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| Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Katz
Creator: Tom Stechschulte
Publisher: Recorded Books
Category: Book
List Price: $34.99
Buy New: $19.76
You Save: $15.23 (44%)
New (14) Used (4) from $19.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 136987
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Items: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.8 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 1428156909
EAN: 9781428156906
ASIN: 1428156909
Publication Date: June 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 If you love animals, skip Katz and read James Herriot June 19, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a first-time dog owner, and the owner of a cattle dog myself, I thought I would love this book. Katz is living my dream of farm life surrounded by a menagerie of animals. Even my dream wasn't enough to keep me going through this book.
There's no real plot, just random observances from Katz on the nature of animals and ruminations on his, according to him, declining health. To say he sees animals as mere products, work partners but little else, is an understatement.
This quote pretty well sums up how he feels about his dogs: "I can't for example, subscribe to the notion that the acquisition of every dog represents a lifetime commitment, a bond that must never be altered or broken... I don't believe that dogs possess much self-awareness or consciousness, despite a growing belief to the contrary. They're probably more intelligent than cows, and far more attached to people than sheep, but, like the other animals on the farm, they live in the moment, largely by instinct. They won't spend much time feeling miserable if a new owner provides affection, recreation, health care -- and dinner...I don't believe in taking extraordinary measures to keep dogs alive beyond their natural spans, not in a world where few humans have basic healthcare."
He grumbles a lot about his health, how his back hurts constantly from the work, etc. even though he has several hired hands who provide his animals with the love he seems unable to give. He chides one for feeding treats to the animals, for assigning human meaning to their bland world as products.
He lauds his collie, Rose, but mostly admires her work ethic. He admits she's a loner and has little to do with him. Meanwhile he sends her out even when she's sick, under the guise that she loves to work.
He spends a great deal of time talking about people who say the farm is so well-run, the animals so cared for. He admits he quickly kills or gives away any animal that doesn't fulfill his notion of running a tight ship. He has what he calls a beloved dog put to sleep for biting. He has an ailing donkey shot and calls a man to haul off the carcass, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the "efficiency" of the task. He gives away a loving dog because he's found a new one.
He calls his dogs sluts and whores because they seek attention from visitors. He frequently says he's unwilling to spend too much money on health care because these are, after all, only farm animals. He says he sincerely doubts there's anything going on inside his dogs' heads. He chalks them up to being motivated by nothing grander than the basic instincts of food and sex.
Beyond all that though, the book plods along like life on the farm. He repeats himself, sometimes on the same page. There's no clear direction of where he's trying to go, he just mixes together events as they occur to him.
This is one of the first books I've ever had to force myself to keep reading, and I regret that. I was looking forward to it. I grew weary of his complaints about how his perfect life was less than perfect -- so far from perfect as to almost be an annoyance. For all his supposed hard work, he comes off as exactly what he is, a spoiled big city author trying to pretend he's just "regular folk" while he stands among real farmers and talks about his "hobby farm." He admits he has no real reason to herd the sheep other than to revel in the "training" of his dogs.
His treatment of his farm as a grand experiment reminds me of a kid with an ant farm, occasionally throwing new kinks into the stability just to see what will happen, dumping animals out like the disposable creatures he believes them to be when they require too much time, affection, or money.
Anyone who loves animals and enjoys reading about them should try the James Herriot series instead. I won't read another book by this author not just because of his philosophy, but because he's a poor writer, and no one enjoys having to slog through a book, even in the last 15 pages.
"The farm is far more humbling than elevating" March 22, 2008
32 out of 33 found this review helpful
While Jon Katz is controversial in some circles for non-professional dog management, his Bedlam Farm memoirs are captivating and gritty. They detail the activities of the farm's dogs, donkeys, sheep, cat, steer, chickens--and the man himself, who gets by with lots of support from more country-wise locals.
With his flight from urban professionalism well-documented in A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me and Running to the Mountain: A Midlife Adventure, Katz continues the Bedlam Farm series with this book about his third year of "hobby farming" in upstate New York. He's been at it long enough to improve his lambing skills and to establish an Easter tradition (reading from St. Augustine to the dogs and then bringing the sheep down the meadow above the church).
Katz writes without undue sentiment about farm life. He counts himself as a newcomer whose animals are "somewhere between products and pets." (p 29) The sheep-herding border collie, Rose, and the affectionate Labs Clementine and Pearl (the "Love Twins") are his constant companions; when a second border collie joins the menage, things get complicated. His wife lives and works in the city but to Katz's satisfaction is learning to enjoy her visits to the farm.
