This book was given to me by one of our neighbors who loves our corgis. She said, “I know it isn’t about corgis, but I think you will enjoy it.”

Jon is an author, who s to write about dogs.

As this book opens, we discover that Jon’s passion for giving his border collies a chance to fulfill their heritage has taken a dramatic turn – he has sold his beloved cabin and purchased a 42-acre farm in upstate New York. Now Orson and Homer also have puppy Rose.

One thread of the book is the strong values of small-town life in rural areas where everyone helps each other.

Another thread is the education of the border collies as they improve their herding skills.

Adding to the reading enjoyment is Jon’s adventure at becoming a better trainer and person.

The story is humorous, heart-warming and thought-provoking.

And for those of us who are dog lovers, it is wonderful to watch the experience of the human interacting with the dogs, the sheep and the donkeys! And maybe, just maybe those who are contemplating bringing a dog into their life, Jon is a perfect one to tell you, why you would want one.

Just to be clear, one thing Jon does share in his prologue which helped me tremendously as a reader, “I am happy to say while no truthful book about any life is without loss or suffering, no dogs die in this book.”

And yes, even though this book wasn't about corgis, I did enjoy it.cozy cute dog-love ...more33 s Silver42

The more I read, the more I disd Jon Katz. I thought The Dogs of Bedlam Farm sounded a cute book - my husband and I have discussed having our own retirement place in Vermont with a few sheep and our dogs, though we make no pretense of it being a serious venture.

Here's why Katz's story left a bad taste in my mouth:

Katz is praised on the cover for his "lack of sentimentality." I should have stopped right there.

Katz dissuades a friend from rescuing a shepherd-husky mix. Instead, he patronizingly buys a purebred lab for his friend and tells him it only cost $200. I had to give my rescued shepherd-husky mix, the mellowest dog in the world, a big hug.

Katz buys a gun against his wife's wishes, ostensibly to shoot coyotes. The coyotes never appear, but a sick cat tries to shelter in Katz's basement. Does he catch it and take it to a vet? No, he shoots it. What a man!

Katz's neighbors help him survive the winter by shoveling walks for him and doing numerous favors. He never helps them (except in the patronizing example above).

Katz visits his estranged sister, who has just moved into a new house. He disparages her appearance, sniffs at the microwaved dinner she provides, then complains that she doesn't serve him breakfast. How hard could it be to pick up a box of donuts on your way to visit someone?! If my brother described me the way Katz describes his sister, I would never speak to him again.

Katz hates dog rescuers. He makes fun of them and acts as if they are silly or crazy because they take in dogs that have issues and don't have purebred dogs trained to herd he does. The dog lovers are his sister and some other women.

He gives away one of his dogs because it's such a good dog that he hates it and ignores it in favor of the other two dogs. Well, come to think of it, that dog is better off being away from him.

Katz doesn't even his own sheep. He decides, when culling the herd, to keep ewes and lambs together. But he makes a mistake and separates one pair. He doesn't bother to retrieve the lamb, just sends it off to grace someone's dinner table while the mother frantically searches for her baby.

I also have to wonder about a man who chooses to live away from his wife and daughter, not because he has to, but because he isn't feeling fulfilled. His shepherding experiment strikes me as the height of yuppie self-indulgence when his neighbors are struggling to get by on their family farms.

In the end, Katz disrupts an Easter Sunday service by parading his flock of sheep around to show off his new skills.

I'm sure a lot of readers will this book and think I'm nitpicking. But if you share my values, you'll be just as annoyed as I am that I wasted my time reading it.stinkers27 s Cheryl10.5k 444

Reminding me a bit of Michael Perry. But so far it seems that Katz is focused on the small, w/ forays to the more universal. His navel is the center of his gaze, his dogs, his farm, his community. Whereas Perry (whom I prefer) either starts with or goes immediately to the bigger or more universal questions, using the small to illustrate, to clarify.

It's still early... we'll see.
---
Ok done. I that Katz seems fairly clear-headed. He understands that he's a Flatlander, and even though he has some financial challenges he has backup, un some of his neighbors, for example. He's spiritual, but not religious, and definitely not woo-woo crystals & shamans.

I'd more photos. Or more un-interpreted reports of the dogs' behaviors... though he does try to help us get to know the dogs, he does get in between us and them. I'd more about the donkeys. I'm glad he and his wife have worked out an arrangement where they have each other, and also where they both have what they need even though their needs are so diverse.

