title: The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love, and Family
author:  Jon Katz 
description: Katz, a novelist and nonfiction author (A Dog Year; Geeks), here explores the bond between dogs and their owners. Focusing on 12 people-dog relationships in Montclair, N.J., and drawing on current research into attachment theory, interviews with animal workers and psychiatrists, as well as conversations with dog owners, Katz offers nuanced portraits of what happens when humans depend on dogs to satisfy their emotional needs. He contends that high divorce rates, an unstable workplace and the shrinking extended family are some of the reasons that people have come to rely on pets instead of one another during times of crisis. Donna, a divorced woman with terminal cancer, turns to her Welsh corgi for comfort and as an antidote to loneliness. In a darker portrait, Katz tells the story of Jamal, a troubled 14-year old and the owner of a pit bull whom he clearly loves, and yet beats daily. Katz also describes the laudable work of Betty Jean, who devotes her life to rescuing dogs from shelters-but who gives little attention to her grown children or grandchildren. Although Katz, a dog owner himself, appreciates the strong tie between humans and dogs, he fears that many owners use their pets as support during hard times, only to discard them later: Kate's German shepherd, for example, helped her recover from her husband's death, but she gave the dog away when she remarried. In this well-written and thoughtful account, Katz makes a convincing case that dog owners must be more self-aware and responsible when they use their pets as human substitutes. <br />Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  Praise for JON KATZ  
    
    
  
  
  “With wisdom and grace, Katz unlocks the canine soul and the complicated
  wonders that lie within and offers powerful insights to anyone who has ever
  struggled with, and loved, a troubled animal.”
  
  
  —JOHNN GROGAN,  
  author of _Marley & Me_
  
  
  “Katz’s world—of animals and humans and their combined generosity of spirit—is
  a place you’re glad you’ve been.”
  
  
  _—The Boston Globe_
  
  
  “From Toto to Marley, our canine friends are a sure bet in the literary biz.
  But no one seems to speak their language like Jon Katz.”
  
  
  _—San Antonio Express-News_
  
  
  “Katz proves himself a Thoreau for modern times as he ponders the
  relationships between man and animals, humanity and nature.”
  
  
  _—Fort Worth Star-Telegram_
  
  
  “I toss a lifetime award of three liver snaps to Jon Katz.”
  
  
  —MAUREEN CORRIGAN,  
  National Public Radio’s _Fresh Air_
  
  
  “It’s always a comfort to read a Jon Katz book.”
  
  
  —Minneapolis _Star Tribu