Two books: One Horrible, The Other Excellent

I'll start off with the horrible one first, to get it out of the way: Dog Spirit: Hounds, Howling, and Hocus-Pocus, by Patricia Telesco

This book was...well. I don't even know where to begin, and to detail all of the errors of this book would be to go through it all over again--which is something I want to do right now about as much as I'd like to drive a rusty nail through my skull (in fact, the only reason why I bought it, in the end, was because it was 50% off at a downtown book fair). Then again, given that this book is written by none other than Patricia Telesco, it should come to little surprise. Although the author made a valiant attempt at trying to recount various bits of canine facts, lore and other information, she managed to make several grievous mistakes. For example, apparently the author doesn't know that a hyena is not canine (and appears to hold quite a negative view of them, by suggesting the reader destroy effigies of them, etc.), that a chow-dog is not an Irish dog breed, and that crystal healing and color therapy are reasonable approaches for treating various canine ailments.

Seriously.

I'm reviewing this book so people know what to avoid. Want a good book on mystical canine-lore? I can recommend two. David Gordon White's Myths of the Dog-Man is an exceptional work, as well as Patricia Dale-Green's Lore of the Dog. As for Telesco's "Dog Spirit", I'd steer clear away from this one.

This second book, an excellent read, is Kinship with the Wolf: The Amazing Story of the Woman Who Lives with Wolves, by Tanja Askani.

Askani's book was an amazing and moving piece, filled with some great photography and fascinating insight into the world she shares with wolves at the Luneberger Heide Wild Game Park in Germany. One of the primary reasons why I picked up this book was because it was given an excellent review by Marc Bekoff, one of my all-time favorite authors, ethologist, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists For The Ethical Treatment of Animals. Another fantastic reason why I picked up this book is because this book is written from a more Eurocentric perspective--Askani goes into great detail about the current status of wolves in the European Union, as well as regional viewpoints and the status of wolves in Germany. This would be a great book for someone who seeks to look outside the continental US viewpoint on wolves and their status (not to say that the status of wolves in the continental US is not important! But more Eurocentric perspectives on wolves in English are seemingly hard to come by!)

For a therianthrope or otherkin who feels they harbor a deep connection with canines, especially of the C.lupus species, this book is a must-read, as Askani delves into the spiritual as well as psychological connections between wolves and humans, connecting these points with modern occurrences and personal experience and insight.

I think, when I plan my next trip to Germany, I'm going to include Luneberger Heide Wild Game Park in my itinerary. I would love to see some of the wolves she writes about in person.

This is all I have for now. I have numerous photos and other things I need to transfer from digital camera and notebook. Given everything else that's going on in my life at the moment, finding time to do everything is becoming quite a feat. I will keep this place kicking regardless though.