Sarah Hansen
He didn't set out to be a hero to neglected dogs. That role came to him, first with a dog-named Ahab, and then with a woman, who said that to love her, meant loving her seven rescue dogs. But this is more than a tail-wagging story. It's about a man finding his purpose through and with these dogs, about what it means to be human, about compassion and love and what's truly important in life.
According to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America. But what exactly drives human rescuers to devote their lives to the furry and four-legged? Author Steven Kotler, answers this question for us in his book, A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life. Throughout the book he investigates his central argument that our bond to animals is vital, and essentially all lives have worth. Kotler’s book is an example of humanitarianism at work and will have you laughing through your tears.
The story begins when Kotler and his wife, dedicated dog rescuer Joy Nicholson, are booted out of their small Los Angeles home they’d been living in with eight rescued dogs. With little money and few options, Kotler decided to buy a farm in the beautifully wild but impoverished Chimayo, New Mexico – a home “chosen because of its distance from, not proximity to, civilization.” Today this farm is known as Rancho de Chihuahua (RDC) a 5013C non-profit dog sanctuary. RDC is one of the only animal outfits in America with a healing methodology backboned by cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology.
What Kotler is seeking to enlighten in A Small Furry Prayer is nothing less than the big picture. He takes the search for the meaning of life and social activism to a whole new level. Evidently, his goal is to grasp the ancient, complex and essential connection between humans and other animals, especially dogs. Kotler covers much ground on subjects ranging from spirituality and philosophy to neuroscience and deep ecology.
Kotler’s story- part fixation, part examination, part adventure – serves up a well-rounded blend of soul-searching and psychology. He focuses on the extreme edges of the both larger philosophical implications and completely personal applications. Kotler begins with personal experiences and canine human relationships, positioning that our canine connections tell us about human nature. He then explains mans long history with dogs with brand new research into the neuroscience of canine companionship. In the end discovering why living in a world with dogs may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human. Kotler uses the story of his journey to explore a variety of fascinating topics from whether animals laugh to how both animal and mixed-species groups enter a state of flow to the use of hallucinogens by and homosexuality in the animal kingdom. He appears to have interviewed every expert, ecologist, behaviorist, anthropologist, shaman, psychologist, and philosopher he could get his hands on and read a truly staggering number of books. Still, however, the material Kotler uses is presented, clearly, accurately, with order and coherence.
Furthermore, Kotler’s style it is fluid, precise and quick paced. At first his writing style comes across rushed and excessively self-conscious. He kept grazing by intriguing ideas and leaving them after a few paragraphs. There were many interesting and touching sections about the dogs that he and his wife fostered, but just as the story became more exciting– the philosophy or research took over.
A Small Furry Prayer is the kind of book that makes you reexamine your worldview in a pleasing and unexpected way. The book goes beyond the scientific studies marrying spirituality and experience to research. The journey he describes is largely an emotional roller coaster, as he discovers a kinship with the dogs. Which leads him to question common belief that animals are not sentient beings - that self-awareness and emotional range are special traits reserved only for Homo sapiens. He uses his stories of his experiences with the dogs as a facilitator for taking the reader on a trip through his research, and what that research has led him to conclude.
The book is funny and touching while telling the story of a real couple on a mission to do something good for dogs while exploring the significance and meaning of their calling. What Kotler studied about canine and human evolution is that in a very real way we domesticated each other and evolved to live together and suffer when we live apart. This book challenges the reader on several levels, including ideology on humanity, ethics, and stewardship as it pertains to animals as well as the fixed resources we all share. It influences the reader to stretch past present day belief systems in countless ways. Kotler illustrates that all it takes is a shift in ones standpoint to stop seeing dogs as property, as instruments of gratification, as anything other than what they really are – our first real friends in this world; the very first species to decide they appreciated our company.
Kotler treats the topic of animal rescue as a memoir describing a man looking for authentic meaning in his life, as the compassionately-told story of the battered, abandoned and unwanted dogs he and his wife have worked with and as thought-provoking call to action to re-examine our relationship with not only dogs but with animals in broad-spectrum. With affirmations to psychological and ethological research, Kotler blends a history of Chimayo, a well-articulated understanding of how humans and dogs coevolved, and background on animal welfare efforts in this country with his witty and rewarding reflections on life. Kotler’s stories are infused with wisdom found in the writings of mystics, philosophers and animal scientists such as St. Francis, Rene Desecrates, Claude Levi-Strauss and Elizabeth Hess. However, It appears he didn't have enough information to fill the book, so he included some of the most far out there thoughts on human and animal interaction. He was dismissive of some orthodox philosophy, but seems to have no difficulty with shape shifting or other types of spiritual interactions.
A Small Furry Prayer is a must-read for dog lovers and animal rescuers, but the reader must be prepared for deep thinking and deep emotions. Kotler proposes that dogs are a part of people, have complicated brains capable of thinking, love and altruism, and deserve more than euthanasia in an overcrowded shelter. His ideas may seem idealistic, but it makes me feel good to know there are people like him in the world.
While I am withholding judgment on some of Kotler’s conclusions, he inspired me to join the animal rescue coalition. I will spread awareness of the joys of shelter adoption, and take a stand against commercial pet distribution. Additionally, I will create a social platform that will work towards helping to prevent the millions of tragic euthanization that occur annually due to overcrowding at shelters. By using this social platform to raise awareness I intend to empower people to be part of the solution.
