On Animals

 

How odd.  What are you doing in my house, you little furry thing?  How did you decide to bond with me, and what would you be if you lived somewhere else, with a different person?  Would you still  sing for walks three times a day, and vigorously demand scratches, or would you have curated a whole new set of charming tricks?  I am happy that Mable decided to be my congenial roommate, but Orlean's book made me look at her in a whole new way.  

On Animals is both fun and informative.  In this collection of essays, the author reveals and challenges  our relationship with animals  -- why we need them, fear them, and how they manipulate us into inviting them into our lives.  The book is filled with fascinating facts, served with chatty stories about her travels as she investigated everything from the difference between mules and donkeys, and  annual taxidermy conventions. Here is just a sample of what I learned...

Chickens have personalities - thus the authors agonized over which chicken would be best behaved (and most showy) on The Martha Stewart Show

There are remote places in the US where farmers still use donkeys for field work - and they are traded, auctioned and stolen regularly

Rabbits are the third most popular domesticated pet in the US with about 5000 sanctioned rabbit shows each year

If you own a homing pigeon and you move, the pigeon will most likely return to its first home

Pandas seem to be some sort of evolutional mistake - a one note diet, one day of fertility a year, appear to be parts glued together from other animals, silly, lazy, and funny

Oh, you'll learn about taxidermy. lion behavior, the fate of Keiko, the free-willy whale...so so much.    Orleans' easy going style lets you chuckle of bit, sniffle at times --  surprises at every page turn.

Now, my dog, Mabel Mable Davenport, has become even more mysterious and important to me though she basically spends her days doing important dog work...sleeping, playing, eating, and pooping ...all the while inviting me into her world and making sure I know how happy she makes me.  Not so sure about how happy her napping on the dining room table makes me...but that's a story for another time.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay happy (and get an animal if you don't have one!)