wonderful reflective stories about life on a farm in upstate New Hampshire. ( )

Chronic pain issues aside, this guy is living a life many of us dream about but just can't swing. Animal lovers are sure to have their heartstrings pulled overtime by this sentimental book and many (me included) will soon find themselves staring wistfully at ads for larges tracts of fixer-upper rural land hoping to follow his lead. After finding out that Mr Katz has put out several other books of this kind, I can't believe his place isn't positively overrun with dog lovers hoping to catch a peek. I certainly admire the author's nerve to turn his life upside down to pursue his dream. It's a very endearing story and the accompanying photos were most welcome, but the actual writing seemed just a little...hmmm...lackadaisical to me so I took the rating down just a little. Even so, it's a nice, casual read about an eclectic group of animals and their people and definitely an enjoyable read. ( )

I'm a big fan of Jon Katz and I have been ever since I read Running to the Mountain almost ten years ago. His subsequent works have all been about a subject close to my heart, the relationships between dogs and people and how those relationships can quite literally change lives. For Katz, that change came about because of Orson, a border collie who came into Katz's life and inspired him to change his life in a radical way. Since 2003, Katz has been living at Bedlam Farm in upstate New York; quite a change from the New Jersey suburbs he once inhabited. Katz lives there with an ever changing menagerie; several dogs, a herd of sheep, a barn cat, a cow named Elvis, a small group of donkeys. His latest book, Dog Days: Dispatches From Bedlam Farm chronicles roughly a year of farm activity, from new canine arrivals to visits from friends and strangers.

I always find these books compelling. Some of the reasons are personal; Katz has a life that is similar in many respects to the one I would like to have someday. A small farm, many animals and good friends. But what draws me in more than that is that Katz is in many ways relentlessly introspective. He struggles with many questions about himself and his impatience and frustration in training his border collies and what it says about him as a person; he credits his relationship with his dogs with helping him see the darker side of his personality and helping him change. He also strives to find a balance on his farm as it relates to his animals; he is wary of taking in too many for fear of disrupting the balance of personalities on the farm.

Katz has drawn a lot of criticism from various circles; there are those who complain about his training methods, some who say that he's made poor decisions (Katz made the choice to have Orson euthanized due to aggressive behavior). For my part, I can only say that Katz may not be a perfect person but he tries very hard to make the right decisions and is ruthlessly honest about his mistakes. For that quality he has earned my admiration and respect. ( )

First off, let me say that I am not an "animal person" and have no pets. Having said that, let me go on to say that the book Dog Days by Jon Katz is an absolutely excellent book. The author, who lives on a small farm in upstate New York, relates his experiences with the various animals of his farm, including sheep, donkeys, a steer named Elvis, and of course his beloved dogs, two border collies and two Labradors. Each dog has its own distinctive personality, as any dog owner would tell you, and the author has a different relationship with each of them. One of the most affecting passages is about Pearl, an extremely loving Lab who befriends an elderly woman while accompanying the author for physical therapy treatments for his ailing back. Any reader who has ever enjoyed the books of James Herriot will be enchanted by this book and will overlook the author's occasional preachiness when trying to drive home a point. ( )

Another fine entry in Katz' countryside dog and donkey adventures ( )