This anthology by the editors of the Bark, a hip, literate dog quarterly, defines the parameters of this genre with sensibility and force. Such writers as Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Mark Doty, Caroline Knapp, Thom Jones, Mark Derr, Rick Bass, Tom Junod and Erica Jong assure dog lovers that they aren't crazy or neurotic for having intense feelings for their dogs or for buying a separation anxiety CD for a terrier-beagle mix, as Charles Siebert does with not a little bemusement. Patricia B. McConnell, an animal behaviorist, says, "There's something much bigger and better than neediness that drives our love of dogs." For her, that something is silence: her dog Cool Hand Luke's nonverbal attentiveness teaches that "dogs keep us firmly rooted in the here and now." For others, like Stephen Kuusisto, freedom comes in the form of a seeing-eye dog named Corky, who proves her worthiness by steering the author through an obstacle course of doughnuts and pizza slices. The dogs written about here all have something to teach, whether it's about trust, bigotry, loving, mortality or spirituality: Lama Surya Das, echoing the playful title of the book, writes, "Scratch a dog and you'll find God." The high quality, humor (with a comic by Lynda Barry) and delight here leave the reader wanting more. (Aug.)
