"When in doubt, get up and walk your dog" is the first of many valuable maxims in Hersch Wilson's remarkable Dog Lessons. The follow-up to his acclaimed Firefighter Zen, this is not a training manual for dog ownerS. It is instead a blend of memoir and clear-eyed meditation on these fellow pack animals, a heartfelt reflection on what dogs can teach us when we open ourselves enough to listen and learn.
After more than sixty years living and working with dogs (Wilson is a volunteer firefighter and, along with his wife, a boutique pet store owner), he began writing a column about dogs for his local paper in Santa Fe in 2013. The 120 (and counting) entries -filled with self-deprecating stories and lighthearted musings on a life filled with fur-covered furniture, unexplained messes, and destroyed property - evolved into a decade-long meditation on the truths dogs have to teach us. From universal values like loyalty and curiosity to practical lessons on napping, playing, and avoiding a serious fight, it's eminently good advice.
Readers of all types, from the most ardent animal lovers to the simply dog-curious, stand to benefit from the insights in Dog Lessons. As Wilson himself acknowledges, the most significant lesson dogs teach is that "life is valuable and short" and that the "happiest lives are threaded with sadness. That is the way."
