Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs

Grimm, deputy news editor at Science, investigates the ever-changing roles played by cats and dogs throughout history and travels the U.S. speaking to those on the cutting edge of animal science and welfare. He visits the Washington National Cathedral for the Blessing of the Animals and rides along with a detective in the LAPD’s Animal Cruelty Task Force. At Wolf Park, outside of Lafayette, Ind., Grimm discusses theories of dog domestication; an animal rescue leader recalls her sobering experience in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; and a biological anthropologist weighs in on canine cognition, noting how understanding the evolution of canine intelligence helps us understand our own. He also attends a Military Working Dog program, checks out an Indianapolis organization responsible for some 200,000 feral city cats, and argues against harmful pit bull stereotypes while attending a Baltimore parade intended to raise awareness of these false reputations. Historically, he traces the 13th-century “downfall of the cat” by Papal Inquisition that ultimately led to the Black Plague, the founding of the ASPCA, and a legal battle to ex-communicate crop-consuming rats in medieval France. Grimm’s most valuable contribution, though, is his reasoned and well-researched discussion of the pet “personhood” movement, particularly its legal implications for veterinarians, scientific research, and agriculture. Agent: Hornfischer Literary Management. (Apr.)