Charles Schulz had it right: Happiness is a warm puppy.
Conventional wisdom has it that pets, like parents, offer love that's unconditional. Funny guy Dave Barry once wrote, "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" (source). Unconditional.
In My Life in Dog Years, Paulsen turns the tables; his love for his dogs is unconditional—even for dogs that don't much like him. Whether he's writing about his first love, Snowball, or his most recent dog, Josh, Paulsen is clearly a guy who loves dogs with his whole heart. And it's not just dogs; that love seems to extend to all living creatures. He's the kind of guy who ends up with a 500-pound pet pig in the yard when he's trying to raise that pig for food.
Many of Paulsen's dogs return the favor. They're devoted companions, wanting to cheer him up when he's sad, keeping an eye on him, or yeah, saving his life. They love him back, even if he can't shoot straight now and then.
Questions About Love
- If you were to ask Paulsen why he loves dogs so much, what do you think he would say?
- Do you think that Paulsen loves some dogs more than others? Or would that be like asking someone to choose a favorite child?
- Dogs like Ike and Dirk—dogs that Paulsen doesn't even know—help him when he needs it most. Why do you think these pooches are attracted to him?
Chew on This
Paulsen suggests that dogs are capable of human emotions like love.
Paulsen suggests that love is not a human emotion. It's something that many kinds of animals feel in some capacity.