Stories My Dog Told Me (Dog ESP Book 1)

It's doubtful that the extra size yields significantly more protection for the owner. If you do want an even bigger dog and don't mind one who slobbers, then consider: Bullmastiffs and Rottweilers Bullmastiffs are not quite as "stable" temperamentally as the mastiff, but most people say they are sweet. They also have a tendency to "mouth" things, hands in particular. Many tend to be dog aggressive but most of the behavior problems stem from owners. The biggest problem overall is spoiled dogs.

Behavior that might seem cute in a puppy gets dangerous in a lb.

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One "problem" in the Rottweiler is herding behavior. Many people don't recognize these behaviors for what they are, especially in puppies; they view it as aggressive behavior and either harshly over-correct it or aggravate it into aggression. This breed has some problems with shyness as well, but not to the extent of the GSD.

Akitas, Belgians, Bouviers and GSDs If you don't mind the copious shedding and grooming requirements of a longer-haired dog, then a Belgian might be a good choice. The Sheepdogs are black; the Tervuren can have a mixture of dark and light rich fawn to russet mahogany with black overlay ; the Malinois resemble German Shepherd Dogs in their overall coloring fawn to mahogany and coat-length. Since they are as yet less popular than many of the other protection breeds, they've not been overbred to the same extent.

Shyness and herding behavior can also be a problem in Belgians. The most common temperament problem in GSDs is shyness. Most of the snapping is by fear biters, rather than aggressive dogs. This problem tends to be exacerbated by owners who either coddle the dog, because they realize that the dog is scared, or who praise the dog for "protecting" them.

As in Rottweilers, one "problem" in the GSD is herding behavior. They are even-tempered and extremely intelligent, but not immediately obedient, though sensitive: For a big dog, they have a relatively small appetite except when a puppy. Though big and imposing. Indoors, they are calm; outdoors, virtually inexhaustible. Grooming can consume most of a Saturday; twice-weekly grooming is preferable. Some suffer from hypothyroidism, but the breed is not noted for this problem.

The biggest problem with Akitas is aggressiveness towards other dogs, though they tend not to act unless provoked. Like Rottweilers, they require a firm, but not harsh, hand. Properly trained, they can be great with people, children included. Their coats are very much like Siberian Huskies's. They blow coat twice a year a mess for about 2 - 4 weeks , but the rest of the time they have very little hair loss, nothing a good weekly brushing wouldn't control. They are very clean animals, and bathing is normally not required more than once every months. Akitas are prone to hip dysplasia. Progressive retinal atrophy PRA is a problem in the breed as well as entropion and cataracts.

Autoimmune thyroiditis is very common. Several autoimmune diseases - VKH Voight-Koyanagi-Harada , pemphigus, autoimmune hemolytic anemia - are fairly common. Hyperkalemia is usually a misdiagnosis in Akitas; their red blood cells are different from other dogs except for one type of poodle and are more fragile. Skin problems like flea allergies are becoming more common, too. Concern about breed health problems and comments from some people who are experienced with dog and security issues have led me to try to expand coverage to include breeds less common in the US.

Of course, there are never any guarantees that a dog will enjoy good health, even with the most responsible care. Getting a dog of a rare breed does present some special problems , however. Two breeds that recommend themselves are the American Bulldog and the Beauceron or, Bergers de Beauce - a French herding dog. The appearance of black dogs of either breed would deter all but the craziest criminals, and their protective behavior should discourage the rest. North American Beauceron Club.

US Beauceron Alliance [link down]. Sacrement Beaucerons [lots of information and links]. Lots of terrific photos: Beaucerons du Chateau Rocher. The American Bulldog has a bulldog head, but is much taller and heavier than the English or French Bulldogs, often weighing well upwards of 90 lbs. The Caucasian Ovcharka, a Russian breed that has recently made its way to the US, is feircely loyal to and protective of its immediate family. At lbs for a male, the breed is truly not for everyone.

Wonderful dogs can be found at animal shelters, but the risk of getting one with health and temperament problems is significantly higher when information about the dog is very limited, as is commonly the case. The risk can be reduced somewhat by hiring an experienced trainer to help choose the dog and having a vet check the dog before adopting it.

Many breeds have active rescue organizations, another good source of 'second-hand' dogs. Breeders and kennel clubs often know whom to contact. And there's a directory of rescue organizations: Some of the most up-to-date information is available via the world-wide web. Neutering, Health and Temperament The connections among neutering, behavior and rate of maturation are not clear, although neutering of male dogs does seem to reduce roaming, fighting, mounting and marking that are specifically sex-driven.