But still - it's a memoir, not a work of philosophy. And even before Perry wrote Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy his work was primarily philosophical, and I much prefer that. I have no interest in reading anything more by Katz.11 s Darcy333 1 follower

I couldn't hack reading this. You would think I would love a book about animals and farm life, but I found the author terribly self-aggrandizing. Everything was about him. He couldn't appreciate the dogs for themselves, but just how they made him a better person. He didn't write about how wonderful the local people were, but how awesome he was that he could tolerate the local people. Katz could really take a lesson from James Herriot about how to observe and enjoy life and the quirks of the people and animals surrounding him.9 s Renee Roberts231 16

3.5 stars!

Quite enjoyable memoir of a dysfunctional dog-lover who buys a dilapidated farm in upstate NY and moves in with his border collies, sheep, and a donkey. The venture is a sort of self-imposed isolation therapy to work on his emotional issues, which is ironic, because it's both masochistic from the standpoint of the work involved, and self-indulgent that he can actually fund what amounts to a psychological experiment on himself doing exactly what his fantasy is: being a shepherd.

One of many books Katz has written about dogs, and specifically border collies, The Dogs of Bedlam Farm falls further along his chronological publication line and does not explain how the Labrador affectionado ended up with herding dogs. Also unexplained is his own personal trauma, but he openly shares that his issues with anger and impatience are the things that hamper his dogs, and that he hopes the focus on herding will help him improve. Through the events of his first year on the farm, we see the progress he achieves.

This book is NOT for everyone. If you browse other , it becomes obvious that Katz has his share of detractors. One lesson (maybe the most important) I've learned in life is that everything is a matter of perspective. Katz shares his honestly. He is a flawed human being, and makes no attempt to pull the wool over your eyes. (wink, wink! see what I did there?) He is up front with successes and failures, and the criticizing the book actually seem to just dis the man. People are quite judgmental nowadays, and the internet allows crucifixion. Plenty of people are setting his nails.

From my own perspective, as an animal lover working in veterinary medicine for over 25 years, and a descendant of farmers whose parents grew up in the depression, I just found Katz to be human. His stewardship over his animals was mostly commendable. He's made his mistakes, he has guilt to shoulder, but who among us doesn't? If you expect him to be a modern day St. Francis, don't read this book.

As for me, I will read other books by Jon Katz. I already own Saving Simon and Going Home. And since I'm an owner of border collies, I'll probably read more about his dogs.animals owned-hard-copy8 s7 comments Nancy Mills409 29

I'm glad I read this book. For a while in the beginning chapters, I was , this city guy from NJ buys a farm in cold upstate far-from-the-city NY, takes his 3 border collies (2 of whom have issues), brings in a small herd of sheep complete with very grouchy ram, along with an old donkey named Carol; so what.
And I found myself not relating to the author's feelings about the role of dogs, livestock, and humans in one's life. (I regard dogs as angels on earth, love most animals more than people in general, and believe every life is precious.) The author's neighbors, hard-toiling farmers scuffling to get by, regard livestock as, well, livestock, this attitude as much by necessity as nature; the author as much as admits he had little affection for the sheep, although he immediately became bonded to the donkey, and frets that dog-love is ly a reaction to having unfulfilling human contacts or bad past experiences.
Glad I stuck with it, though, because I found myself empathetic to the irritable middle-aged guy with a bum leg who takes on a huge responsibility, and d him a lot better when he realized that by doing the emotionally-charged, exhausting early spring lambing work himself, he develops a strong bond with his sheep. Not surprising ... there is nothing more darling than a baby lamb, and even a crusty middle aged man from New Jersey finds that nursing a weak or rejected baby lamb tugs on one's heartstrings.
Katz makes mistakes when training his dogs, and is plagued with guilt by how some of these mistakes adversely affect his dogs, yet he courageously admits his sins and pretty much remedies them. By the end of the book I was cheering him on....his Easter morning trek with his herd was particularly lovely.
Recommended for any animal lover. animals4 s Tom Leland348 21

I had no business reading this book, since it's predicated on the vastly common and ancient belief that humankind has the right to use animals (such as sheep) for their own benefit. To me, buying a farm to live out one's romantic idea of living the border collie/sheepherding life is a ridiculously frivolous and irresponsible endeavor...especially when the results include animals being shot, dying or being separated from their young through the author's inexperience or incompetence.

But even aside from that, I felt the author endlessly over-intellectualized the meaning of dogs, the symbolism or significance of their relationships with humans. I adore dogs, and I've always been on their wavelength...adapting to the particular personality traits of various dogs/breeds comes naturally to me. I couldn't seem to give a damn about the personality traits and learning curves of Homer vs. Orson vs. Rose.

