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The Social Lives of Dogs
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 636
EAN: 9780743422369
ISBN: 0743422368
Label: Pocket
Manufacturer: Pocket
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: May 22, 2001
Publisher: Pocket
Studio: Pocket
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Editorial Review:
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, who has written evocatively on the ways of dogs (The Hidden Life of Dogs) and cats (The Tribe of the Tiger) at large, here turns her attention to the particular canines--and other animals--with which she shares her home.
Marshall's narrative begins with the arrival of an unfortunate, highly intelligent creature named Sundog, who, excluded from the somewhat constricted worlds of her older dogs, is forced to take his place in the next available pack--that of Marshall and the other human inhabitants of her New Hampshire home. "Perhaps we were not his first choice, but he took us," Marshall writes of Sundog learning his proper place in their order and they in his. Much as domestic dogs enjoy each other's company, Marshall hazards, when in the presence of humans each becomes a competitor for attention and food. Humans, in that world of small rivalries, become not so much alphas or pack leaders--as so many books have it--as they do "sources of life," providers of food and security. Such power can corrupt, of course, and at points Marshall observes that popular methods of dog training--or dog control--can do more harm than good, at least as far as a dog's emotional well-being is concerned.
Through her tales of Sundog, Misty, and her other dogs (and cats, and parrots), Marshall explores how fulfilling a life among animals can be. A little softer on the scientific explanations that drive her other books, Marshall's narrative shares the anecdotal richness of her earlier work. Any human who is curious about how dogs think and how the worlds of dogs and people intersect will find much of value in her pages. --Gregory McNamee
In this sequel to her illuminating bestseller The Hidden Life of Dogs, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas profiles the canines in her own household to show how dogs have comfortably adapted to life with their human owners -- and with each other. A classically trained anthropologist, she answers questions we all have about our pets' behavior. Do dogs have different barks that mean different things? What makes a dog difficult to house-train? Why do certain dogs and cats get along so well? How does Snoopy recognize people he sees only once a year, while Misty barks at strangers she sees every day?
The Social Lives of Dogs presents marvelous evidence of the power of the group -- and shows us that those who are fortunate enough to be given the trust of an honorable dog will also have their lives enriched.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Elizabeth Marshall Thomas IS the original animal whisperer!
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is not only a genius; she IS the original animal whisperer! An Animal Shaman! Marshall Thomas has taken the reader deep into the minds of the canine companion and showed the reader very openly their emotional relationships with their family counterparts. Marshall Thomas proves there is no divide among species by using her brilliantly insightful observations of our companion friends detailing the secret of their order based on her own interactions and in depth study of ... Read More
Rating: - Enjoyable Animal Observation/ Analysis by Human Anthropologist
This is not a book to buy if you want to train a puppy or work out a behavior problem, however, for insights into animal behavior written by an anthropologist, using her training on some of the other sentient species around us, this is a wonderful book. This one is much more "light" and anecdotal than her famous "The Hidden Lives of Dogs". She describes the household full of pets (that is to say, "companion animals") she and her husband live with, from a trained scientistific point of view. All ... Read More
Rating: - A must-read for any dog lover.
Brilliantly insightful and full of wisdom.
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is the Jane Goodall of dogs.
Rating: - A quick, enjoyable book for dog lovers
I never thouht I would like a book on dogs but Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is a good writer, a careful observer with intelligent unique views that are entertaining and sometimes heartwarming.
The book centers primarily around Thomas' home, full of dogs, cats, a parrot and macaws, and an amazingly tolerant husband. Her primary method is that of an anthropologist, observing and interpreting her own animals. Whereas some in the scientific community would have problems with her method, we must ... Read More
Rating: - a peaceable kingdom
This is one woman's story of living with (besides her family) a houseful of canines, cats, and other assorted critters and how they managed to co-exist peacefully (most of the time). Basically, it is a series of revealing anecdotes and stories, most of them heartwarming, a few heartbreaking or even astonishing (including two very different accounts of encounters with large wild cats). As with Lorenz's MAN MEETS DOG or Masson's DOGS NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE, read this for the stories and not the science.
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