There is also one very powerful health argument for early spaying of female dogs. Of the diseases to which they are subject, mammary cancer is the biggest killer of females. References and Sources must be updated. Almost any dog book or tape can be ordered from Direct Book Service: Dog and Cat Book Catalog titles! An enormous amount of information is also available via the world-wide web. Campbell, Behavior Problems in Dogs 2nd ed. Clark and Joan R.

Selection and Training Howell, Dr. James and Kenneth Pubs. A Buyer's Guide H. L ISBN Clarice Rutherford and David H. Lyons and Burford Pubs. Jan 'Jan '95 [36] Appendix B: Choosing a Protection Dog 1. Do you have the resources for a dog? Space [cubic feet vs.

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Personal; see end of II. Energy for walks and play. Vet bills immunizations, medications, dental care. Your mileage may vary. What kind of help with personal safety do you need? Watchdog - almost any barking dog will do consult Lowell and Hart and Hart and check Coren's lists. Attack - Unless you like living with an uncontrollable loaded gun, this requires thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours.

Protection - What kind of protection dog do you want? Jan Santel, an agility competition judge and trainer, is an excellent source of information and forthright advice. Novices and experienced owners alike have found Ms. Santel to be very helpful. For help with herding breeds, contact the Triangle Herding Club.

I'm sure that there are other fine trainers in the area. Kobetz's view that criminals will try new tactics as home security improves, and that car-jackings will likely increase. It is estimated that in , there were over , incidents of breaking and entering in NC alone; fewer than of the criminals were sent to jail. The national average is about the same. And most crime goes unreported. Check the monthly Dog World , available at many libraries and newsstands, for extensive listings.

Local kennel clubs can also help. Koster's novel, Carmichael's Dog , is a profoundly witty account of how a dog's purity of heart may be enlisted in the fight against even the most tenacious personal demons. James Herriot's Dog Stories is wonderful 'faction'. Some excellent contemporary nonfiction narratives are: Dossier of a Dangerous Dog an artfully written and sophisticated consideration of the question, Do dogs have minds? You can find many other dog tales, fictional and factual, in public libraries. The term refers to dogs of various breeds: See Bandit for a discussion of why this isn't merely a matter of semantics.

None of these breeds fits the profile of a protection dog in section D. An ill-bred, badly mistreated 'pit bull' might attack people - the owner included. Who'd want such a dog?! At least, this may give a burglar pause. The lifetime cost of such a system is therefore comparable to that of a dog; but no such system can greet you with joy at the end of hard day. The Duets say it takes years, with the help of professional trainer. An improperly trained attack-dog can be dangerous to its owner. Dogs made 'mean' through brutal and so improper training methods are unreliable and so not safe around other living things.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and the Humane Society of the US show that the most likely victim of a dog's aggression will be its owner, a family member or a neighbor; in six out of ten cases, it will be a young child. A " P " indicates suitability for police work pp. Dachshunds and some Toys can also be good watchdogs.

It's not inconceivable that some would find a Pomeranian more intrusive than a Bullmastiff. The sheer size of a Great Dane is intimidating. Ridgebacks were originally bred in South Africa to protect farms against lions and human marauders. Others have suggested Corgis; they make fine watchdogs but are too small to serve as protection dogs. If all you want is a dog that barks, you can make your choice from among all the breeds [except Basenjis].

Heart of a Dog

But if you must have a breed with some size, muscle and protective reputation, choose from: As indicated above, however, size, muscle and protective reputation are not all that's necessary in a protection dog, so it's better to go by the profile and breed list in D. The Duets add Boxers to the list, and say others might be suitable, too.

Some courts have found that a dog can be a deadly weapon and its presence can be an aggravating factor in an assault, even when the dog never touches the alleged victim. The price for such a pet-quality puppy is just about the cost of breeding and raising it properly until it's ready for adoption around 10 weeks. Very few breeders break even. So there's reason to be suspicious if a dog of larger breed is offered for less.

Larry Shook, The Puppy Report. Shook reminds us that a guarantee, oral or written, is only as good as the guarantor.

Only a few states have even adopted 'lemon' laws for pet buyers: For additional information, consult: Carricato, Veterinary Notes for Dog Breeders. For even more detail, see: I couldn't go through the pain again. But this is due in large part to the popularity of Beagles as lab animals. These books explain how most 'dog' problems really result from unreasonable owner expectations and behavior or from treatable dog health problems.

