What is it that dogs have done to earn the title of "man's best
friend"? And more broadly, how have all of our furry, feathered,
and four-legged brethren managed to enrich our lives? Why do we
love them? What can we learn from them? And why is it so difficult
to say good-bye? Join B.J. Hollars as he attempts to find
out—beginning with an ancient dog cemetery in Ashkelon, Israel, and
moving to the present day. Hollars's firsthand reports recount a
range of stories: the arduous existence of a shelter officer, a
woman's relentless attempt to found a senior-dog adoption facility,
a family's struggle to create a one-of-a-kind orthotic for its
bulldog, and the particular bond between a blind woman and her
Seeing Eye dog. The book culminates with Hollars's own
cross-country journey to Hartsdale Pet Cemetery—the country's
largest and oldest pet cemetery—to begin the long-overdue process
of laying his own childhood dog to rest. Through these stories,
Hollars reveals much about our pets but even more about the humans
who share their lives, providing a much-needed reminder that the
world would be a better place if we took a few cues from man's best
friends.