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  • Published: 4 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9780812977738
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $39.99

Soul of a Dog

Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm




For fans of Jon Katz's previous dog and farm stories, as well as readers of works by Temple Grandin and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.

Do animals have souls? Some of our greatest thinkers—Aristotle, Plato, Thomas Aquinas—and countless animal lovers have been obsessed with this question for thousands of years. Now New York Times bestselling author Jon Katz looks for an answer. With his signature wisdom, humor, and clarity, Katz relates the stories of the animals he lives with on Bedlam Farm and finds remarkable kinships at every turn. Whether it is beloved sheepdog Rose’s brilliant and methodical herding ability, Mother the cat’s keen mousing instincts, or Izzy’s canine compassion toward hospice patients, Katz is mesmerized to see in them individual personas and sparks of self-awareness. Soul of a Dog will resonate with anyone who loves dogs, cats, or other animals—and who wonders about the spirits that animate them and the deepening hold they have on our lives.

  • Published: 4 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9780812977738
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $39.99

About the author

Jon Katz

Jon Katz has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, GQ and other magazines as well as having a regular column about dogs and rural life for online magazine Slate. He has written sixteen books, many of them about dogs, and co-hosts an awardwinning radio show Dog Talk. After the period of this book, he moved to a farm in upstate New York where he and his wife live together with their dogs, sheep, cows, donkeys, a barn cat and four chickens. His website is www.bedlamfarm.com.

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Praise for Soul of a Dog

  • "With wisdom and grace, Katz unlocks the canine soul and the complicated wonders that lie within and offers powerful insights to anyone who has ever struggled with, and loved, a troubled animal." --John Grogan, author of Marley & Me
  • "Katz's world--of animals and humans and their combined generosity of spirit--is a place you're glad you've been." --The Boston Globe
  • "One of our most talented and perceptive canine chroniclers." --AKC Gazette
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