But much the same is true for books on child-raising, another very complex subject, which has been far more extensively studied. There does seem to be universal agreement that for dogs as well as for children, preventing behavior problems is best achieved through rewards for desired behavior, rather than punishment for undesired behavior. Unneutered dogs account for about eighty percent of all bites and nearly percent of serious maulings; 87 percent of all biting dogs are male CDC and HSUS.

Of course, human beings are far more dangerous than dogs are, by any reasonable statistical measure. There are about five times as many people as dogs in the US; dogs kill about 15 people per year, humans about 22,; and there are over 10 million violent crimes per year, about fifty percent resulting in significant injury. And people kill about 5 million dogs per year. The Foundation, which is distinct from the DPCA, accepts tax-deductible donations and bequests for medical research.

There are three types of VWD, only one as severe as human haemophilia. Dobermans have the mildest of the three types: Generally, the Dobermans who are carriers only won't bleed excessively, and the affected dogs will bleed, but not much. There are three tests for VWD; most samples are sent to the lab of W. The tests are not all that reliable.

These are very rough figures. But dogs classified as carriers in this way can bleed more than dogs classified as affected - there are other factors that will determine the severity of symptoms. Cohn also offered this additional information about Doberman health problems: The choice of a black female is a good one since blacks and reds have less skin disease, and females have much less cardiomyopathy. Dobermans and to an even greater extent, Rottweilers may not respond as well as other breeds to parvovirus vaccine, so it's a good idea to give them extra vaccinations later, e.

Far less frequent Doberman health problems: Great Danes , a disease of middle age, first apparent as a lump toward elbow or away from knee producing lameness; by the time the lump is seen, the cancer has already spread and it's too late to do much about it; copper storage disease of liver, beginning in puppyhood quite common in Bedlington terriers , affects older females more severely; tribrissin arthropathies: A small percentage of Dobermans will lick a spot on their flanks repeatedly 'flank-sucking' , causing a multiple lick granuloma or, acral lick dermatitis.

The psychoactive medications that help human beings trapped in obsessive-compulsive behavior may also help dogs. Some veterinary dermatologists contend that the licking is the dog's response to a deep skin infection pyoderma and that anti-staph antibiotics are therefore at least as effective as the psychoactive medications.

Neapolitan, may also be suitable for protection. The increased popularity of Belgian Malinois for police work has led to a corresponding increase in their popularity generally, an effect that has been observed with other breeds, as well. As Shook discovered, it is difficult to get accurate data on health problems because many breeders of most breeds are reluctant to talk about such problems. Willis, The German Shepherd Dog: Get Willis if you're only going to get one. The German Shepherd Quarterly covers working dogs in obedience, herding, search and rescue and Schutzhund as well as the breed ring.

Hart's study found that. There are individual differences in how it affects other behaviors. Some differences are probably a result of the environment but many are due to breed and genetics. Roaming showed the greatest degree of change with over 90 percent of the dogs having either a rapid or gradual decline.

This is probably a result of the lessening in sexual drive.

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Fighting with other male dogs showed 40 percent to have a rapid decline and 22 percent a gradual decline. Add the flavor of the Soviet mids , after the Socialist Revolution but still before the iron fist rule of Stalin's terror policy. Let Bulgakov's genius mix all of these ingredients together - and you will end up with a brilliantly written satirical fantastical commentary-on-contemporary-society laughter-through-tears piece of literary art that is Heart of the Dog.

Despite its short size, this book has endless layers. On the surface, it is a hilariously sad story about a science experiment gone very wrong in the direction that its creator did not quite anticipate, and all the funny antics of the newly created sorta-human Sharikov. Yes, that includes obsessive and funny cat-chasing even when the dog becomes "human". On the other level, it is a cautionary warning about what happens when power falls in the hands of those who should not be allowed to yield it, and the dangers and pitfalls of the system that allows that to happen.

Yes, that includes an easy step from killing cats to pointing guns at real people, and demanding sex in exchange for keeping a job, and of course the ultimate evil that was to penetrate the fabric of the years to come - writing denunciations for little else than petty personal gains. I'm only just beginning to realize what Sharikov may become, by God! Well I realized it ten days after the operation.

My only comfort is that Shvonder is the biggest fool of all. He doesn't realize that Sharikov is much more of a threat to him than he is to me. At the moment he's doing all he can to turn Sharikov against me, not realizing that if someone in their turn sets Sharikov against Shvonder himself, there'll soon be nothing left of Shvonder but the bones and the beak.

