The Particulars of Peter is quite simply about the delights of dog companionship, something every human who consorts with a dog knows all about. What is beautiful about Kelly Conaboy’s book is that she captures the sweetness of the first few years of her and her dog’s life together.
Peter is, of course, perfect in every possible way.
People have written for ages about that magic spark that happens between two (human) people when they fall in love, but much less has been written about the instantaneous connection between human and canine. It is just as strong and no less real. Conaboy writes about this feeling superbly. Her prose is that of the ever-proud parent talking about their wonderful and mysterious (canine) child for as long as the listener is willing to listen. Add to this Conaboy’s conversation-like narration—it’s aimed directly at the reader as if the reader and the author were sitting in a café somewhere, enjoying lattes, and Conaboy was waxing poetic about the perfections of her Peter—and you have the makings of a very enjoyable and readable book.
Another thing this book does is run the reader through the current trends in dogs’ lives. You get Conaboy’s (and Peter’s) opinions on Dogfests, canine agility competitions, and dog dancing. Even the vagaries of DNA testing are examined. For the record, Peter is not a Dogfest dog. He doesn’t like the treats and other dog delicacies that are for sale, and those competitions about looks and talents are not for him. He is not a costume-wearing dog, either. Where the sport of canine agility is concerned, although Conaboy puts the blame on herself for being a poor handler of Peter, I think we can safely say that Peter’s view of the agility course as something of a big playpen may have had an impact on his lack of success in that particular dog sport. However, where canine freestyle (dog dancing) is concerned, perhaps more of the blame can be placed on Conaboy. Of course, Conaboy explores more practical considerations as well, such as should you consult a pet psychic and how many useless toys you should buy for a dog.
Peter was not a puppy when Conaboy adopted him. He was 3-4 years old, and he was her first foster and thus a foster failure. But he was a charmer, and Conaboy fell for him straightaway. His name was, of course, Peter Parker. (Shelters like to give dogs catchy names in hopes this will get the dogs adopted sooner.) But soon he became just Peter.
There is a fascination that one’s first dog inspires. You want to do everything for him or her, and you want to do everything right. Except that’s impossible. For this reason, every human has wondered what their dog companion is thinking (about them), and Conaboy is no exception. When you look at Chaser—the border collie that learned over a thousand words—we realize that our dogs knowing words and, by extension, commands is not the same thing as talking. We often feel that they do understand what we are saying, but what would they tell us if they could talk? Conaboy responds to this query by devising a thought experiment. What would Peter say if he had 25 minutes a day to speak to her? Her answers are very insightful and entertaining.
One of the revelations this book brings the reader is that Bruce Springsteen has never written a song about a dog or dogs! Yes, there does seem to be the mention of a dog or two (neither positive), but there’s no dedicated anthem celebrating the gloriousness of dogs. Conaboy takes care of this omission in the Boss’s repertoire by writing one herself, a play on the song “Thunder Road” (and, no, it’s not about a Thundershirt!). More importantly, Conaboy reveals the barely kept secret that human companions sing to their dogs, making up little ditties about the perfection of their pooches.
Who is this little puppy man
He’s doing everything a puppy can
He is little and he is sweet
And he has got
Puppy feet.
Yes, we human companions have all done this, because nothing less than song can convey the sweetness, the intelligence, and the mystery of our dogs.
Finally, this book is reminiscent of J.R. Ackerley’s My Dog Tulip and Dean Koontz’s A Big Little Life, both of which are paeans to the dogs that changed their lives. If you have had the pleasure (and the privilege) of a dog changing your life, The Particulars of Peter is the book for you
Stacey E. Ake, PhD, PhD is an Associate Teaching Professor of Philosophy in Drexel’s English & Philosophy Department. Her interests include existentialism, semiotics, biosemiotics, science and religion as well as 19th Century Continental Philosophy, particularly Kierkegaard. She spent 5 years at the Kierkegaard Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. She also worked for two years as editor of the online journal published by the Metanexus Institute for Religion and Science. She lives in West Philadelphia.