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Born to Bark: My Adventures with an Irrepressible and Unforgettable Dog
By Stanley Coren
320 pages; Free Press

Wife, husband, and terrier form an awkward triangle in this quirky blend of history, science, and personal experience by psychologist and trainer Stanley Coren (who also wrote The Intelligence of Dogs). His new book reveals how Coren's unruly terrier, Flint, increased the author's insight into canine-human interaction—while straining husband-wife relations. When Flint loudly awakens the couple at 3 A.M., Coren goes into historical detail explaining to his wife, Joan, that "terriers are bred to bark." She is not impressed. Nor is she amused when she wakes up to find Flint has deposited a dead mouse on her chest. Infuriatingly for Joan, Coren sees these and other antics as delightful proof of Flint's terrier-ness. The author has a lot to teach us about dogs. About marriage, not so much. — Karen Holt

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