"The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love and Family" by Jon Katz
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I can't stand Jon Katz and would not every buy another one of his books. I'm not sure if that topic has been covered on this forum or not.
He has offended me on so many topics including rescue, (he thinks rescue is for misguided, bleeding heart people who need an emotional crutch) nutrition (he feeds eukanuba thinks people who feed more high end foods, home cooked or raw are misinformed and a big PIA, a vet's worst nightmare), behavior (he has some pretty old style outdated train by force methods), and last but not least gave away a dog he'd had that just wasn't fitting in (wasn't high enough drive for him) and then euthanised his "soul dog" after writting a book about him and several articles for some border collie behavior problems that could have been fairly easily managed IMO. He also wasn't willing to pay for any expensive medical tests to rule out a physical cause.
If you're curious about his you should read some of the threads about him on the border collie rescue forum. He is pretty much despised in the border collie world.
He has offended me on so many topics including rescue, (he thinks rescue is for misguided, bleeding heart people who need an emotional crutch) nutrition (he feeds eukanuba thinks people who feed more high end foods, home cooked or raw are misinformed and a big PIA, a vet's worst nightmare), behavior (he has some pretty old style outdated train by force methods), and last but not least gave away a dog he'd had that just wasn't fitting in (wasn't high enough drive for him) and then euthanised his "soul dog" after writting a book about him and several articles for some border collie behavior problems that could have been fairly easily managed IMO. He also wasn't willing to pay for any expensive medical tests to rule out a physical cause.
If you're curious about his you should read some of the threads about him on the border collie rescue forum. He is pretty much despised in the border collie world.
It's certainly not the he's a bad writer. I read the dog's of bedlam farm and for the most part enjoyed it. Back then I also gave him the benefit of the doubt when he rehomed Homer but there's a pattern forming. I've also read some things he wrote for Slate Magazine that I wasn't impressed with but as I said, after finding out more about the guy, now I wouldn't read anything more of his on principle.
He wrote a very rude and condescending e-mail reply to a friend of mine who happens to be a wonderful and well respected dog trainer and wrote to him when he made his nasty remarks in his column about people involved in rescue. Her e-mail was very nicely put, not snarky at all, just showing another side to people who are involved in rescue and he basically told her she was obviously in need of an emotional crutch and on and on. It was totally uncalled for.I have no respect for him.
He wrote a very rude and condescending e-mail reply to a friend of mine who happens to be a wonderful and well respected dog trainer and wrote to him when he made his nasty remarks in his column about people involved in rescue. Her e-mail was very nicely put, not snarky at all, just showing another side to people who are involved in rescue and he basically told her she was obviously in need of an emotional crutch and on and on. It was totally uncalled for.I have no respect for him.
His stuff is very readable, and I can't help myself - I read every new dog book he produces. But he's not a particularly good writer, or a very interesting person in general. When you read one book or article, he seems ok, a little eccentric maybe, but a good guy. When you read all his work, he comes across as a terrible misogynist. I personally loathed the New Work of Dogs book because he repeatedly went after women in it. The rescue people, the divorcees, his own sister - all women he assessed as emotional wrecks who virtually abused dogs with their own selfish needs. His keen insightfulness is nowhere in evidence in his latest book, where he never seems to realize that it's his own emotional need to have the dog (can't remember the name offhand) unleashed on the farm that lead directly to the dog biting repeatedly.
However - I don't fault him for his attitude toward aggressive dogs. I think he's right there. There is too much leniency toward aggression in dogs in the dog world, and a lot of it is tied to pity rather than to anything positive. I can see where he begins with his criticism of rescue, which has increasingly become associated with 'desperate lost cause' instead of saving solid, sane adoptable pets from euthanasia. He goes too far, though, when he decides to take on himself the mantle of psychiatrist who thinks the people are behaving in unhealthy ways.
However - I don't fault him for his attitude toward aggressive dogs. I think he's right there. There is too much leniency toward aggression in dogs in the dog world, and a lot of it is tied to pity rather than to anything positive. I can see where he begins with his criticism of rescue, which has increasingly become associated with 'desperate lost cause' instead of saving solid, sane adoptable pets from euthanasia. He goes too far, though, when he decides to take on himself the mantle of psychiatrist who thinks the people are behaving in unhealthy ways.