Lastly, what gave him or his dogs a greater right to life than the feral cat he shot? But further, he should've more elaborately laid out all the reasons that alternatives to shooting the creature weren't viable solutions...because I'm sure I'm far from the only reader left conjuring up numerous other avenues that could've been taken to spare the cat's life.

He did ask one terrific question: if people were better to each other, would we love dogs as much?4 s Chrisl607 87

If an urge to re-read Katz comes along, I'll start with this one. (Shared life with a Border Collie for 18 years.)2000s animals biog4 s Jessica2

First off, I think the only reason this book was a national bestseller is because it has a cute dog on the cover and secondly, because it's centered around animals. Really, this book was just okay. Sure, there were moments of being enveloped in a good story and in good prose, but they were far and between. I found the book to be repetitive, even beyond driving the point home. I surmised the whole point of the book, the lessons, etc. within the first 50 pages. In those same pages, I learned the same fact probably six or seven times. Though the subject matter was something I'm pretty interested in - dogs, how they become part of your life/family and influence your life path, training, etc. - I don't know if I want to read another Katz book after this. 3 s Jan C1,038 118

Lovely. I think I stretched out the reading time on this one just because of how much I d it.

Obviously, these dogs helped the author find himself and his sister. Although why he had to start a sheep farm to do it, I'm not sure. But, if he hadn't, then Rose and Orson wouldn't have had anything to herd.

Not sure if the dog I had was a border collie or a smooth collie but he definitely herded people.

Apparently the first year (and the one this book takes place in) Jon didn't plan too well and lambing season took place in the middle of winter. So he not only had to venture out into the dead of night to check for lambs being born, but also into the freezing cold since the ewes resisted coming into the barn at night.

A very enjoyable book. I can't wait to read his other books, especially if they're also about border collies. Although he was flirting with Labs, too.2018 animal3 s Carolw152

I loved this book. I am not a dog owner, but could feel the love and devotion that the author felt for his dogs. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who owns a dog. It showed me that there are no imperfect dogs just imperfect humans. 2 s Gemma37 3

I picked up this book from my local library because I'm a border collie admirer. If it weren't for the fact that I know I can't keep up with their energy level, I'd have one on my couch right now. I'm also very interested in farm life, particularly from the perspective of someone new to it all. I suppose there's part of me that still daydreams about buying a patch of land somewhere and being self-sufficient with my dairy cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs. I can dream, right?

Initially, I found this book hard to get into. The first few chapters seemed a little slow, but by chapter 3 I was very much entranced. Although this book chronicles Katz' first foray into owning a farm, its major theme is how animals, dogs especially, teach us about our own inner life, our inner workings. Katz speaks often about how he needs to control his anger and impatience. Almost ironically, this book has a wonderful gentle humour to it; open, at times self-deprecating, and honest. I found some of his personal insights about our lives with dogs a little painful. I can certainly see myself in some of his musings; in fact, I'm probably a great example of a damaged individual seeking solace in the warmth, comfort, and loyalty of dogs. As someone involved in dog rescue/adoption, I bristled occasionally at his comments about 'Dog People' (note the capital letters) but I had to laugh, too. It's probably a timely reminder to never allow myself to sink that far into dog induced craziness. ;)

My absolute favourite chapters dealt with his first winter, which proved far more than he expected, and his reunion with his estranged sister, all brought about by dogs.

This is a wonderfully entertaining, honest, and poignant account of a man and his dogs. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I recommend it to anyone who looks at their dogs and feels their heart swell. You have a kindred spirit in this book. dogs non-fiction2 s CindySR520

I enjoyed the book very much. Especially chapter 6 where the author visits a dog rescuer. It really touched me because I know people this.

In the prologue the author tells us no dogs die in this book. Be advised, if you are the sensitive kind, a few other species do occasionally and sadly meet their ends. Such is farm life.20162 s Sandy D.1,014 30

Quick reading, well-written memoir about a writer who moves to a farm in upstate NY, partially so he can have sheep for his Border collies. He has some interesting insights on "dog people" and why people turn to dogs for companionship, and what dogs can provide them with (and what they can't).dogs memoirs new-england-north-east ...more2 s Becky44 4

I got a lot of enjoyment from learning about this fellow's world. His animals are stars, but I am afraid for his marriage. 2 s Stephen Wallace660 92

Great book. Great to read his books from when he got his first border collie to when he got a farm to have sheep for the dogs to work.dogs dogs-herding2 s Belle536 49

This book is part human psychology and part herding dogs, sheep, and donkeys.

