A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me [Hardcover]

Jon Katz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2002

“Change loves me, defines and stalks me like a laser-guided smart bomb. It comes at me in all forms, suddenly and with enormous impact, from making shifts in work to having and raising a kid to buying a cabin on a distant mountaintop. Sometimes, change comes on four legs.”

In his popular and widely praised Running to the Mountain, Jon Katz wrote of the strength and support he found in the massive forms of his two yellow Labrador retrievers, Julius and Stanley. When the Labs were six and seven, a breeder who’d read his book contacted Katz to say she had a dog that was meant for him—a two-year-old border collie named Devon, well bred but high-strung and homeless. Katz already had a full canine complement, but instinct overruled reason, and soon thereafter he brought Devon home.

A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me is the story of how Devon and Jon—and Julius and Stanley—came to terms with each other. It shows how a man discovered a lot about himself through one dog (and then another) whose temperament seemed as different from his own as day is from night. It is a story of trust and understanding, of life and death, of continuity and change. It is by turns insightful, hilarious, and deeply moving.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The story line of Katz's latest book can be summed up very simply two dogs die and two new ones join the family but its charm comes from an intricate blend of witty anecdote and touching reflection. Katz (Geeks, Virtuous Reality) has shared his affection for years with two low-maintenance Labs, whose "chosen work was to reflect on the state of the world, lick neighborhood kids, and accompany [him] through midlife." So it is somewhat surprising that he next adopts a frenetic and demanding border collie he occasionally refers to as "Helldog." His life turned upside down; his writing schedule disrupted, he learns to center his life around a dog's needs rather than vice versa. After adopting the homeless Devon, Katz adopts his second border collie, Homer, because Oprah Winfrey urges him to. (He appears on her show for his book about his Labs, Running to the Mountain.) He's fallen in love with the breed's intelligence and curiosity. In fact, both breeds seem to touch something in his soul the Lab his centered, peaceful side; the border collie his troubled side. Over the course of the year, Katz reflects on the importance of devotion to and understanding of any animal taken into the home; ways to live peacefully with border collies; and even the problems of midlife crisis. "Once in a great while," he muses, "the right person is fortunate enough to get the right dog, to have time to take care of it, to connect with it in a profound way."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Katz's smooth, flowing writing style and engaging manner of describing the personalities of his four dogs will captivate even reluctant readers. That he unobtrusively conveys lessons about dignity, discipline, and trust along the way is a bonus. In the opening pages, the family has two golden Labrador retrievers (Julius and Stanley) of tranquil and stately demeanor who have meshed perfectly into the rhythms of the author's daily writing routine and are beloved by neighbors in their suburban NJ locale. Then, he takes in Devon, a high-strung, two-year-old Border collie "with emotional issues." Surmounting the challenges presented by this beautiful and intelligent (but willful and anxious) animal, bonding with him and restoring equilibrium, fill many an entertaining chapter as the author cajoles Devon into accepting his new owner as the alpha male in the pack. Further adjustments are necessary as illness prematurely claims the lives of both Labs, and a Border collie puppy, Homer, is introduced into the household. In final chapters, wanting to satisfy the collies' native instincts as working dogs, Katz seeks out a training opportunity for them to experience herding sheep, and is rewarded by appreciation for their aptitude and high-energy intensity on the job. Throughout the story, adventures are touching, humorous, and winsome.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (March 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375502971
• ISBN-13: 978-0375502972
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bedlam Farm in upstate New York is where I live, write and tend my animals - four dogs, two donkeys, two barn cats. The rambling old farmhouse was built in 1862; it's surrounded by pastures, streams and wooded hillsides, plus four barns and a milkhouse in various stages of disrepair.

I write books- memoirs, novels, short story collections, and beginning in 2011, children's books. I am also a photographer.

In my former life, before I grew preoccupied with sheepherding and moving manure around. I wanted to change my life and write more about the experience of living with and understanding animals.
I write novels and nonfiction books (I've written 20 books), along with columns and articles for Rolling Stone, Wired, the New York Times, and the website HotWired.
Coming to the farm turned out to be a Joseph Campbell style "Hero's Journey." I went off into some dark places, got divorced, struggled to face myself, and found someone to share my life.

My wife Maria Wulf is an artist, who specializes in fiber art. She works in the Studio Barn across the road from the farmhouse. Earlier this year, I thought briefly of selling Bedlam Farm. After getting married, we decided to stay here. My daughter Emma, a sportswriter living in Brooklyn, has written her own book about New York baseball. I publish a blog I love dearly - www.bedlafarm.com. My photos appear there daily. My dogs are Izzy, Lenore, Frieda and Rose, the working dog who helps me run the farm.

