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Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Katz
Publisher: Villard
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy Used: $3.94
You Save: $20.01 (84%)
New (32) Used (29) Collectible (2) from $3.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 41764
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 140006404X
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7
EAN: 9781400064045
ASIN: 140006404X
Publication Date: June 26, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In Dog Days, Jon Katz, the squire of Bedlam Farm, allows us to live our dreams of leaving the city for the country, and shares the unpredictable adventure of farm life. The border collies, the sheep, the chickens, the cat, the ram, and one surprisingly sociable steer named Elvis all contribute to the hum (and occasional roar) of Bedlam. On timeless summer days and in punishing winter storms, Katz continues his meditation on what animals can selflessly teach us–and what we in turn owe to them. With good neighbors, a beautiful landscape, and tales of true love thrown in, Dog Days gives us not only marvelous animal stories but a rich portrait of the harmonious world that is Bedlam Farm.
Praise for Dog Days:
“Anyone who has ever loved an animal, who owns a farm or even dreams of it, will read Dog Days with appreciation and a cathartic lump in his or her throat.”
–The Washington Post
“Katz proves himself a Thoreau for modern times as he ponders the relationships between man and animals, humanity and nature, and the particularly smelly qualities of manure.”
–Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Katz constructs the perfect blend between self-revelation and his subtle brand of humor.”
–The Star-Ledger
“City-dweller-turned-farmer Katz . . . returns with further adventures from his animal-filled upstate New York sheep farm. Charming.”
–People
“The perfect summer book . . . You will not be disappointed.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A new twist on the American dream.”
–The Christian Science Monitor
“Thoroughly enchanting.”
–The Dallas Morning News
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Dog Days September 20, 2008
Another excellent book by my favorite writer of animal stories. Jon is doing things most of us only dream about doing. I admire him for following his dreams. I have found myself falling in love with his animals as I read about them. Orson (aka Devon) touched my heart in ways only Jon would undersdtand. I have a border collie, Little Buddy, who is beyond a doubt my "lifetime" dog. They are indeed a special breed as are their owners. I have already ordered Jon's newest book which will be out in a week. Jon, I just wish you could write faster.
Diane Van Cura
 If you love animals, skip Katz and read James Herriot June 19, 2008
1 out of 3 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
31 out of 32 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.
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