Bark Editors - Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the Worlds Oldest Friendship

Contents

Introduction

Our life with dogs, and the history of The Bark, starts with a familiar human-meets-dog story. Around seven years ago a stray foundling came into our lives. We already had a gaggle of quasiferal felines who had staked claim to us, so we weren't looking for another pet. But when a prescient and per-sistent friend introduced us to an adorable mixed-breed pup needing a new home, our resolve started to melt. We wondered how a dog would fit into our cat-filled household and commute-driven lives, but Cameron, my life partner (and The Bark's cofounder), was an art director for Autodesk, a software company famous for its friendly pet-in-the-workplace policy, and my consultant's job came with a courtyard office in San Francisco and a fairly tolerant boss, so the care-giving duties could be divvied up between us. Then the gentle Nell displayed due deference to the cats, and they, in turn, ignored her. So, in short order we joined the ranks of the dog peoplesatisfying Nellie's needs and anticipating her every desire came to be the central focus in our lives.

We began The Bark with a small group of like-minded, dog-crazed individuals who walked and played with their dogs at a local park. The inaugural issue, in 1997, was a mere eight-page newsletter, fittingly called The Berkeley Bark. We were hoping to legalize our off-leash cavorting and needed a medium that could serve as a call to action to other dog people and carry our cause to city hall. Dog Is My Co-Pilot became the motto. It perfectly expressed our attitude toward our canine companions, plus it livened up the debate with a playful cheekiness. We were novices at political campaigning but somehow came up with a winning formula for pamphleteering. While keeping our eye on the dog-park message, we tackled other subjects with zeal and fresh enthusiasm. We started to notice the emergence of a new dog culture, and it enthralled and fascinated us. With The Bark we set out to explore this growing phenomenon in our pages.

The world's oldest friendship evolved over the millennia, and is under-going a remarkable transformation today. Life with dogs has taken on new meaning in our society, with dogs moving out of the backyard and into our homes, our communities, and the center of our lives. Dogs are everywhere, in places never before seenin the workplace, schools, and hospitalsplus their image and symbolism permeate every form of media. Their heightened presence cannot be denied37 percent of American households include dogs, meaning dogs can be found in more households than children. Their influence affects every facet of daily life. In a survey of pet owners conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association in 2002, 97 percent of respondents said that their pet makes them smile at least once a day. Another 76 percent believe that their pet eases their stress level, and about half of the respondents have taken their dog to work and plan most of their free time around their dog! A new breed of dog people has emerged, and a new set of operating instructions has been issued. We have applied our concern for our own enrichment and well-being to our dogs, creating a bevy of dog walkers, day-care facilities, spas, dog parks, and canine-human activities such as agility, flyball, and dog dancing. But the implications of integrating another species into society's daily fabric goes well beyond how we nurture our dogs. It calls for revamping the standard etiquetteand respecting the concerns and interests of society at large. This new relationship, along with an appreciation for our rich past and unbound future, comprise what we call today's dog culture. This is what The Bark set out to chronicle.

So we filled our newsletter with smart writing, insightful interviews, hard-hitting reporting, great fiction, topical cartoons, humor, poetry, reviews, book excerpts, and more. It was everything we wanted to read, and its canine-centricity inspired the best from contributors. Also, The Bark simply looked differentthe design and layout were cuttingedge and hip, mirroring the fun and liveliness emanating from this new subculture. We took pride in publishing a periodical that not only reflected its time but one that also showcased the esteem that we felt for all dogs. But it wasn't just about dogswe looked more broadly at our relationship with dogs through culture, art, and politics. We knew that we were on to something special when we started to attract attention and interest from contributors and readers from across the country. The Bark grew, and after two years we dropped Berkeley from the masthead, gradually morphing from newsletter to tabloid to magazine. Since then, accolades have been garnered, awards won, and friends made with thousands of readers worldwide.

As for Cameron and me, we adopted two more dogs, stopped commuting, became full-time magazine publishers, and now are proud to spearhead this book. Back in Berkeley, the dog-park fight turned into a six-year-long campaign, but the city now boasts a spectacular 17-acre dog park that is a testament to the dedication of dog lovers.

As the title Dog Is My Co-Pilot suggests, this book celebrates the unique bond between humans and canines. Dogs have been our muses, our mentors, and our faithful companions. We've selected some of our favorite work from the pages of The Bark, as well as new writing from esteemed and award-winning authors that sees its debut in this tome. The essays, short stories, and expert commentaries explore the great complexity and depth of our relation-ships with our oldest friends. The collection is arranged into topics with broadly drawn categories: Beginnings, Pack, Lessons, and Passages.

The essays in Beginnings explore that first meeting, the initial murmurings when a dog-human relationship is formed. Whether selecting a puppy, taking in a rescued stray, or welcoming a second dog, the experience involves learning the otherness of another being (another species!) we of them, they of us. Alice Walker chooses a new pup; Caroline Knapp and Ann Patchett offer odes to canine friendship; Margaret Cho's world gets turned upside-down when a second dog joins her household. Exploring, testing, nosing around for a fresh start together, and facing all the challenges that a new relationship brings: These are the themes that inspire this section.

We move from otherness to togetherness the true theme of Pack. Whether they concern a pack of two or a den of twenty, these writings pay tribute to the special dynamic of multiple personalities, habits, and approaches. Erica Jong salutes the many dogs in her life; Michael Paterniti ponders the unique social patterns of a dog park; and Carolyn Chute asks the question: How did the dogs come to rule? These writers explore the point of critical masswhen the whole becomes greater than the sum of the partshow we relate with our dogs to become something entirely different and unique.

Lessons examines what dogs teach us. Who has not learned a little more about life from the wisdom of dogdom? Pam Houston lists Ten Things My Dog Taught Me That Made It Possible for Me to Get Married; Lama Surya Das reflects on enlightenment and the way of the dog; and Lynda Barry captures the meaning of it all in her wonderful cartoon strip.

Finally, Passages tackles those moments that change us forever, with Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's thoughtful examination of a dog's ability to transform, Maeve Brennan's quiet mediation on the shifting seasons in a dog's mind, and Rick Bass's and Tom Junod's poignant tributes to loss and friendship. Dogs often act as a vital life force, and the experiences we share with them that bring about a change in our thinking and being are captured here with great passion.