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Title: I honor the dog, not the hunter
Review: Bass is an engaging stylist in the Annie Dillard vein and his love for his dog will touch anyone "owned" by one of the four-legged rascals. But one thing that consistently interfered with my enjoyment of the book - though it may not bother you in the least - is the importance Bass places on Colter's skills as a hunting dog. For one thing, I have never been convinced (even by a writer as formidable as William Faulkner) that there is anything noble or poetic about killing animals for fun, no matter how much the dog may enjoy helping us do it. And what if Colter had been just a dumb sweet mutt with housebreaking lapses? Would he have been any less deserving of tribute? My whippet Reggie is an oddly-proportioned fellow (reminiscent, in his youth, of a pot-bellied pig) with a goofy grin whose most conspicuous talent is carrying my slippers into the backyard. But he is a perfect "Reggie" and my wife and I love him like a son.
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