August 29, 2009 – Cloudy, cool. The Bookloft in Great Barrington was crammed with  people today – Izzy made out well, getting much sympathy for his bandages. I always see book tours as conversations, and the conversations about this book are the most interesting I have had for almost any book I’ve done.
 I talk about the spirits of animals, our notion of their souls, about animal consciousness, my own observations about the spirits of my dogs and the animals on the farm, and then open it up to questions, and there are many. I think the most interest is in how dogs really think, and how, while they are full of emotions, their emotions are different from ours, and how it is difficult to find a language for them.
  People ask about whether their dogs miss them. One woman said her rescue dog wouldn’t drink water from anyplace but an outdoor stream and she didn’t know what to do. I suggested crating the dog and walking her outside on a leash until she was thirsty enough to drink inside from a bowl – which she obviously had never done.
  “But won’t she hate me?” she asked. I understood the question, but I told her the answer was no.
Dogs do not hate the people who train them. Dogs don’t hate anybody, it’s not an animal emotion.
   A man said his dogs were so excited to see him after a trip away that one injured herself. I said that while I didn’t know his dogs, they often reflected our feelings, not theirs. I wasn’t clear who really missed who. Many questions about what Rose is really thinking when she makes decisions and solves problems. And about how dogs process absence and death. I sense the crowds – the largest I have drawn – are different in past years, in that people seem much more ready to have this kind of conversation. It’s exciting, very stimulating for me. A writer’s job is to provoke though, not to be provocative. I am not around to tell anybody what to think, or what their dog is like. But perspective is important when it comes to domestic animals, there are many issues relating to animal welfare, health care, cost and emotions. All speak to the souls of animals, and our need for them in our lives.
  The tour is exciting. Lots of people, lots of interesting conversation. The book is popping up on bestseller lists and we’ll see what happens. I have been talking a lot about my novel, “Rose In A Storm,” and how I came to try and write from inside the head of a dog.
  My next event is at Gardenworks, Salem, N.J., (518 854-3250) at 2 p.m., Saturday, September 5th. Besides me, there be an “Art and Soul” program. Corinna Aldrich’s photographs. Ray Smith, Christopher Smith’s art, Maria Heinrich’s quilts, Mary Kellogg’s poetry. And some of my photographs, including the two that won ribbons at the Washington County Fair. In addition, Gardenworks offers an alluring variety of cheeses, produce, raspberries and blueberries, pies, muffins, cider donuts and crafts.
  I love Gardenworks and its cavernous barns and rich history. Izzy will be present, possibly Lenore.