An urgent, necessary read for those seeking to understand our enduring intimacy with animalsa sacred bond that Mershon fearlessly examines. -- Colin Dayan, author of With Dogs at the Edge of Life and Animal Quintet In Dogs Save, Mershon reveals how the stories we tell about dogs are also stories about redemption, race, nation, and identitystories that sometimes bring us closer to reality and sometimes distort it. Ultimately, Mershon illumines nothing less than the religious dimension of our lives with dogslives that include both joy and sorrow, projection and genuine intimacy. She eruditely helps us understand how dogs are symbolized, but in the end, Mershon's most demanding request is that we attend to the dogs themselves. -- Aaron Gross, author of The Question of the Animal and Religion: Theoretical Stakes, Practical Implications Katharine Mershon offers a signal contribution to animal studies in religious history, showing how stories of redemption script human relationships to dogs. Whenever humans talk about their dogs they reflect on what lives are worth having. After you read Dogs Save, you will never think about animal freedom the same way again. -- Kathryn Lofton, author of Consuming Religion
