The Wolf in the Parlor—A review

In September I received an advance copy of the book The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection between Humans and Dogs by Jon Franklin.

And while it did look intriguing at the time, I found it to be very much a cold weather book, the sort of book that commands attention while I’m curled up with dogs on a dark, rainy day with nothing outside to distract us.

Why is it natural to have a descendant of the wolf, not only in our parlors, but curled up on our couches, our laps, and at the foot of our beds? What is the connection between the primate human and the canine?

The author’s curiosity about the relationship is set off by a picture of a prehistoric human skeleton reaching out to a puppy skeleton. It becomes an image that he cannot get out of his mind.

Franklin is a science reporter, the winner of two Pulitzer prizes, with a commanding knowledge of sciences. He has the curiosity of a good reporter without presenting theory as facts as some scientists seem inclined to do.

Here are the facts, he says, and I can interpret them the way I want because, well, this is my book.

In the beginning Franklin has had only the most casual relationships with dogs. Then he proposes to Lynn, the love of his life, and agrees to her condition: it’s time to get a puppy. With typical male macho-ness he is appalled to learn that the puppy is to be a Poodle. But she explains that this is like the big black Poodle that John Steinbeck traveled with. They even name him Charley.

With a prejudice that the title of this blog might explain, I can’t help wondering if the book would have even been written if Lynn had chosen, for example, an Afghan or a Bloodhound, instead of a breed whose intelligence and perception can be daunting to humans.

Franklin takes his place as the omega dog in the pack with Lynn as the alpha and Charlie the Poodle as family member and eventually therapy dog. Franklin is introduced to the world of dog people as he sets out on a quest to find out why dogs are such an important part of societies all over the world. It would be a quest that would occupy him for over ten years.

He explores the symbiotic relationship between the early human, the wolf and the “wolf follower” who would eventually become domesticated, not by humans, but by nature, an important distinction.

Franklin is totally likable, the book is well written, entertaining, and informative, but there are a few times when he is like a learned mentor on a tangent, taking us into areas that are fascinating, but we would like for him to get back to his controlling idea. He is at his best when he listens to the dogs.

Dogs understand in their doggy way that we are one with them, that humans and dogs long ago formed a pact. As the brain of both grew measurably smaller, neither of us is complete without the other.

The dog agreed to carry an emotional weight for both of us. Our ancestors agreed, in return to do the thinking for the dog. As long as we insist on ignoring our part of the bargain, our best efforts will always fall to pieces because rather than acknowledge the human’s responsibility, we blame the dog. Thoughtless acts committed by dogs can only be dealt with by homing in on the animal who’s supposed to be doing the thinking.

And that would be us. This is very much a book about what makes us human.

Comments

[Khyra]

Woo paw'd it!

Hugz&Khysses,
The Wolf Under The Tree Right Now In My SNOWLESS Yard

[jackie]

man tamed dogs..
cats trained man..

[Jean]

I've always felt that dogs were part of us. Now I know why. They have the beautiful healing emotions and we do the thinking for them.

[Dennis the Vizsla]

We saw a presentation at Balboa Park several years ago called "What Happened To The Wolf?", at the end of which they walked a golden retriever and a wolf on lead around the audience. It was very interesting stuff. (IIRC, it boiled down to dogs behaving like immature wolves for their whole lives.)

[cube]

Interesting concepts.

[georgie]

It all seems pretty obvious to me. But then, my first pet was a wolf hybrid and now we have two standard poodles.

[Lindsay]

I haven't heard of this book. Thanks for the review. Sounds like something that might interest me.