If you’re lucky, a dog will come into your life, steal your heart, and change everything
This isn’t just another pet book. It is a book of relationships. Not a man-woman, man-man or a woman-woman one. This one is about the love, affection and fondness between dogs and humans that have existed forever. Nuances of this bond have been brought to life through personal accounts of dog owners and dog lovers – rich with anecdotes.
The Woof Woof Book
The Book of Dog could not have been more aptly named. Published by Harper Collins and edited by Hemali Sodhi, the book opens with Sodhi’s introduction where she explains her journey from being ‘terrified’ of dogs to being able to tolerate them and finally championing them. A labour of love, The Book of Dog is an anthology and a collective effort of the dog-loving writers from various walks of life – authors, editors, celebrities mostly.
Just Get A Dog
At the outset, the book also mentions that the sales proceeds too would be directed to canine-charity. No two dog stories in the book are the same. The personal accounts range from being grave, to hilarious, to warm and eventually makes one realise how canines get humanized in the human space as they at times fill the void of a friend or play quiet companion or even a silent therapist for the human they own. Dogs seem to be the answer when humans are haunted with emptiness. They fill up space and eventually the heart.
Beware Of The Dog
The Book of Dog thus is also one about space and inclusion. Each story in the book brings this quintessential essence of living with a dog aka a man’s best friend. The dog-human relationship is as varied as any other in the human world. The book drips with affection and in some cases the praise borders on deep respect. As author, Shobhaa De in her piece refers to - The Lady Gong Li who she calls more ladylike than herself. Unlike the human world - the names chosen for the dogs by humans do not require appropriation. Ruskin Bond narrates the story of his dog named ‘Crazy’. There are other funny names too as Sumita Metha reveals about the dog she adopted with her late husband, former editor of Outlook, Vinod Mehta. The couple’s first dog, she says, was named ‘Editor’. “While his heart was with the aam aadmi, Vinod’s lifestyle preferences were often quite elitist. Somehow ‘pi dog’ or ‘nedi kutta’ did nor quite fit into the picture…Editor became Ed or Eddie. Vinod adored Eddie and I could see that he was quite fascinated by him.”
(Illustration by: Sharmila Bhowmick)
Puppy Love
From Rottweilers to Labradors to roadside Kuttas - the book captures the canine world in full spectrum; the book interior is rich with canine illustration. Though inclusive, the book doesn’t fail to bring out the stratification of the dog world – by breed and pedigree which distinctly sets one batch of dogs apart from others.
Mythological Dogs
While most religions have some reference to the dogs, Devdatt Pattnaik’s story digs into ancient Hindu mythology about the references dogs have had in relation to various gods and goddesses. While it was considered holy in some aspects, it was considered vile by some others. The story is illustrated typically by the author himself.
Children Of The Heart
Maneka Gandhi writes about the strays, the neglected and the abused dogs that she has adopted over the years and defines her affection for them as no less than what a mother feels for her child. Her story also brings to light the tremendous neglect the street dogs and even pets faced during the pandemic.
Dogs Like Humans
Gulzar’s description of his dog in verse, humanises his canine friend, Pali. A verse reads, “Pali jo chi ho kutta nahi tha…” (Whatever Pali may have been, he was not a dog).
(Illustration by: Sharmila Bhowmick)
A Dog Named Cat
Finally a piece also puts the dog-cat conflict to an end where Ananya Vajpayee narrates her story of her first dog named Billi (Cat) and the other canines that owned her over years.
Doggone
The interdependence of dog and man, from the dog being a friend to a loyal companion to a status symbol –there are no aspects of this that the book has not touched upon. The character, charisma and the fuzziness of all the canine protagonists of The Book Of Dog may convert you into a dog lover even before you hit page 100.
