by Jon Katz
George Bernard Shaw once said that a dog's life is a ride aboard a pleasure steamer. Not so, says Katz in these profiles of people who have unusually tight relationships with their canines. The stories—all drawn from Katz's Montclair , N.J., hometown-are alternately heartwarming and chilling. There is Harry, a corgi with Dumbo-size ears who became a cancer-stricken woman's best medicine. Chester, a black Lab, was voted "Man of the Year" by members of a divorced women's group. And pit bull Dre was beaten by his young owner every day to make him a fierce guard dog. In one of the most intriguing sections of this well-written report, journalist Katz meets a pet rescuer who can't seem to bond with her kids but tirelessly helps abandoned animals. He does a terrific job of examining how dogs are handling their "new work": serving as many a family's nurturer in chief.
BOTTOM LINE: Deserves a blue ribbon
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