It's the epitome of that concept. At times sidesplittingly funny with some sad overtones, it quickly crosses the territory into the mostly sad and even scary, especially given the context of the events still to come to this world of Soviet Union in the mids. Yes, it's the Stalin era and the Purges and the labor camps and denunciations and mass trials of the "enemies of the people" that I'm talking about.

For the characters of this book, these events are just a few years away. Keeping this in mind, you quickly realize that Bulgakov's short novel has undoubtedly way more impact on its reader now than it did back in the mid-twenties when it was written. Back then it was sad and funny, and held a note of warning, and shed the uncomfortable light on the parts of the pre-Stalinist pre-Purges society that were already beginning to feel uncomfortable. However, it ended on a quasi-happy note, the futility of which had only become fully visible years later.

And now, for the readers that have the benefit of knowing what history had in store just a few short years later for the likes of those "undesirable elements" described in this book, the impossibility of anything remotely good coming out of the whole situation and of the entire future for Bulgakov's characters becomes painfully clear.

He stopped and stared at the glass-fronted cabinet. Really… I'm a Moscow University graduate, not a Sharikov. And Bormental's fate will undoubtedly be very similar to that - just as Professor kinda-sorta anticipated already. After all, neither of them has made their unpopular views very secret. His grumpy views of a cultured and educated person who is baffled and annoyed with the "new" society of coarseness and rudeness and inefficiency and "class struggle" and the undeserved in his opinion entitleness of those who perceive themselves as the oppressed working class and whom Professor in turn perceives as lazy and irresponsible people.

And among the rambles of the old and annoyed man there may or may not be a grain of truth. Is it an old woman with a stick? A witch who smashed all the windows and put out all the lights? There's no such thing! What do you mean by that word? If instead of operating every evening I were to start a glee club in my apartment, that would mean that I was on the road to "ruin".

If when I go to the lavatory I don't piss, if you'll excuse the expression, into the bowl but on to the floor instead and if Zina and Darya Petrovna were to do the same thing, the lavatory would be ruined. Ruin, therefore, is not caused by lavatories but it's something that starts in people's heads. But there is much more to this book than just the condemnation of the system.

Had it been only that, it would have become quite dated quite soon. No, just like in Bulgakov's other works, it has a commentary on the state of humanity as a whole, on what makes us truly human versus merely humanoid. It is about the importance of morals and values, the etiquette and politeness and respect that make us really human, and moreso, civilized humans.

This happened when he was a man. This respect for what Bulgakov sees as the essentials of being human are precisely what puts him in the conflict with his contemporary Soviet state that believed in intimidation and terror as the viable way of governing and existing - the principles that newly formed humanoid Sharikov is very eager to learn and internalize. And neither Bulgakov nor Professor Preobrazhensky or Bormental are having that. The only possible method when dealing with a living creature. You'll get nowhere with an animal if you use terror, no matter what its level of development may be.

That I have maintained, do maintain and always will maintain. People who think you can use terror are quite wrong. No, no, terror is useless, whatever its colour — white, red or even brown! Terror completely paralyses the nervous system. Remember that, once and for all. Neither man nor animal can be influenced by anything but suggestion. So I will wrap up with the highest possible recommendation for any fans of Bulgakov or, really, any fans of well-written literature.

View all 33 comments. View all 7 comments. View all 4 comments. My favourite kind of satire is not laugh-out-loud funny; it's unsettling, and disturbing, and beautifully weird. Bulgakov brings it, with this short and vicious fable about a dog who is implanted with the genitals and pituitary gland of a deceased convict, transforming him into a bestial hybrid. It's like reading an early-Soviet Chris Morris script — in fact, what this book made me think of more than anything was this creepy sketch from Blue Jam. Bulgakov seems to offer a similarly discomfiting My favourite kind of satire is not laugh-out-loud funny; it's unsettling, and disturbing, and beautifully weird.

Bulgakov seems to offer a similarly discomfiting blend of verbal dexterity, incisiveness, shock value, and utter disregard for the negative repercussions of his work, which in Bulgakov's case could have been of the most severe kind. I wonder if I would have got as much out of this if I hadn't read it soon after finishing a big history of the Russian Revolution, whose hypocrisies are so unerringly skewered here.