My writing life began with a novel - "Sign Off" - an unwittingly prescient story about the jarring changes in work and security.

This year - 2010 - I am returning to fiction. I've written a novel, "Rose In A Storm," about a border collie stranded on a farm in upstate New York during a terrible storm. I wrote this book in conjunction with some animal behaviorists who helped me enter the mind of a dog, and hopefully, be faithful to that. My first children's book "Meet The Dogs Of Bedlam Farm," will be published by Henry Holt next year. I have just finished a short story collection to be published next year by Villard/Random House.
In recent years, photography has become central to me as well as writing. I have been fortunate enough to have several gallery showings of my work, and also sell my photos as notecards through the Redux Gallery in Dorset, Vt.

I am also working on a book about animal grieving. Hopefully, it will be useful.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Before reading A Dog Year, August 20, 2007

By 

Jan D "avid reader" (rochester, mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me (Paperback)

If you have not already read this book, I would recommend you read the reviews for the book which chronicles the end of Orson's life (the gorgeous dog on the front cover. In A Dog Year you are introduced to Katz's pet project - Orson. We are lead to believe that Orson (aka Devon) is Katz's soulmate and Katz is the person who can save the poor troubled and mis-handled Orson. Although I somewhat enjoyed a Dog Year, I was worried that Katz had taken on something he didn't understand. Orson's final book - A Good Dog - proved me right. Katz cannot handle Orson and eventually euthanizes him. Katz made his money out of Orson by writing these books and then gave up on him. Considering the depth of feeling that Orson had for the author - I was left incensed and speechless at the end of A Good Dog. As an aside - the other border collie you are introduced to in a Dog Year is given to a new home because he doesn't fit with Katz either. So, before putting even more money into the coffers of a man who said that he could not justify spending money on Orson to find out what his issues were, I would refrain from spending money on this book.

61 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I love dogs, but..., October 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me (Paperback)

This book made me very uncomfortable in many ways. I wanted to like the book and I wanted it to be heart-warming, but everything this author did caused more heartburn than warm fuzzies. He was perfectly happy with two yellow labs and a routine that suited them all but he couldn't help but adopt a border collie and ship him to his home in...suburban New Jersey!? My stomach turned. His "education" of the dog was a tad rough by his own admission, throwing metal choke chains and physically striking the what, 30 or 40 pound dog? I was a bit embarrassed for him for admitting it publicly. He put his yellow lab down when he still had many good days of playing and companionship ahead of him and was not in pain. His choice, but I felt a bit queasy. He caved in and brought a second border collie into the house against his better judgement. I wanted to scream. This must be a man who can't say no to all of those telemarketers. I am very happy things worked out for him in the end, but I still need antacids to get over the angst this book has given me.

47 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars TWO'S COMPANY -- THREE'S A CROWD, May 22, 2003

By 

Nancy Martin (Pennsylvania (orig. NY)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me (Paperback)

I really wanted to love this book. How could I not with a picture of a Border Collie on the cover? After all, I am a border collie owner....an owner who adopted an abused border collie six years ago. To say that my life has changed for the better since then would be an understatement. Of course, these aren't feelings only reserved for owners of border collies as all of my friends who are dog owners feel the same way. There is a magic in having a dog in your life and I'm just happy to be so blessed.

With that said, it caused me to read this book with my own dog in mind judging the author's own decisions along the way. I just couldn't reconcile the idyllic life he had with Julius and Stanley (his Labrador Retrievers) and then bringing Devon (his adopted Border Collie) into the fray knowing full well that it would overturn the applecart. Once Devon arrived, I felt like Julius and Stanley were pushed to the side and relegated to the backyard, while Devon occupied all of their owner's time. Was this their reward for years and years of loyalty and companionship? Yes, it was great for the new addition to the family but at the expense of two dogs the author supposedly loved above all things.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Stanley begins to get sick...not sick enough that he wasn't enjoying life any longer. I read the section, where Jon takes all three dogs to the mountains so that Stanley could enjoy his last trip there, with a knot in my stomach knowing full well that, upon their return, he was going to have Stanley put to sleep. There's no way I could spend a glorious weekend romping in the woods with my dog, having him retrieve the ball he so loved knowing that his days were numbered because of a decision I was making.

Perhaps I'm being too critical but these two things took away from the overall enjoyment this book could have given me. In no way could I look my beloved border collie in her one blue and one brown eye and tell her not only that I was bringing someone else into our home who would change her life forever (and not for the better) and, as if that's not bad enough, there's no way I could drive her to the vet and put her down when she wasn't even close to no longer being a functional and loving pet. I know the author did a good job justifying these actions but this reader and this dog lover just didn't buy it.