BOOK REVIEW

This book came about because the author began to ask herself just what she knew about her dogs, why they acted as they did and whether they were thinking out their actions or merely acting on instinct.

She was looking after her friend's Siberian Husky at the time and decided that many of her questions would be answered if she just followed this dog and observed his every action and his way of resolving problems.

Through this method Elizabeth Thomas proved that there are things dogs do because it is their custom - by this method dogs do not always get it right but the custom is followed nevertheless.

She proved also that dogs can weigh alternatives and decide the best option for themselves at the time; they can invent and play games if they need to - in times of boredom or inactivity; and they are quite capable of adopting human mannerisms to convey their moods or feelings.

The last of these I have observed myself when living in a rabbit board house close to where the resident rabbiter kept his pack of dogs. One of them was a cocker spaniel who used to come up to new people, look directly into their eyes and curl back her lips baring her teeth but without growling. When we asked the rabbiter about it he said that was his most intelligent dog and she was smiling at newcomers to show she was happy with their presence.

The author proved the ability to weigh and consider when she took all her dogs for their usual walk in the park one afternoon. Most of them kept to their usual schedule, a game of chase or mock fights and then a swim and home.

This particular afternoon Misha the Husky disappeared on the way to the pond. He was chasing prey no doubt, perhaps the scent of a rabbit. He arrived back just as the group was leaving to go home. He wanted his swim but he also wanted to be back with his group. For a few seconds he stood between both, looking one way and then the other, then obviously having made up his mind he dashed into the pond, swam a few quick lengths and dashed out again, running to rejoin the others before he even shook himself dry.

Evidence of dogs amusing themselves with games came with another of the author's dogs who had gone to live with and elderly couple who had an equally elderly collie. The young dog could be seen on one particular day running around sniffing in a circle, digging a little when he got to a certain point, then running around in a circle again sniffing the ground, digging again at a base point, then running in a circle again - this he did up to 20 times. On investigation it was found that there was no animal and no quarry hole - the dog was merely amusing itself with a game chasing an imagined prey.

This book is both informative and amusing. If you read it for the entertainment alone you can not help but be a whole lot more informed by the time you have completed it.

The Hidden Life of Dogs was a surprise bestseller in the USA, where it was first published in 1993, and the following year was also published in Britain.

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is also author of The Harmless People - a story about the bushmen of southwest Africa; Warrior Herdsmen; and two works of fiction, Reindeer Moon - about the paeleolithic hunter-gatherers of Siberia; and a story called Animal Wife - all highly researched. EP