And the characters are no simple allegories; the doctor, Preobrazhensky perhaps partly modelled on Pavlov , may in some way symbolise the Bolshevik leaders in that scene, but at other times he is a sympathetic model of liberal Tsarist Russia. Terror's useless for dealing with an animal, whatever level of development it might be at. I've always said that, I still say it and I always will. They're wrong to think that terror will do them any good. No sir, no sir, it won't, no matter what colour it is: He ends up as head of a sub-department and possible member of the Cheka secret police.

Ultimately, the gruesome experiment does not work, and Preobrazhensky's reflection on it all again takes on the most direct political connotations. This was my attempt, but an unsuccessful one, as you can see. He spoke for a while and then began to revert to his original primitive condition. The target, of course, is not the people themselves, but their mendacious leaders. No wonder the Soviets banned the book on sight in , and it wasn't actually published, anywhere, until just ten years before that Blue Jam sketch was broadcast!

There are several translations of this available, and not being a Russian reader, I compared a few of them before I ordered my copy. Unfortunately, I got confused by all the different Amazon "Look Inside" tabs I had open at the same time, and ordered the wrong one. I ended up with Andrew Bromfield's version published by Penguin, which, OK, is perfectly serviceable. Here's an example of it, from the first few pages, moving from the dog's internal monologue to a description of a nearby typist: Wasn't getting in his way, was I?

Not going to eat the entire National Economic Council into ruin if I have a rummage in the rubbish tip, am I? Just take a look at that fat ugly mug of his some time: A real brazen-faced thief. Tossed her skirt up to her knees, exposing the cream stockings and a narrow strip of badly laundered underwear, choked off her words and smothered the dog in snow. Otherwise it reads OK, and as it was done in it should at least benefit from more recent scholarship than the other two I looked at. Vintage publish the Michael Glenny version from , which I prefer in many ways this is actually the one I meant to buy: What harm was I doing him, anyway?

I'm not robbing the National Economic Council's food supply if I go foraging in their dustbins, am I?

Just take a look at his ugly mug — it's almost fatter than he is. It blew her skirt up to her knees, showing her fawn stockings and a little strip of badly washed lace underwear, drowned her words and covered the dog in snow.

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Meanwhile in the US, the most common translation seems to be the Mirra Ginsburg one published by Grove Press, which in my opinion is rather poor. What harm did I do him? Would the People's Economic Soviet get any poorer if I rooted in the garbage heap? Take a look at that mug of his sometimes—it's wider than it's long. A crook with a brass jowl. It blew up her skirt above her knees, baring the cream-colored stockings and a narrow strip of the poorly laundered lace panties.

It drowned out her words and swept across the dog. But to my ear, this has several other problems. Anyway, your mileage may vary. But whichever translation you pick, find a way to get your canines into this, pronto. View all 24 comments. A Dog's Heart or, The Heart of a Dog still bites strongly with sharp teeth after so much time, and, unlike a lot of other Russian golden oldies that feel old, this could have been written yesterday. Bulgakov's satire of life in the early years of the Soviet Union cost himself dear, and it has not lost any of its provocative power.

I even preferred this to his ever so popular Master and Margarita. Giving a reading of A Dog's Heart in his Moscow apartment - March , he introduced to a group of A Dog's Heart or, The Heart of a Dog still bites strongly with sharp teeth after so much time, and, unlike a lot of other Russian golden oldies that feel old, this could have been written yesterday.

Giving a reading of A Dog's Heart in his Moscow apartment - March , he introduced to a group of people, Sharik, the humanoid dog, and the arrogant surgeon who created him. But there just so happened to be an informer in the small crowd, who took it as a threatening mockery as to his views on Soviet society. Though it was returned to him, but not for another four years. Sharik makes his first appearance as a mangy mongrel cringing in a blizzard after being douched with boiling water by a cook, and out of a shop pops a man with the smell of hospitals and cigars, Philip Philipovich.

With sausage he has just bought, he lures Sharik back to his apartment, a seven-room suite in a building that has been requisitioned by a committee of zealous young revolutionaries. Even early on, Bulgakov conveys so much about Soviet life in the way he perceived it. After his latest experiment which is described in gruesome medical detail he witnesses what happens when the dog is implanted with the testicles and pituitary glands of a human. The creature emerges from the operating table, and soon walks, talks, drinks, smokes, and is a seasoned veteran when it comes to Russian swearwords.

After receiving identity papers he is placed in charge of the Moscow Cleansing Department responsible for eliminating vagrant quadrupeds, cats, etc Bulgakov, the political commentator sending up Soviet theories, was also, as a former physician, poking fun at western Europeans who flocked to a Paris-based quack in the belief that he could restore virility with an injection of monkey glands of all things.

