You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend [Hardcover]

Terry Bain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2004

A hilarious, captivating commentary that gives us--finally--a true dog’s-eye view of the world.

• The Sofa: “The sofa is Position One. The sofa makes you feel as if you are with your people even when your people are gone.”

• The Toilet: “The advantage of drinking from the toilet is that the water is always fresh.”

• The Baby: “Often known as She Who Randomly Flings Food from the Table, the baby has the most flavorful, ever-changing face of all your people.”

“After reading You Are a Dog, you will start thinking like a dog.” --Bash Dibra, celebrity pet trainer and author of DogSpeak

“You Are a Dog should be the talk of every dog run in the U.S. With humor, and more bite than one might expect, Terry Bain helps us to see the world through the eyes of our dogs, and to look at their lives in fresh and insightful ways.” --Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year, The New Work of Dogs, and The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

“Terry Bain has cracked the canine code to demystify those charming, endearing, and occasionally bizarre habits our beloved dogs exhibit. You Are a Dog is equal parts witty and warm, sweet and sympathetic--read this and be destined to meet your dog at a richer, deeper level.”--Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary contributor for Good Morning America, author of The Healing Power of Pets

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School - A light and insightful look at the world from a dog's point of view. The canine talks about his relationships with everyone in the family, plus neighbors, newspaper and mail deliverers, other animals, and household appliances such as the vacuum. The vet is the "Man Who Stings Your Hip," while there are several aliases for that best friend, including "He Who Sleeps on the Couch," "He Who Scratches Unscratchable Places," and "He Who Leaves the Seat Up So You Can Drink." Simple thumbnail drawings are peppered throughout the book. This romp will be a hit with teens who have a dog or wish they did. It breeds chuckles and understanding. - Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

A hilarious, captivating commentary that gives us--finally--a true dog's-eye view of the world.

• The Sofa: "The sofa is Position One. The sofa makes you feel as if you are with your people even when your people are gone."

• The Toilet: "The advantage of drinking from the toilet is that the water is always fresh."

• The Baby: "Often known as She Who Randomly Flings Food from the Table, the baby has the most flavorful, ever-changing face of all your people."

"After reading You Are a Dog, you will start thinking like a dog."
--Bash Dibra, celebrity pet trainer and author of DogSpeak

"You Are a Dog should be the talk of every dog run in the U.S. With humor, and more bite than one might expect, Terry Bain helps us to see the world through the eyes of our dogs, and to look at their lives in fresh and insightful ways."
--Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year, The New Work of Dogs, and The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

"Terry Bain has cracked the canine code to demystify those charming, endearing, and occasionally bizarre habits our beloved dogs exhibit. You Are a Dog is equal parts witty and warm, sweet and sympathetic--read this and be destined to meet your dog at a richer, deeper level."
--Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary contributor for Good Morning America, author of The Healing Power of Pets

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (October 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400052424
• ISBN-13: 978-1400052424
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Animal Care & Pets > Essays

More About the Author

Terry Bain (1967- ) was born in Puyallup, Washington and hopes you will not try to pronounce that even in your own head. He is a husband, father, minivan driver, and author of You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend, and We Are the Cat: Life Through the Eyes of the Royal Feline. His first published story won an O. Henry award in 1994, and he's been resting on that single laurel ever since. He believes that everything on the internet is nonsense, and hopes that you will take anything you read about him on the internet in that spirit, and will make no bones about denying everything, including the thing about the cheerleader. It was a long time ago. He doesn't even know what you're talking about.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This witty, tender book is filled with goodness and grace., November 9, 2004

By 

Pia Z. Ehrhardt (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)

I am afraid of dogs and this fear is something intrinsic in me that I wish I could change. If I'd read Terry Bain's book "You Are A Dog" sooner - or better yet, if I'd had the book read to me when I was young after being traumatized by that great Dane who knocked me on my butt - I might be able to offer my face to a dog to lick. I know, now, what licking means to a dog. How else can they know you? From a distance? There is no distance with a dog. That's cats.

"They (your people) taste better than you do. Why do they taste so good? And furthermore, since they taste so good, why do they not lick themselves. It must not nag them as it nags at you. It seems to make no sense that they would not lick themselves, so when given the opportunity, when their skin is bare and you are nearby, you lick them. Some of them will tolerate this, but some of them will not. She Who Will Not Tolerate Licking will push you away and yell "Gross. Knock it off you stupid mutt." Whatever that means. You suspect she doesn't want you to lick her anymore,which still doesn't make any sense, so when given the opportunity, when her skin is bare and you are near, you will lick her. You are not deterred for long, since she often leaves the tastiest parts of her skin exposed, and you do not have the willpower to stay away. You want her to know how important it is to lick the places on her body that remain unlicked, and you will lick until she pushes you away again. "Are you stupid or something? Knock it off!" It is a kind of love-tap that she gives you. A gentle nudge. You know that this is her secret joy, so in a moment, you will begin again. Her guard is about to come down. She has almost forgotten that you are nearby. There it is. You see it. A sleeveless arm."

My fear has always seemed unfixable. I didn't grow up in a family that cared about dogs, (why didn't they?), so what little I could learn from the pets of friends and relatives was spotty, vicarious, start and stop. What I missed out on was not just having a dog to love, but being on the receiving end of dog love, which, if you read this gift of a book, you will understand to be pure, uncontrollable, constant but always fresh, never begrudging because dogs have nothing to hold back and everything to gain. And this seems a lesson that's not too late to learn.

When I finished "You Are A Dog" my heart felt pried open. Great books make you less afraid of yourself. They touch sad, dark places and offer you their warm hand. I went to the back porch and talked to Eddie, our chocolate Lab. "Hey, boy, what're you doing?" I opened my palm to him and he didn't bite, he licked, like it was nothing new, like I'd always been okay with this. It felt nice, wet, like forgiveness, except that he never held not-licking against me. What I understand now is that to Eddie, trust is grass, sniff, kibble, water, sky, birds, ball, fetch, more fetch, nap, wake, new day, cheese, his people, me.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review by She Who Laughed at the Book, November 26, 2004

By 

Laura Drewry "www.lauradrewry.com" (British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)

This book had me laughing out loud and looking at my own dogs - funny enough in their own right - in a whole new light. Mr. Bain has taken the dog psyche to a whole new level and if you thought you knew what your dog was thinking, well think again. This book will make you laugh, get the warm tinglies, and will have you refilling that water bowl with FRESH water (thank you very much) on a regular basis.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, yet moving and oddly beautiful, November 17, 2004

By 

proreader "proreader" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)

If you've ever known and loved a dog, you'll find a kindred spirit in this book, which captures the true essence of dogginess in a way that is both lighthearted yet oddly philosophical, and yes, beautiful. Those of us who do love dogs know the truth of their souls, and this book captures that, along with the true humor that is also dog. A book for you, and for every dog lover you know. I can't recommend it highly enough.