Wajid Nazeer Nazeer itibaren Paigapur, Uttar Pradesh 243123, India itibaren Paigapur, Uttar Pradesh 243123, India

** spoiler alert ** When I read the reviews on Amazon, I was horrified. Could the author I'd come to appreciate as a source of insight into canine-human interaction, and a fellow dog lover, really have 'given up' on his beloved Orson? I immediately ordered the book from my local library, and read it within 48 hrs. So, did Katz give up on Orson? Absolutely not. A lot of people are claiming that he didn't do all that he could for Orson. I feel as if their emotions made them overlook key details from the book. To begin with, Katz exhausted all standard vet options bar one, which was the option of taking Orson to a specialist for a brain scan that would look for tumours. This specialist would cost $6000 and would be the final of a long series of tests that had already been performed on the reactive Orson. Expense aside, let us ponder for a moment what would have happened if Katz had gone to this specialist and found a tumour lodged in his beloved dog's brain. That would have left two options: the tumour would be inoperable, or it could be removed and Orson would require brain surgery. I'm not even sure the latter is possible with dogs (due to the intricate musculature all around their skull) and, even if it were, at what cost? Not just financial, but for Orson. What pain would he suffer? What risks would he face? What would his quality of life be like? I work in greyhound adoption and have seen a number of dogs suffer through major surgery (amputation), and it is never pretty. They live with a great deal of pain following the surgery, and even though they face it stoically, can you imagine what brain surgery would be like for an animal that cannot understand what is happening? Aside from exhausting standard vet tests (barring this specialist), Katz also tried acupuncture and other holistic methods to no avail. It's important to note, also, that Orson went from being reactive and giving warning before a nip, to biting unannounced, even biting people he knew and liked. This is a serious concern. Maybe he really did have a brain tumour, considering his blood work came back clean. If that was the case, there was no choice here. I feel as if a lot of readers are mad at Katz because they do not understand what was being asked of him, and of Orson. I love my dog so much, but I would never force him to have more and more painful, invasive tests to soothe my own ego, to deal with my own need for comfort. I would never put him through dangerous surgery if his quality of life wasn't going to be good. There are limits to what I will do for my dog because I love him too much to make him suffer on my account. I also feel that, because Katz spoke frankly about the financial side of his choice, people are judging him harshly. I am immersed in 'dog culture' due to my role in dog adoption and my love for these wonderful animals, and I often hear people claim they would live in a cardboard box before giving up their dogs. Fine, but does your dog want to live there with you? Is that fair? We treat the subject of money when it comes to our animals as something dirty, but we all have limits on what we can spend. Katz bought a farm for Orson, he took him to shamans, animal communicators, acupuncturists, holistic vets, standard vets; he trained him daily, loved him fiercely, and even then he couldn't discover what had made sweet Orson start to seriously bite people beneath the throat. He dared to speak about the financial cost as part of his decision, and now he's being lambasted for it. I know it's hard to talk about in a world where people claim they 'can't afford' to adopt, or 'can't afford' their dogs shots, food, standard medical needs and/or bills; choosing instead to abandon them, give them to a shelter, or even euthanise them. I have been at the front desk when people turned over their dogs to the shelter I used to volunteer for. I have heard every poor excuse in the book and, even still, I appreciate Katz' honesty on this issue. I don't agree with all of Katz decisions. In his previous book, where he gives away Clem, I seriously questioned his decision to buy her in the first place. We certainly disagree on breeders and the buying of dogs, as well as a few of his opinions about us crazy dog folk. But I have to agree with his decision to let Orson go. I believe wholeheartedly that he did everything he could for that boy. I know from my volunteer experience that there are some dogs who move beyond our help, no matter how hard we fight. Letting them go is sometimes the kindest thing we can offer; our final act of love. This book is moving, haunting, riveting. I cried through the final chapters and went to hug my dog. Please read it fully before judging Mr Katz. His love for his dogs shines through in his every word. This is not a man who gave up; this a man who knew when to stop fighting for the good of his beloved pet

Okay, I know some (ahem, Ms. Posey) don't want to be bothered by her. But, what can I say, I'm a sucker for relational autonomy.

Jon Krakauer doesn't write enough. I'm always fascinated by the amount of detail he's able to get across without reading like a history book. My love for Krakauer aside, I greatly enjoyed the content of this book. I knew little about the foundations of the Mormon faith, and admitedly spent half of my reading time shaking my head in disbelief of some of their beliefs. But upon reflection, despite having a bit of a whacko start and a crazy fundamentalist sect (what religion doesn't?) I have to give props to Mormons for generally being kind, caring people.