. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Sep 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781471185199

Alexandra Horowitz

Alexandra Horowitz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know; Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell; Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond; and The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. She teaches at Barnard College, where she runs the Dog Cognition Lab. She lives with her family of Homo sapiens, Canis familiaris, and Felis catus in New York City.

Reviews for Our Dogs, Ourselves

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Author Alexandra Horowitz has certainly done much research in the preparation of this book and has given her readers food for thought about the behavior of both dogs and their humans. How we bond and communicate with our dogs, what we mean to each other, and how we live together was quite interesting. She also delves into the history and background of dogs, and how and why we choose the dogs we do. She talks much about breeds, and the sometimes unfortunate result of making breeds: dogs who can’t breathe properly and others with hip problems, just to name a couple of problems. She talks about the pros and cons of spaying and neutering, but seems to be more against it than for it. She discusses the problems of overpopulation and the tragic way it is too often dealt with. You likely will find her facts and opinions interesting, though you probably won’t agree with everything she says. I found the chapter on the way owners talk to their dogs to be quite entertaining, while some of other chapters were just plain sad. Still, it was an interesting book, made even more so by the author’s capable narration.