Sleeping with the Beast

Book excerpt: This is not just another pretty book filled with pictures of dogs and owners romping in the fields. It is about a New England family that just happens to be comprised of a couple with two sons... five dogs -- all cohabiting in one large farmhouse. In Sleeping With the Beast, Dale Ryan invites us into her home for a close-up view of what it's like to live with dogs -- from cooking to decorating to gardening to literally sleeping with the beast. This is a rather intimate book about dogs and their human partners. Furthermore, the book touches on legal, moral, and philosophical issues that confront our diversified families. The author also describes how dogs should be regarded not as 21st century accessories but should be respected for their multi-dimensional character. The term "beast" is used here in the most affectionate way. While the dictionary describes a beast as an animal other than a human, in a sense we are all beasts, whether two or four-legged. Humans have been domesticated and dogs have been as well, but rules are often broken.