I found this book more satisfying than the earlier The Dogs of Bedlam Farm: An Adventure with Sixteen Sheep, Three Dogs, Two Donkeys, and Me because Katz is so much more assured in farm matters. An entertaining read.
Linda Bulger, 2008
 Exceptional Book! March 15, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the second book I have read by Katz. His connection with animals and his insight and understanding of their lives makes remarkable reading material. Katz is a gifted writer with the talented ability to clearly express his stories. I am a dog lover (own three and foster rescue dogs) and appreciate reading such detailed stories about dogs and their lives.
Blissful read - light & a little ironic February 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I listened to the audio version of this book. The reader's voice had a bit of gravel in it which made for a believable autobiographical narrative. Jon Katz will entertain you with stories of his animals, the farm, and his expositional speaking on what it all means to him. Life is ironic because what he says he believes versus what he does are not always the same thing. This may grate some readers - that is why I give this book 4 stars. Also one chapter on how to talk farmer really was not necessary for the story. A plus is that you fall in love with the animals when reading this book.
A book to warm the soul when one is weary January 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Jon Katz writes dog stories from the heart. His warm anecdotes of life with multiple animals at Bedlam Farm, in upstate New York, fill the reader with peace. Wrung emotionally and physically from living in the big city, Katz has bought Bedlam Farm and become a gentleman farmer. His choice brings with it new realities. Life on a working sheep farm is a far step from that of an apartment in Brooklyn. His wife Paula, a working woman in her own right, respects her husband's move but does not embrace the radical change for herself. She keeps a home in the city and hibernates to the farm on most weekends.
The reality at Bedlam Farm is that much work needs to be done. Strong border collie stock, led by a dog named Rose, is the heart of the operation. Katz mourns the loss of his first dog-love, Orson, whose tumultuous life is chronicled in A GOOD DOG. Katz makes the best decision for the good of both the farm and the dog when Orson is put down. Orson's memory creeps onto the pages of DOG DAYS but in no way diminishes Katz's love for his remaining animals, of which there are many.
Katz realizes early on that the key to a successful operation is having good people in charge. Trained as a writer, not as a farmer, he sees in Annie DiLeo his strong counterpart. She's compassionate and a balance for his pragmatism. He has the ultimate say, however, when tough decisions are required. When Katz becomes impatient, Annie communicates with the animals. Pearl and Clementine are two lovable Labs, while Rose (and soon Izzy) claims a border collie's right to sheepherding. Elvis, a new arrival to Bedlam Farm, creates a clamor of his own. He's a lumbering piece of flesh, a gigantic, apple-loving Brown Swiss steer. Four donkeys, a herd of sheep, a rooster, chickens and a barn cat complete the menagerie at Bedlam. Katz's limitation is his arthritic back. He finds the feeding, care and clean-up an increasing chore, especially in winter, so Annie's help is a daily welcome.
When Katz receives a phone call from a friend, rescue-person Amy, he's hesitant to respond positively. Katz is drawn to rescue but realizes that it could become a preoccupation. He has helped Amy place a number of animals but has not welcomed one to Bedlam. A farm has sold; puppies need a home as does their parent, a three-year-old border collie named Izzy. Never housebroken, and raised mostly in a caged area outside, the dog's plight tears at Katz's sense of right. Izzy is an out-of-control hurler who thrives on human attention. His first ride in a car is home to Bedlam Farm with Katz. It's to be a temporary solution, but Izzy becomes a permanent fixture there. He even learns from Rose to herd the sheep and becomes quite good at it. According to Katz: "I loved him very much, and he had strongly attached himself to me."
The clever chapter titles mislead. "The Whore of Bedlam" reminds one of saloons and devious living. Katz's whore turns out to be a lovable Labrador named Clementine. By definition, Katz conjectures that a prostitute is one who sells his or her favors. Clem, according to her owner, "will give it up --- anytime, anywhere --- for a sliver of beef jerky." He sees her love of all people not as disloyalty to him but as the quality he loves most about her.
Katz's half-dozen books about animals throw his audience a bone that continues to please. His self-learned expertise on the rigors and joys of owning dogs, sheep, cows, donkeys and smaller farm animals is a story told with ease. I am an avowed Katz fan at present and eagerly anticipate more tales from Bedlam Farm. DOG DAYS is a book to warm the soul when one is weary.
--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
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