In 2012, writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis took a four-month journey with his lab/golden retriever mix Casey, in a rented RV. He visited veterinarians, dog trainers and dog rescuers, in an effort to find out why Americans love dogs so much and pamper them. He even spoke with pet psychics.
“I really wanted to believe in what they were saying — I didn’t especially,” he told Here & Now‘s Robin Young. “There was one who said to me when I was complaining to her that maybe my dog didn’t love me enough, she said to me, ‘Benoit, you know, I don’t think that Casey was put on this earth to love you. I think Casey was put on this earth — put in your life — for you to learn how to love unconditionally.’ And I think that really hit home and rang true for me. And I think dogs do have all different kinds of roles in our lives and that may be it for me.”
The result of Denizet-Lewis’s journey is his new book, “Travels With Casey” (excerpt below), which also reminds the reader of the very big problem of unwanted, unloved dogs that end up living in shelters, being euthanized or living on the streets.
Book Excerpt: ‘Travels With Casey’
By Benoit Denizet-Lewis
Excerpted from the book TRAVELS WITH CASEY by Benoit Denizet-Lewis. Copyright © 2014 by Benoit Denizet-Lewis. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.
Guest
- Benoit Denizet-Lewis, author of “Travels With Casey.” He’s an assistant professor of writing and publishing at Emerson College. He tweets @BenoitDLewis.
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