He didn't set out to be a hero to neglected dogs. That role came to him, first with a dog-named Ahab, and then with a woman, who said that to love her, meant loving her seven rescue dogs. But this is more than a tail-wagging story. It's about a man finding his purpose through and with these dogs, about what it means to be human, about compassion and love and what's truly important in life.
According to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, dog rescue is one of the largest underground movements in America. But what exactly drives human rescuers to devote their lives to the furry and four-legged? Author Steven Kotler, answers this question for us in his book, A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life. Throughout the book he investigates his central argument that our bond to animals is vital, and essentially all lives have worth. Kotler’s book is an example of humanitarianism at work and will have you laughing through your tears.
The story begins when Kotler and his wife, dedicated dog rescuer Joy Nicholson, are booted out of their small Los Angeles home they’d been living in with eight rescued dogs. With little money and few options, Kotler decided to buy a farm in the beautifully wild but impoverished Chimayo, New Mexico – a home “chosen because of its distance from, not proximity to, civilization.” Today this farm is known as Rancho de Chihuahua (RDC) a 5013C non-profit dog sanctuary. RDC is one of the only animal outfits in America with a healing methodology backboned by cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology.
What Kotler is seeking to enlighten in A Small Furry Prayer is nothing less than the big picture. He takes the search for the meaning of life and social activism to a whole new level. Evidently, his goal is to grasp the ancient, complex and essential connection between humans and other animals, especially dogs. Kotler covers much ground on subjects ranging from spirituality and philosophy to neuroscience and deep ecology.
Kotler’s story- part fixation, part examination, part adventure – serves up a well-rounded blend of soul-searching and psychology. He focuses on the extreme edges of the both larger philosophical implications and completely personal applications. Kotler begins with personal experiences and canine human relationships, positioning that our canine connections tell us about human nature. He then explains mans long history with dogs with brand new research into the neuroscience of canine companionship. In the end discovering why living in a world with dogs may be the best way to uncover the truth about what it really means to be human. Kotler uses the story of his journey to explore a variety of fascinating topics from whether animals laugh to how both animal and mixed-species groups enter a state of flow to the use of hallucinogens by and homosexuality in the animal kingdom. He appears to have interviewed every expert, ecologist, behaviorist, anthropologist, shaman, psychologist, and philosopher he could get his hands on and read a truly staggering number of books. Still, however, the material Kotler uses is presented, clearly, accurately, with order and coherence.
Furthermore, Kotler’s style it is fluid, precise and quick paced. At first his writing style comes across rushed and excessively self-conscious. He kept grazing by intriguing ideas and leaving them after a few paragraphs. There were many interesting and touching sections about the dogs that he and his wife fostered, but just as the story became more exciting– the philosophy or research took over.
A Small Furry Prayer is the kind of book that makes you reexamine your worldview in a pleasing and unexpected way. The book goes beyond the scientific studies marrying spirituality and experience to research. The journey he describes is largely an emotional roller coaster, as he discovers a kinship with the dogs. Which leads him to question common belief that animals are not sentient beings - that self-awareness and emotional range are special traits reserved only for Homo sapiens. He uses his stories of his experiences with the dogs as a facilitator for taking the reader on a trip through his research, and what that research has led him to conclude.
The book is funny and touching while telling the story of a real couple on a mission to do something good for dogs while exploring the significance and meaning of their calling. What Kotler studied about canine and human evolution is that in a very real way we domesticated each other and evolved to live together and suffer when we live apart. This book challenges the reader on several levels, including ideology on humanity, ethics, and stewardship as it pertains to animals as well as the fixed resources we all share. It influences the reader to stretch past present day belief systems in countless ways. Kotler illustrates that all it takes is a shift in ones standpoint to stop seeing dogs as property, as instruments of gratification, as anything other than what they really are – our first real friends in this world; the very first species to decide they appreciated our company.
Kotler treats the topic of animal rescue as a memoir describing a man looking for authentic meaning in his life, as the compassionately-told story of the battered, abandoned and unwanted dogs he and his wife have worked with and as thought-provoking call to action to re-examine our relationship with not only dogs but with animals in broad-spectrum. With affirmations to psychological and ethological research, Kotler blends a history of Chimayo, a well-articulated understanding of how humans and dogs coevolved, and background on animal welfare efforts in this country with his witty and rewarding reflections on life. Kotler’s stories are infused with wisdom found in the writings of mystics, philosophers and animal scientists such as St. Francis, Rene Desecrates, Claude Levi-Strauss and Elizabeth Hess. However, It appears he didn't have enough information to fill the book, so he included some of the most far out there thoughts on human and animal interaction. He was dismissive of some orthodox philosophy, but seems to have no difficulty with shape shifting or other types of spiritual interactions.
A Small Furry Prayer is a must-read for dog lovers and animal rescuers, but the reader must be prepared for deep thinking and deep emotions. Kotler proposes that dogs are a part of people, have complicated brains capable of thinking, love and altruism, and deserve more than euthanasia in an overcrowded shelter. His ideas may seem idealistic, but it makes me feel good to know there are people like him in the world.
While I am withholding judgment on some of Kotler’s conclusions, he inspired me to join the animal rescue coalition. I will spread awareness of the joys of shelter adoption, and take a stand against commercial pet distribution. Additionally, I will create a social platform that will work towards helping to prevent the millions of tragic euthanization that occur annually due to overcrowding at shelters. By using this social platform to raise awareness I intend to empower people to be part of the solution.