What I learned From Reading Travels with Casey
Travels with Casey: My Journey Through Our Dog-Crazed Country by Benoit Denizet-Lewis is a wonderful account of a man and his dog’s journey across America as they explore people’s love and relationship with their four-legged companions. As you read through this book it is easy to see why author Dean Koontz calls it “Charming, touching, human, and humane”. The book is half a travel journal and half an autobiography of Benoit Denizet-Lewis’ life and experiences. It is worth reading if you are a dog lover, or if you are interested in learning a bit more about the dog-human relationship.
Throughout their journey, Benoit and his dog Casey, a labrador retriever mix, meet different dogs and their owners. They also explore the unique culture of dog parks, encounter selfless individuals who operate dog rescues, meet dog photographers, and many others. Their interactions provide insights into the unique interspecies relationship between humans and dogs. You can tell, Benoit did a lot of preparation before setting off on his 13,000-mile-long journey as the places he visits and the people he meets help you get a deeper understanding of America’s obsession with dogs.
The book is filled with interesting facts and trivia about dogs. Some are funny, some heartwarming, and there are some that will break your heart. The book covers a variety of topics from dog training, dog breeding, working dogs, and rescue dogs among others.
At the heart of all of the book are stories of people and pups and how people’s love for dogs has inspired some humans to do incredible things like go out and rescue street dogs to starting a company that makes a product called Thundershirts to help dogs with anxiety.
I learned a lot about dogs on reservations, how dogs help their owners stay sober, differences in how people train their pups, the relationship between homeless people and their pups, and dog-centric communities across America.
Here are three things I learned about humans and dogs. Warning, some of these will make you sad but are notable nonetheless.
Cute as they are, black dogs are usually the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. As an owner of a black lab mix named Louie, one interaction in the book jumped out at it. It was a conservation Benoit and Amanda Leonard, an expert on Black Dog Syndrome, had about the challenges of getting black dogs in shelters adopted. In a paper published in UC Berkeley’s Kroeber Anthropological Society, Amanda wrote that black dogs can appear more menacing than they are. Black absorbs light making it difficult to make out the dog’s facial expression. This also makes it more challenging to photograph as well. The result is that black dogs are more often than not the last ones to be adopted and unfortunately, the first to get euthanized. But rescues are aware of this and are doing as much as they can to change this including not grouping black dogs closely together and getting professional photographs to take pictures of black dogs so they show up better in images.
Dogs make great therapists. Dogs play an important role in all sorts of therapy from helping those who are physically or visually impaired to those with addictions. In the second half of the book, Benoit meets Nic Sheff, a young writer, and recovering drug addict who wrote about his drug addiction in the book Tweak. You may be familiar with Nic’s story via a book his father, David Sheff, wrote titled Beautiful Boy, which has been made into a motion picture of the same title starring Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet. Nic talks about how a dog he found on the side of the road helped change his life. He mentioned that caring for and trying to rehab the dog also gave him a chance to try to rehab himself. Nic said having to be responsible and care for a living creature helped with his sobriety. He noted that since pets need attention, feeding, and daily walks, they make remarkable buffers against relapse.
Without wolves, there would not be modern dogs. The history of the evolution of wolves to domesticated dogs is up for debate. Most current estimates say it began about 15,000 years ago in East Asia, while another study says it began earlier - 32,000 years ago in Europe.
Throughout the book, we see the incredible relationship people have with dogs. Many, me included, have come to find joy, solace, love, and purpose, in our relationship with dogs. Dogs bring an immense amount of happiness to people in so many different ways. You get a glimpse of that as you flip through the pages of this book and understand why dogs are so beloved by people.
So, if you are looking for something new to read, stop by your local library or book store and pick up a copy.