This isn’t news in terms of dog training. Dogs are more fluent in our body language than we are – it’s the verbal commands that they need to learn (and we humans need to learn what our bodies are saying to them) – so the concept of a mute boy working dogs the way Edgar Sawtelle does in the book isn’t a far reach at all. But a writer talking, or writing, about words getting in the way of communication seems a bit ironic.

It’s not. Some of the most effective, powerful books are the ones where the writing seems to “disappear” and you can fully absorb the story. Or think about the mantra “show, don’t tell.” What is “telling” but using words that are nothing more than words, instead of “showing” with image-painting language.

A couple more examples of Words vs. Communication:

1) Politicians. Need I say more?

2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4, the Emmy-nominated episode Hush where “The Gentleman” steal everyone’s voices, so they all have to communicate with gestures and expressions. You can’t find this episode online (at least not legally), so if you haven’t seen it, go get your hands on Season 4 now. It’s amazing.

When asked why so many authors have chosen to write novels about dogs, Dr. Cummins answers: “I think there are a few reasons.  One is that the dog is found in almost every society in the world.  It was the first domestic species, the most widely dispersed and, as I mentioned above, the most diverse in it the number of breeds.  Almost everybody can relate to a dog, especially since so many of us have them as companion animals (I am not fond of the term “pet”) during childhood.  In that sense, as well, they bring us back to our youth:  a gentler, kinder, nurturing time of our lives before mortgages, death, and the worries and anxieties of adulthood.

“Also, the dog allows a human character in a book to show another side.  Somebody can be a bastard but show his/her tender side towards her/his dog (even Hitler was said to love his German Shepherd while he was trying to eradicate half the human population).  Dogs are also perceived – and utilized – to show those traits that we wish that we could manifest more frequently: kindness, wisdom, compassion, fidelity, strength of character, tenderness, valour.  With few exceptions – Cujo probably being the best known – dogs are usually noble characters.”

As Dr. Cummins says, people tend to relate differently to their animals than they do to other humans, but I think it goes further than that.  Dogs play a larger and closer role in our society than they did in the days when they were primarily farm animals or guardians, and our relationships to them have become more complex. (Check out Jon Katz’s The New Work of Dogs for more on this subject.)  Dogs, as a species, have spent their existence mastering how to read human behavior, body language, and emotion.  We bring them deeper into our homes and our emotional lives, and they continue to adapt to their more central role.  As a result, the way that people relate to their animals, and what they go through with their animals, can end up affecting the way that they relate to other people, and even to society as a whole.  That’s the piece that I like to explore in my fiction.

At the end of the interview, there’s a nice list of dog books ranging from rare books to contemporary fiction and the classic dogs of children’s literature.

In the late 17th century, famed pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with the dust of 100 dogs, dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body—with her memories intact. Now she’s a contemporary American teenager, and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

When I was a kid, I had a serious pirate obsession.  And it’s not really much of a secret that dogs have always had huge role in my life.  I’ve been excited about this book since I first heard about it!  My copy will show up at my door in its happy Amazon box any day now.  It’s received excellent reviews, so I highly recommend you pick up your copy today (you can go the busy-impatient-person online route like me or, better yet, buy from your local indie bookstore…those little guys are having a hard time these days).

A.S. King, the author (and a dog lover) also keeps up a great blog.  Today, in her “Wagging on Wednesday” weekly canine feature, my pack was interviewed:

http://dogfact9.blogspot.com/2009/02/wagging-on-wednesday_11.html