Book: "The Wolf in the Parlor" by Jon Franklin (2009) UPDATED w/other comments

[Bob Pr.]

Just as John Grogan, a longtime newspaper reporter, captured and memorialized his family's experiences with their yellow Lab, Marley, in the book "Marley and Me," so also does Jon Franklin, a reporter and originally not a dog lover, chronicle his deepening relation with Charley, a black poodle.

But Franklin is a two time Pulitzer Prize winning science writer, knowledgeable about evolution, archaeology, brain functioning, mental disorders, anthropology, historic patterns of climate change, etc. So as his emotional relationship with Charley deepens and he seeks to understand it, he turns to his knowledge of the various sciences to make sense of it.

The result is a mixture of narrative in the vein of "Marley & Me" describing events with Charley interwoven with Franklin's musing about the relevance of various scientific findings.

This book may be a disappointment to several sorts of readers: to those who want a Lassie or Marley-type story told without detours through side-streets of possibly related scientific findings, or to those whose religious faiths are opposed to various scientific findings keyed to evolution -- OR even to those who want a straight scientific exposition clearly stating the question, the evidence, the conclusion.

BUT, for many of those not in those groups, especially those who are both dog lovers and appreciators of evolutionary science, this book will be a delight.

Its thesis is extremely interesting and provocative: Early man became "civilized" (pastoral, agricultural, forming cities) in the same era that the dog became distinct from its wolf heritage.

Franklin posits that this was no accident, that the dog was extremely important in the evolution of mankind just as humans have been in the evolution of the dog, and that a symbiotic relationship between the two species has co-evolved such that each species has given up 10% of its brain volume (and functions) to the other.

Fascinating, interesting book to those (like me) who are not offended by its stances.

I found almost ALL of the customer reviews on Amazon to be relevant, even those more critical.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection between Humans and Dogs

ETA: I was the graduate assistant for 5 years, first to a then world-prominent comparative psychologist and then to a physiological psychologist, for both of whom I developed and taught graduate study labs (the "L" in labs is lower case! ) for their courses. From those experiences, I developed an unexpected, life-long interest in Comp. Psych. (study of the similarities & differences between species), ethology (study of species' behavior in situ), & other scientific applications to animal behavior. My library has at least 10 books on dogs and wolves of this sort all of which I've read and, for a few, re-read MANY times.

My 2 favorites and suggestion to others who'd like a scientific view of dog behavior and evolution are these 2 books:

1- Scott & Fuller's "Genetics and the Social Behavior of Dogs" This book describes 20+ years of research by their team on 5 breeds of dogs. Those without a scientific background will usually find both the introductory and summary chapters very readable. This book was published about 50 years ago and is still in print. Why? IMO, it's the most important, useful book on dogs that's ever been (& may ever will be) published. Its experimental design, its findings, its significance to psychology and the scientific body of animal behavior is impeccable. It has continued relevance to the science of psychology, animal behavior, genetics, etc., and ESPECIALLY, the importance for later behavior on the prior experiences of puppies.

2- James Serpell's (Ed.) "The Domestic Dog,......" This book is composed of chapters written by various experts summarizing the research on various aspects of dogs up to about 1995. All but a few chapters are readable by people without a scientific background. Extremely broad in its coverage -- BUT, it DOES NOT ADDRESS a significant point raised by Franklin about the symbiotic, co-evolution of dogs and humans. For at least 6-7 years I've been hoping for a revised, updated edition of this book -- alas!! But this original remains the tabernacle ingathering the latest truths.

But PLEASE use your local public library! Get a copy of either of these on Inter-Library Loan and scan through to see if it interests and fits you rather than taking my recommendation sight-unseen.

FWIW, I don't think Franklin's book is in near the same league as these two. BUT, he does raise very worthwhile, significant points.

[Bob Pr.]

Its thesis is extremely interesting and provocative: Early man became "civilized" (pastoral, agricultural, forming cities) in the same era that the dog became distinct from its wolf heritage.

Franklin posits that this was no accident, that the dog was extremely important in the evolution of mankind just as humans have been in the evolution of the dog, and that a symbiotic relationship between the two species has co-evolved such that each species has given up 10% of its brain volume (and functions) to the other.

Franklin also mentions that women (who did the gathering and cooking in hunting & gathering societies and younger children (who would be with their mothers) would have been drawn to the proto-dogs and their puppies and vice-versa.

Since reading Franklin's book, I've increasingly become aware of how often the women who see Puff riding in my car or who pass by my parked car and see Puff in it -- how often they break into big smiles. Some men do, too, but nowhere near as often as women do. And kids, regardless of gender, seem attracted to Puff when they see us walking -- just as Puff wants to run up to any kids she sees and greet them. Hmmm.

And I suspect JL's membership is probably about 75-80% female. Hmmm. Why wouldn't it be nearer to 50-50?

Maybe Franklin is on to something significant.