In his own formulation, this novella is both a scathing satire with an inflammatory gesture and a riotous science-fiction dark comedy. It's runs through with an energy, that, after nearly years in passing, still seems freshly defiant. Gets my bark of approval. View all 17 comments. A key work of early modernism, this is the superbly comic story of a Soviet scientist and a scroungy Moscow mongrel named Sharik. Attempting a medical first, the scientist transplants the glands of a petty criminal into the dog and, with that, turns a distinctly worryingly human an Rating: Attempting a medical first, the scientist transplants the glands of a petty criminal into the dog and, with that, turns a distinctly worryingly human animal loose on the city.

The new, lecherous, vulgar, Engels-spouting Sharik soon finds his niche in governmental bureaucracy as the official in charge of purging the city of cats. It was rejected for publication by the censors in , and circulated in samizdat for years until Michael Glenny translated it into English in —long before it was allowed to be officially published in the Soviet Union. Anyone who's ever read The Master and Margarita already knows that Bulgakov is a rebel, an anarchist, and damn good and funny with it. His thoughts were, based on the novels I've read, contrarian in the extreme as well as profoundly sensitive to practical concerns: But I ask you: Why must we now keep our galoshes under lock and key?

And put a soldier on guard over them to prevent them from being stolen? Why has the carpet been removed from the front staircase? Did Marx forbid people to keep their staircases carpeted? Did Karl Marx say anywhere that the front door of No. What good does it do anybody? That's writing that's a joy to read. But we can't leave revolutionary-era Moscow without hearing from the eponymous heart-haver. Early in the book, we're told the sad tale of an unwanted dog whose people-savvy beats that of most of the humans I've ever met: Eyes mean a lot. Without him, Bulgakov's banned and suppressed works might remain out of the English-speaker's reach.

View all 8 comments. Sep 04, Mary rated it it was amazing Recommended to Mary by: What does it mean to be human? To be an individual? How unfortunate we must be, us, merely to be human beings. We can never escape what we truly are. We can nip and tuck our way around our flaws, but humans inevitably are always their own disastrous downfalls and worst nightmares. Heart of a Dog is, before anything else, FUN. It's just really damn entertaining. We start with a sort of Woody Allen neurotic type stream of concsiousness narrative from a stray dog, Sharik, who is swooped up by doctor What does it mean to be human?

We start with a sort of Woody Allen neurotic type stream of concsiousness narrative from a stray dog, Sharik, who is swooped up by doctor Preobrazhensky. The doctor, aiming for notoriety, removes the dog's testicles and pituitary glands and replaces them with those of a deceased man. Bake for a few days and voila! Your monster is ready, monsieur! Philip Philopovich Preobrazhensky is one sorry doctor.

Not only does his experiment yield a strange and frightful sort of human creature of a Frankensteinian nature, but his 'creation' starts to call him out on his own shit. Did you just stir up a recipe for breeding communists? And look at how this dog, this animal, is thinking like a Commie! Bulgakov delivers a solid core message amongst all this hysteria about the dangers of people and government brandishing their power on others.

About how horrifyingly bad things can go when the haves help themselves to the have-nots. You can think for days on this stuff and go around in circles, there are so many ideas flying around in the pages of this books. Bulgakov has, for the second time, seduced me with his whimsical, terrifying, outrageous and unique voice. A voice still relevant today. A voice we should all heed. View all 25 comments. Jan 08, Darwin8u rated it really liked it Shelves: Ronald Reagan used to alarm his Soviet counterparts by saying that surely they'd both unite against an invasion from Mars.

What happens when a Russian stray dog meets a early Soviet doctor? Testicles and pituitary glands get involved and a New Soviet man is made. Part Kafkaesque transformation story, part mockery of eugenics and early Soviet attempts at creating the ideal Russian man, Bulgakov's novella is not quite as brilliant a Ronald Reagan used to alarm his Soviet counterparts by saying that surely they'd both unite against an invasion from Mars. Part Kafkaesque transformation story, part mockery of eugenics and early Soviet attempts at creating the ideal Russian man, Bulgakov's novella is not quite as brilliant as The Master and Margarita , but still it is a stunning example of underground Soviet literature.

It is funny, absurd, dark, and worth an afternoon. View all 13 comments. Feb 23, Sidharth Vardhan rated it really liked it Shelves: That of a stray dog is one of the hardest lives of all. Always suffering from hunger and being forced to live under open sky come rain or winds.