I think the author wrote this book as much a way to help him understand his chaotic life as for the description of being a small town dog guy.

He muses over people who surround themselves with many rescue dogs as a way to cut themselves off from human contact as compared to those that raise a few dogs to build a connection to humans. He doesn’t say either way is right or wrong but he is definitely in dialogue with himself.

The best bits, of course, are the border collies and the herding. His first time training a working dog to herd and the mistakes he made along the way but also how he has learned the art of being a good human through the process are very interesting.

As for me, I accidentally landed on choosing a herding dog, Archie. He would have been excellent with the sheep. I am outsmarted daily by this boy and sometimes I feel guilty for what I cannot give him in the shape of sheep and work. The author does remind me though that perhaps I am actually Archie’s job and he keeps me connected to the call to be a good human through the patience, kindness and love required to be his capital “P” Person.

All in all a good book but not a Herriot read a. 1 2 comments Sue Jeff16

A superb Christmas present. 1st book read in 2021 Having had 3 BC rescues I could relate to all the character traits of these amazing dogs. It's funny, sad, emotional. Even if you don't own a dog you will love this book. It's given me a few ideas for the BC we have now. Thank you Jon Katz.1 Monica133

Needed editing! The author repeats the same stories several times. I wondered if he forgot that he already told that story in a previous chapter! Possibly he was trying to write enough pages to fill a book. When his beloved dog Rose got lost he spent 3 pages telling about what could have happened to her, we stupid readers couldn't have guessed that she might have had a run-in with other animals, or got trapped or got struck by a vehicle. He told several times about what Homer must be thinking since he moved in with a new family. Reading the book it feels he bought a farm and sheep just so that he would have something to write about. I wonder how his friends and neighbors feel about how he characterizes some of them; I'm not sure all of the rural people would appreciate having their chitchat categorized as Country B*llsh*t. I haven't read any other books by this author, so I'm not sure why he mentions a trainer he has worked with previously but didn't really mention what he kind of training he did or how long it took. The same with his dog Orson. Evidently he came from a damaged or abusive background but he didn't elaborate on that. The descriptions of the lambing process in spring were interesting - you really got a feel for how much is involved and how much sleep is lost by the farmer. I guess I was hoping for a more interesting book.memoir read-in-20111 Anna Engel622 2

I really wanted to enjoy "Dogs of Bedlam Farm." After all, there are dogs, donkeys, and sheep in the book. But I agree with many other reviewers that "Dogs" was repetitive, self-aggrandizing, and mostly rather boring. I enjoyed Katz's descriptions of working with the farm critters, but found his interactions with local folk to be mildly insulting. His attitude about his little "experiment" (i.e., buying a farm and raising farm animals) was elitist. He took great pride in making a go of it, but if it failed, no biggie. He complained about the expense of things, but didn't think much about buying something new and fun for the farm. The farmers around him work hard every day and don't have the choice of giving up and going back home to New Jersey.

Katz depends on the kindheartedness and assistance from his neighbors in a whiny, pitiable and ignorant way. For example, did he not take into account winter? Winter in upstate New York is brutal, but he seems to have assumed that he could make do with the same LL Bean jacket he wears during Flatlander winters.

I don't think I'll be picking up any additional books by Katz.1 Clark379 6

I was enjoying the book but was saddened when he gave away one of his dogs. Then I became more upset at him when he kept visiting that same dog. Just broke my heart. He discovers his dogs do better without the third dog so all is better, right? Oh, but by the end of the book what does he do? He repeats his mistake and adds another dog to the household. What the heck is he doing to the dogs he already has. At this point I lost all respect for this so called dog person. You just don't do that to the dogs you already have. I won't read anymore of his books.1 Dennis195

This is the third of his books that I've read, and I it the best. It has some very amusing moments, and some poignant ones, and I find his self-analysis and analysis of others as being more insightful than in, say, Soul of a Dog.1 Andy Plonka3,584 15

Although Katz is not very knowledgeable about his new "farm" or the animals that populate it, he does his homework and gets it right. The reciprocal good that the animals and Katz do for each other is a beauty to behold.src1 Sc165

as other viewers have noted for a man who supposedly loves dogs he gets rid of a lot of them. For instance he got rid of the one that his wife loved - a little jealousy maybe? As he implied he should become a better man to have better dogs - he isn't there yet.1 Pat King335 2

