Corrections or additions?
This article by Barbara Fox was prepared for the May 14, 2003 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Dogs at Work: A Management Test
Jon Katz is a dog writer — one who has published
books about dogs — who believes that dogs do important work, and
he isn’t talking about sheep herding or sled pulling.
“All dogs are working dogs,” writes Katz. “Nearly every
breed — even lap dogs — were developed for specific tasks.
Every dog is descended from creatures who aided primitive, frightened
humans when they most needed it. Today, when we are less primitive
but still frightened, they are working harder than ever.”
“Since pets both give and receive affection, they come to function
as emotional substitutes, helping to maintain morale when people struggle
through transitions,” he writes. “In a society where people
often live away from their extended families, watch more and more
TV, hook up to cable and the Net, and feel increasingly isolated,
where adjustments to new technologies and disruptions of workplaces
and relationships characterize modern life — dogs have a lot of
new work to do.”
Katz has 12 novels and non-fiction books to his credit and was twice
a finalist for the National Magazine Award. He has written for the
New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and Wired,
and he contributes to public radio’s Marketplace program. Accompanied
by his border collies Homer and Devon, he will speak and sign his
just-published book, “The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love,
and Family” (Random House-Villard, $23.95), on Friday, May 16,
at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in MarketFair. Call 609-716-1570 for information.
“The range of dogs’ work these days is breathtaking: they join
search-and-rescue missions, help the blind, guard property, sniff
for bombs and illegal drugs, and comfort the elderly, the traumatized,
the bereaved, and the lonely,” writes Katz. “Therapists enthusiastically
enlist dogs in treating drug and alcohol addiction and in a broad
range of rehabilitation work. They increasingly use dogs to help emotionally
disturbed children.”
The author’s two border collies illustrate the range of canine jobs.
One can do the traditional work of shepherding. Devon, on the other
hand, is high strung and excitable but, inexplicably, makes an excellent
therapy dog. An excerpt from the poignant scene where Katz discovers
this with a small boy named Joey:
“Joey spotted Devon and began to shout. His words weren’tclear. He was clutching a frayed stuffed animal and he was makinga lot of noise. With Devon still by my side, Joey began to get frustrated,pounding the arms of the chair and kicking out with his feet. I quicklystepped in front of Devon; he was excitable and unpredictable. I hadno idea how he might react to the highly animated Joey. But Devonwalked straight over to the boy, hesitated for just a moment, thenput his head in Joey’s lap. Then he crawled into Joey’s lap.””As if a switch had been turned off, Joey calmed almost instantly,as Devon sat completely still. I saw no canine danger signals: nosquirming or struggling, no panting or other signs of stress. In fact,he looked quite at home draped over this boy in a wheelchair. Somethingunusual was happening, I slowly realized. This was a different kindof work for my working dog.”Katz introduces us to those who work with dogs as their jobsand those whose dogs help them cope with their jobs. Both categorieshave functional and dysfunctional relationships.In the first category, Katz shows us the dog walkers, the veterinarians,and the dog rescuers, including a woman so obsessed with her rescuemission that she makes time to see her grandchildren, who live nearby,just twice a year.In the second category, he describes functional relationships likethose in “the Divorced Dogs Club,” a support group of womenwhose four-footed helpers are helping them get through emotionallyrough times. Or the dog belonging to a terminally ill cancer patientthat tirelessly watches over her and comforts her. When the patient’shealth spirals downward, she makes arrangements for the dog to goto another good home so he can make a smooth transition.”Our real-life dramas tend to be intense but mundane: unemployment,divorce, illness, loneliness, fear, abandonment. This seems to bethe kind of work dogs can sometimes actually handle,” he writes.Dysfunctional in the second category is Rob, a well-paidlawyer who commutes to Manhattan, works long days, has lots of stress,and has few friends. He gets up at 4:40 a.m. every day to walk Cherokeeand hires a walker for the mid-day exercise. “Rob was somebodyyou wouldn’t mess with, somebody who said little but said it bluntly.An orderly and disciplined man, Rob was perpetually apologizing forCherokee’s unruly behavior,” writes Katz. “As successful ashe was, surrounded by his wife and kids, there was a disconnectednessabout Rob — from the town he was away from all day, from his children,from the society beyond his work and home. He had no close friends,not even the dog guys (who went on the early morning exercise walk).He had no interests and little time to pursue any. In some ways, Cherokeefilled that void.””Rob couldn’t stand to have a badly behaved dog, but given hisown past, he really couldn’t stand to discipline him, either. In Roband Cherokee I saw some of men’s happiest and saddest traits simultaneously:their ingrained loneliness, even in the midst of family; their lackof meaningful friendships; their inability to talk openly, even withpeople who loved them; their loyalty, honesty, and steadfastness.I was glad Rob and Cherokee had each other, because, in some elementalways, neither had anyone else.””Some people get dogs for simple reasons — for company, security,hunting, or work — with few psychological motives,” he writes.”But more people than ever see dogs as partners or surrogatesas they deal with serious problems in their past or current lives.Sometimes people don’t want to recognize that they are replaying oldissues in their own lives through their dogs.”Dogs as companions? Or dogs as shrinks? The canine/human profilesthat Katz describes make you think that human resources interviewersshould include a “Relationship with Pet” question to reallyfathom the personality of a potential hire. If you can’t make yourdog behave, maybe you shouldn’t be in management.— Barbara FoxKatz on Dogs, Barnes & Noble, MarketFair, 609-716-1570.Author appearance by Jon Katz, author of “The New Work of Dogs:Tending to Life, Love and Family in a Changing World.” His twoborder collies, Homer and Devon, will accompany Katz, but audiencemembers are asked not to bring their pets. Friday, May 16, 7 p.m.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
