Within people’s souls I like to imagine there is a concrete path, a sidewalk, where you will find the indentations of little paws, pressed softly but confidently into the promenade. There must be some little gremlins, who could not read a word of English, who ignored all the “WET CONCRETE” signs and strolled right onto the not quite dry cement, leaving permanent reminders that they were once there. As I pass my first Fourth of July without our family dog, a massive boxer named Prince Charming (PC for short), I cherish these glimpses of my dearly departed friends. For PC, his paw prints would lie in a quiet space, away from all the noise, the terror of the loud booms, and screeches. For all my worry I have found three new books here at A.K. Smiley Public Library that walk through the love that we feel for our animal companions and that have been helpful with those complex feelings.
“The Best Dog in the World,” edited by Alice Hoffman, is an anthology by some of the best writers of our time about their canine companions. Written with the utmost reverence for their furry friends, each essay swells with adoration. If one is as sensitive as I am to the peculiarities of animals, then tears are sure to surge. For the soft hearted, fear not, not all stories amount to tragic goodbyes or heartbreak; some are funny; some are adventures; all stories are about a deep love for dogs. The various authors draw a smile, tears, a laugh all sickly and saccharine with affection. Each human-canine relationship is different, each dog their own unique being, yet in reading these stories one finds reverberations of their own furry friends, tales that are not all that different but not quite the same. If you have a dog, have ever had one, or plan to ever have one, I highly recommend this read.
With a similar note about animal companions, “Ulysses S. Cat: and Other Animals I Have Known,” by Scott Simon, chronicles anecdotes of animals and pets throughout his life. These companions are something between family and friends but never just pets. It seems that for every step of his life, an animal has been by Simon’s side to help him navigate the challenges of life, the joys, the pains. Animals aren’t just there in a scene, they’re not just another prop, they are integral to his story, to the lived experiences and memories he holds. Moments that seem like they flew by too fast but still left an impact. From Homer’s Odyssey, to a quiet home in the suburbs, to the chaos ridden streets of Sarajevo in the 90s, pets find their ways into every scene. A touching book about how for many, animals find their ways into our lives often at just the moment when we need them. I would highly recommend it to sensitive souls like myself who weep at the sight of an opossum mother and her joeys merely existing.
Not quite the best dog in the world but another world quite opposite and yet alike can be found in Susannah Fullerton’s “Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them.” Fullerton writes of charming stories including some of the most impactful literary writers of history and the little moggies that accompanied them. More than just a list of their most impressive accomplishments, Fullerton offers stories of the writers, their journeys and how their little cats followed along the way. Affection for cats is nothing new, and this book makes that clear. Charming art work of the cats and an even more charming picture of all the different cats’ lives as they found their place. This book highlights the true companionship cats can offer through the lens of literary giants and their own personal felines, a great read for any true cat lover!
Perhaps reading some of these new books will remind one of the animal prints they may find within themselves, snakes slithers, rabbit paws, dog tracks, and so much more. This summer spend some time with your pet, if you have one, enjoy their company, and then stay cool by visiting A.K. Smiley Public Library while our furry friends recharge at home!
Ruth Aguilar is a library specialist at A.K. Smiley Public Library who has two cats (read Monarchs) who reign with an iron fist.