Ekaterina Dubovskaya read for us the book by Konrad Lorenz «A Man Finds a Friend».
“For as long as I can remember, dogs have always lived in our house, and sometimes even two at once. They consoled, cheered, delighted. Of course, they demanded attention, physical and mental strength. Relations with them evolved very differently, each time individually. The title of Konrad Lorenz’s book clearly defines this relationship: «A Man Finds a Friend.»
The next reprint of the work, written in 1950, provides a new generation of readers with the opportunity to get acquainted with the history of communication and interaction between a person and his two true friends: a dog and a cat. Lorenz clearly describes the differences between the attitude towards the owner in a dog and in a cat. He analyzes the main problems, explains how to build relationships with pets, how to help them in various difficult situations. And, what is very important, it shows how the owners of cats and dogs differ from each other.
This is what became the basis of my admiration for this book: in fact, it is not about animals — it is about us, about people. It was interesting for me to understand myself: “Why, in fact, a dog and not a cat ?!” Having received an answer to this question from Lorenz, I suddenly realized that the cat was also interesting. The most curious thing is that when reading about animals, you begin to think about what friendship means to you, what is more important — to obey your beloved creature or to maintain independence.
And about what can reconcile with the need to learn something (piss in a tray, give a paw, speak English, etc.). Answering the question of how to choose a dog, Lorenz encourages understanding of an important problem: what, in fact, are we? The chosen breed may turn out to be a mirror for us, or it may be an ideal partner or an unattainable model. By reading about animals, we begin to understand ourselves better. We ask ourselves unexpected questions, and the answers to them can become a complete revelation for us.
The book is called A Man Finds a Friend. But it is important not only to find a friend, but also to be a good friend yourself, and Lorenz’s book will partly help in this. By the way, after reading it, I, a connoisseur and lover of dogs, seriously thought about the fact that maybe there is not enough kitten in my house.