I've read it and it was an ok book, but like Casa said, he's rather misogynistic and cold-hearted. He forgets that he himself has an emotional need for dogs, hence the reason he always has at least two of them..but I guess since his are expensive "breeder" dogs (Except for Orson, who could be termed a rescue) it's a different story.
I mean, the guy left a cushy home in the suburbs to go live alone on a sheep farm (his wife deserves a medal for not divorcing him) so his dogs could have a job. Now it seems he's transitioning back to Labs and I'm wondering what is to become of Rose, his remaining BC. He seems to find her a fairly alien creature, one who lives for the work and not for his praise.
I mean, the guy left a cushy home in the suburbs to go live alone on a sheep farm (his wife deserves a medal for not divorcing him) so his dogs could have a job. Now it seems he's transitioning back to Labs and I'm wondering what is to become of Rose, his remaining BC. He seems to find her a fairly alien creature, one who lives for the work and not for his praise.
Considering my poor history with dogs - some of which i have related in previous posts - for me I cannot condemn a man who thinks he is doing right by his dogs in rehoming them. I don't know what happened to Orson, only what happened to Homer. And to me, from what I know of his new life, Homer does seem to be happier...
I am not against rehoming if it is done responsibly. I also agree with Casa on his/her (? sorry I don't know?) opinion about rescues. It does seem like too many rescues concentrate on the idea of the ideal home vs a good home or finding homes for all dogs regardless of history or special needs.
For me it's the rescues that only want the perfect ideal home that gets my goat more than the other point. These are the rescues that only want to adopt out to family's that own their own homes with a backyard and who have someone at home most of the day. To me that's just not a very realistic view to take on today's society's vs how many dogs that really need to be adopted.
But back to the topic - so in other words if I want an okay read I can read this book, but if I am looking for an open minded informative book then I should stay away from it? So, it's not on par with Temple Grendin's Animals in Translation...
Okay... that helps. Thanks everyone.
I am not against rehoming if it is done responsibly. I also agree with Casa on his/her (? sorry I don't know?) opinion about rescues. It does seem like too many rescues concentrate on the idea of the ideal home vs a good home or finding homes for all dogs regardless of history or special needs.
For me it's the rescues that only want the perfect ideal home that gets my goat more than the other point. These are the rescues that only want to adopt out to family's that own their own homes with a backyard and who have someone at home most of the day. To me that's just not a very realistic view to take on today's society's vs how many dogs that really need to be adopted.
But back to the topic - so in other words if I want an okay read I can read this book, but if I am looking for an open minded informative book then I should stay away from it? So, it's not on par with Temple Grendin's Animals in Translation...
Okay... that helps. Thanks everyone.
I have to admit I have a personal policy that if a dog of mine were to bite someone and drew blood, or this was something that happened on more than one occasion I would also have the dog pts. This includes Mojo - who I consider my best friend and "heart dog." I don't even know if *I* would go through all of the tests or anything else... mostly because I don't think i will ever be able to afford all of those tests. I don't think that makes me a terrible dog owner either....
No, it doesn't. A dog who bites has to be seriously assesed as to it's ability to be a viable part of society. It's more of the way Katz dealt with Orson before the nipping and biting started that I think it raising most people's hackles around here. He freely admits to picking up his dog and throwing him into some bushes, followed by his hat, pooper scooper and a choke chain when he was angry with him for chasing a car.
The levels of anger he writes about displaying towards his can't have had a positive impact on an already shaky psyche.
The levels of anger he writes about displaying towards his can't have had a positive impact on an already shaky psyche.
Oh I agree. And again based on my past I can't say I condemn this man either. I have issues with my temper as well, and it's a heck of a demon to control when I am in an absolute rage.
Mojo has, unfortunately, seen the face of my anger as well as the pain... and while he's not damaged as Orson was... he still will shrink away from me when I start to get into one of my moods. I recognize now that it is best if I remove myself from Mojo or vice versa until I can get the beast inside under control. Plus I'm in therapy to deal with the issues that spawn my anger... but *sighs* it's hard sometimes.
It is a failure of mine. And it's something I've demonstrated with all of my dogs prior, it's only with Mojo I've made a huge effort to control it. I guess that's why I like Katz... I've been in his shoes. I've walked a mile very similar to his...
I suppose that this will make people dislike me as much as they dislike him... but I never said I was a perfect dog owner. I just try my best for each dog I have, it's all I think any one person can do.