Really enjoyed it1 Kelley917 3

Ultimately, this is a book best read before many of his others (besides "A Dog Year") but it took me awhile to get a copy of this. Owning a farm and having a few animals, besides dogs, to take care of sounds idyllic, although maybe in a place with less harsh winters or brutal summers, especially if you have working dogs. Especially if you are sick of traffic, hearing your neighbors every conversation and wanting a different kind of life. But I think I would prefer large property with a barn that held agility equipment instead of lots of sheep, although a few goats would be nice to provide weed and grass control;)
If you are lucky to own a purebred dog with instincts and intelligence and a drive to do the thing that, sometimes, centuries, of breeders and trainers have honed, then it's pretty awesome. If you are lucky own such a dog, but do not have the property to let them live out their dream life, you find other activities to keep them active and their minds sharp. Dog training has come a long way, and our now 14 year old Aussie was definitely difficult, not when training for rally or obedience or agility or nosework, but to live with. Although I realize despite his busyness, he does have an off-switch and he does not obsess about any one thing, something dog owners of certain breeds understand. I have had at least 1 Sheltie in my life since I was 8, the Aussies are a newer love of mine, so herding dogs I understand. But the Lab guy I married, I get it, Labs have a temperament that is so low key and amazing with small kids, that they balance out a lot of craziness. I love our Lab, he's become my nosework competition dog, he isn't phased by much, and he's just the guy to laze around with. A pipe dream is to get property, maybe not farm animals, but definitely more land, less noise, although it may end up in a less than ideal climate due to cost, but it sounds good to me. animal-dogs non-fiction Julia5

This is in response the review from @Silver

This review is hilarious. If that’s all that you got from this book, I doubt Jon Katz has lost any sleep over the fact that you “dis him.”

To clear up some of your points, he doesn’t hate dog rescuers. The quote is, “ some people argue it’s wrong to ever purchase a purebred when so many dogs languish in shelters, but while I sympathize, I can’t agree... the dogs I know tend to fare best when their owners do some homework and find the right dog for them, wherever it comes from.” A family who adopts a rescue dog because they feel guilted into it and then have to give the dog up after it isn’t a good fit will further traumatize the dog and do further harm. Jon Katz and his wife have also rescued multiple dogs and other farm animals.

The reason that he dissuades his friend from getting a husky/shepherd mix is because his friend wanted a ride-along dog, meaning he wanted a lazy dog who could hang out in the car and accompany him on trips. I doubt this would have been a fulfilling life for a husky/shepherd, a typically high energy breed.

Katz giving up Homer was one of the bravest and hardest decisions he had to make and was only in the dog’s best interest. It helped me to come to terms with a dog I had to give up years ago. Your interpretation is laughably misunderstood.

There is an evidence-based rebuttal I could make to every single one of your interpretations of this book, but I won’t go on. I just couldn’t allow a book that touched me as deeply as this one did to have a review so misunderstood as this one at the top.

For anyone who’s values go beyond surface level and can handle reading about a man’s journey of self improvement and devotion and compassion for animals, this will be your new favorite book. Kerry - Readkerryread 1,345 6

At first I d this book, as one of the quotes really struck a nerve. It was from a dog trainer: “if you want to have a better dog, you will just have to be a better goddamn human.”

I find that to be so true. Most behaviors we see in dogs we don’t , in my opinion, are due to poor training from their humans. Some due to not knowing how to fix it, laziness, or assuming it can’t be fixed, or not wanting to pay the money for a trainer.

It seemed the author chose to self train and his first dog Homer had some issues with the other two dogs and instead of working with him, he gave him away. First annoyance for me.

There were many instances where he was judgmental towards other animal owners, including his sister and readers.

While expect starting a farm without proper knowledge, experience, or help would come with some learning curves I wouldn’t expect so at the harm to his animals. Instead he praises his over care of the animals while also killing a feral cat, and some of his ewes during the lambing season. It left me with a bitter pill to swallow.

I enjoyed reading about Rose and her training, and seeing her progressing but it seemed he only worked with her because it was the easiest path and Orson was forgotten except for companionship. Michael11

Great book. Reminded me of the writings of Garrison Keillor and the old veterinary books by British vet James Herriott. The author clearly understands the bond between dogs and humans, and he does a great job of explaining how our behavior affects a dog and its training.

The author excellently captures the frigid winters of upstate New York, and includes a cast of real life characters (two-footed and four-legged) that areboth endearing and real. I felt I was "down on the farm" as I read this book and it was nice to escape to a place of respite after the craziness of the holidays and what was 2020. Grab your pooch (or your sheep) if you have one, cuddle up, and read away ! It's a quick read. MDMmysteries nonfiction Emily594 5

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