Jon Katz
Jon Katz
Jon Katzis an American journalist, author, and photographer. He was a contributor to the online magazine HotWired, the technology website Slashdot, and the online news magazine Slate. In his early career as an author he wrote a series of crime novels and books on geek subculture. More recent works focus on the relationship between humans and animals...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
CountryUnited States of America
act complex dogs emotional evidence good hold lives love neither nor petty reason seek systems value
There is no evidence that dogs have the kind of complex emotional lives and value systems that we do. It's one reason why we love them so much, in fact. They are neither "good" nor "bad." They don't hold grudges, act in petty ways, or seek revenge. They read our moods, but not our minds.
dogs lifetime lives love particular
Lifetime dogs intersect with our lives with particular impact; they're dogs we love in especially powerful, sometimes inexplicable, ways.
almost attacks behaved belong bites biting child dogs family friend good great home majority member occurs random
Bites are usually not random attacks by strays. The great majority of biting dogs belong to a family member or friend of the victim. When a young child is the victim, the attack almost always occurs in the family home, and the perpetrator is usually a 'good' dog that had not previously behaved in a menacing way.
anger animals great grieving guilt human keeping lying pets remember
It's important to remember that the animals are not grieving with us. They're very accepting. They're not lying there thinking 'How could you do this to me? Why aren't you keeping me going?' Pets don't do the human things of guilt and anger and recrimination that we do. They come and go with great acceptance.
alter commitment dog dogs dollars easy fate few homes life millions mistreated nearly others private radically rescue shelter time troubled turning
It's easy to see why dog rescue is a mushrooming culture. Turning a troubled person's life around is difficult, but rescuers with commitment and time and a few dollars can radically alter the fate of a dog. And there are millions of dogs - nearly 10 million in the shelter system, many others mistreated in private homes - in need of rescuing.
animals cat depend dog economy fragmented lives loving mean politics religion technology
Animals have come to mean so much in our lives. We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture. Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate. What's one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on? A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully.
chorus closely greek life remind watch
My goats are not contemplative, accepting, or introspective. They are the Greek chorus of my farm, sometimes of my life. They watch me closely and remind me that I am foolish.
certainty dog good hard noble nobody predict remains rescue respond work
Dog rescue remains a gamble, of course. For all the good will, hard work, and noble motivation, nobody can really predict with certainty how a traumatized, dislocated dog will respond in a new environment.
access agency capable good home hours kids ought prove rescue screening sign wants work
A good breeder or experienced rescue agency wants you to prove that you'll be a capable caretaker. The interrogation and screening can be annoying, but it's also a sign that you're on the right track. A breeder ought to know if you work long hours away from home, have a fenced yard, have kids or other animals, or if you have access to parks.
animal believe cannot dogs mine nor people pets ready time wish
Some people say that their pets will tell them when it's time to go. I don't believe that. No animal of mine has ever told me he was ready to die. I wish it were that simple. Dogs can communicate, but they cannot talk, nor do they think in our language or on our terms.
alienation anybody running streak
There's a streak of alienation running through this culture, ... There's a streak of braininess, obsessiveness. I mean, anybody can use a computer, but not anybody's a geek.
ability beings change human lives radical standing technology using
It's about the ability of human beings to change their lives using this radical new technology just the way Jesse did. Because he would not be standing here without the Internet. I wouldn't know him. He wouldn't be at this university,
company intimate since technology wrote
When I wrote about media and technology, I had a lot of lonely, even intimate book talks. Since writing about dogs, I have a lot of company at book signings.
acquire amateur consider dogs ethical gauge humans otherwise people profound protect rescue responsibility thoroughly train
When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences. They have a profound responsibility to consider their actions; to gauge the dog's behavior, to train it thoroughly and rigorously, to protect other humans and dogs from harm.