Mojo has, unfortunately, seen the face of my anger as well as the pain... and while he's not damaged as Orson was... he still will shrink away from me when I start to get into one of my moods. I recognize now that it is best if I remove myself from Mojo or vice versa until I can get the beast inside under control. Plus I'm in therapy to deal with the issues that spawn my anger... but *sighs* it's hard sometimes.
It is a failure of mine. And it's something I've demonstrated with all of my dogs prior, it's only with Mojo I've made a huge effort to control it. I guess that's why I like Katz... I've been in his shoes. I've walked a mile very similar to his...
I suppose that this will make people dislike me as much as they dislike him... but I never said I was a perfect dog owner. I just try my best for each dog I have, it's all I think any one person can do.
I think most of us have lost our tempers with our dogs at one point or another. But you recognize that fact and remove yourself from the situation, you don't write about it in a pretty unapologetic manner and expect everyone to be ok with the fact that you train your dog with some pretty harsh methods, ones that shouldn't be used on a dog like Orson or Mojo.
I have tried in the past to use harsh methods. Mojo taught me REALLY quick he won't tolerate being alpha rolled or any of the other harsh methods I once used. Positive training has been hard for me to use and stick with but I keep trying. However, you are correct that I don't write about it often -- no point. I'm learning from my mistakes and continue to try to do better by my dog. I don't apologize for those mistakes very often ... I just try to do better.
My point? I guess my point is that no one is perfect. I understand as well as don't understand the hatred toward Jon Katz. Goodness knows I don't agree with everything Diane Jessup has done lately with her personal pit bulls but I don't condemn her. I think everyone does some good even when they do so many things wrong...
My point? I guess my point is that no one is perfect. I understand as well as don't understand the hatred toward Jon Katz. Goodness knows I don't agree with everything Diane Jessup has done lately with her personal pit bulls but I don't condemn her. I think everyone does some good even when they do so many things wrong...
To reanimate a slightly old thread - my reaction to Katz's euthanization of Orson is due not to his losing his temper earlier in the training or the euthanization of a dog who bites. I think Katz's failure was much more serious. An experienced trainer who actually wrote a couple of books on training, who devoted so much time to training and to a sort of spiritual self-examination of his own temper and behavior, he failed spectacularly with Orson. He set Orson up to bite people. As focused as he was on dogs, on training, as much as he'd written 3 books about the topic and spent much of 1 of those books taking women to task for being so selfish they abused their untrained dog, he did the same thing, fatally, to Orson. He had very strong views that Orson had to be loose on the farm. Orson couldn't be kenneled or tied, had to be free. That led to two bad bites, one of which could have been disfiguring, and the dog's death.
Did anyone see that Jon Katz reviewed his own book on amazon? Gave himself 4/5 stars.:yikes: :lol-sign: He also responds to his negative reviews saying obviosuly the person didn't read the whole book etc etc!!! Oh the EGO. What a nutjob.
I can't imagine anyone insulting "dog people" and people who feed ther dogs something other than grocery store kibble and then expecting to still have dog lovers buying his books. What a hypocrite he is too after condescending people who see holistic vets and then taking Orson for accupuncture
I can't imagine anyone insulting "dog people" and people who feed ther dogs something other than grocery store kibble and then expecting to still have dog lovers buying his books. What a hypocrite he is too after condescending people who see holistic vets and then taking Orson for accupuncture
Not to hijack this thread, just to clarify something;
The rescue I'm with doesn't require somebody home most of the day. We don't require people to own their own homes. But, perhaps, some rescues do because of this example: A dog was adopted by our rescue by people who rent. The landlord said everything is fine. However, that landlord left and the new landlord told them to get rid of the dog. The dog ended up back at at a run at our rescue shelter. The owners still visit him, and still want him once they get everything worked out. But who knows when THAT will be.
Again, this was just to clarify something, NOT to hijack this thread. (I do believe that SOME rescues CAN be rather choosey, however.)
I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.
The rescue I'm with doesn't require somebody home most of the day. We don't require people to own their own homes. But, perhaps, some rescues do because of this example: A dog was adopted by our rescue by people who rent. The landlord said everything is fine. However, that landlord left and the new landlord told them to get rid of the dog. The dog ended up back at at a run at our rescue shelter. The owners still visit him, and still want him once they get everything worked out. But who knows when THAT will be.
Again, this was just to clarify something, NOT to hijack this thread. (I do believe that SOME rescues CAN be rather choosey, however.)
I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.