Dogs have shared our homes for as long as we can remember, and, in return, have guarded us, helped us hunt, and herded our livestock. They have generally been our friends as well; that is what most of them are today. Canine friends give us uncritical affection, free of the ambivalence that plagues human relationships. Dogs figure prominently in literature, starting with Homer's Argus, the hound who remembered Odyssues after twenty years. Victorian novels are full of vivid canine characters. "Ms. Rogers is impressively thorough... best of all, the author knows and respects dogs. " Steve Goode, Washington Times