The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection between Humans and Dogs

by Jon Franklin

A man and puppy exhumed from a 12,000-year-old grave sends a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer on a journey to the dogs Of all the things hidden in plain sight, dogs are one of the most enigmatic. They are everywhere but how much do we really know about where they came from and what the implications are of their place in our world? Jon Franklin set out to find out and ended up spending a decade studying the origins and significance of the dog and its peculiar attachment to humans. As the intellectual pursuit of his subject began to take over Franklin's life, he married a dog lover and was quickly introduced to the ancient and powerful law of nature, to Love me, love my dog. Soon Franklin was sharing hearth and home with a soulful and clever poodle named Charlie. And so began one man's journey to the dogs, an odyssey that would take him from a 12,000-year-old grave to a conclusion so remarkable as to change our perception of ourselves. Building on evolutionary science, archaeology, behavioral science, and the firsthand experience of watching his own dog evolve from puppy to family member, Franklin posits that man and dog are more than just inseparable; they are part and parcel of the same creature. Along the way, The Wolf in the Parlor imparts a substantial yet painless education on subjects as far ranging as psychological evolution and neurochemistry. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller Franklin shatters the lens through which we see the world and shows us an unexpected, enthralling picture of the human/canine relationship.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Science, Nature, Natural History, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and even moving book about the author's exploration into the history of dogs and the development of the powerful bond that exists between human and dog. Jon Franklin had been a science writer and, when a poodle named Charlie became a member of his family, realized that he had never given any thought at all to the special relationship that existed between humans and canines. How did it happen that a wolf was taken into the homes of humans, becoming "the wolf in the parlor?"
It became a very personal search for the answers for Franklin. At the same time, he discovered many things about Charlie, as the poodle grew from from puppy to companion--and, no surprise here, he learned things about himself. I think the book is a good balance between the findings of his research along with his speculations and the story of his own experiences with Charlie. Actually, I would have liked more about Charlie!
On a deeply personal note, there's a story that affects me very much. Franklin accompanies an animal control officer to pick up a puppy from a man who does not want it any longer. The man tells his children that the officer is taking the puppy to a farm and asks the officer to tell the children that. The officer refuses to say anything as he takes the puppy away. The officer is angry because he's taking the puppy to a shelter where he will have to euthanize (kill) it...This brought to mind my memory of a beautiful German shepherd that our family had when I was a small boy. We lived in a small house in Chicago and I think that my parents decided that the house was too small for a big dog. So, one day, the dog was gone. My mother said they had given away the dog to someone who would take him to a farm, where he would have more space to run and play...For almost 65 years, I have tried to believe that was true....One point that comes across in this book is that dogs have been our indispensable partners for thousands of years and they trust us completely and give us their unconditional love--and how often do we betray them?

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would be about the history and domestication of dogs, but it is really more about the author's search to understand his relationship with his dog. It is written by a journalist and has a lot of emotional fluff and very little actual science. I read a little over a third of the book before I gave up. Most of what I had read so far just detailed the author's search, such as going to the library to check out wolf books. Just not enough facts and science for me. Although the writing is good and flows really well, so it is very easy to read.

[David Rubenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is a journalist who is curious about the evolution of the dog. While I am often skeptical about non-fiction books written by non-specialists, this book provides some very interesting speculations about how and why the dog evolved from the wolf. Jon Franklin's hypothesis is that some wolves became "camp followers". They tried to glean food from the leavings of humans. Women would be on the lookout, and go to the wolves to kill one, and bring it back for food. Obviously, the women would not choose a "cute" or relatively friendly wolf, but instead would choose a snarling wolf to club. Over time, the friendliest, cutest wolves would survive among the followers. Thus, it was not a deliberate attempt by humans to domesticate an animal--it was just a fortunate by-product.

The author speculates about the interesting coincidence, that modern humans and modern dogs evolved at just about the same epoch, about 12,000 years ago. This may have been due to the retreat of the ice age. At this time, the wolf lost about 20% of its brain volume as it evolved into the dog. Also, our ancestors lost about 20% of their brain volume, as they evolved into modern humans. Franklin speculates that the dog took on some of the tasks that humans gave up, while humans took on some of the tasks that dogs gave up, while each lost some brain mass.

In other words, dogs and humans co-evolved, each becoming a species quite different from what would have evolved, had the other not existed. The author relates a story about how his wife's dog literally saved their lives when their house burned down. But, I won't spoil the book by revealing the even-more-important job that dogs perform for humans--read this fascinating book to find out!

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just exactly what is a wolf doing in my parlor?" Science journalist Jon Franklin spends nine interesting CDs (I listened to the audiobook) answering this question in the frame of evolution.

I would have given The Wolf in the Parlor five stars, but IMHO, the book didn't get personal soon enough. Instead of chronicling the history of his employment and laying out his credentials as a science journalist, he would have captivated the reader and hooked us for the ride much earlier if he had begun the story with the scene in which he proposed to his girlfriend and she responded, "Does this mean we can get a puppy?" As the book stands, I listened to an entire CD asking all the while, "What does this have to do with dogs?" and "Where are the dogs?" The photo of the old man and the puppy, a snapshot of an archeological dig, is an interesting hook, but I wanted something more personal.

I'm glad I stuck it out. The book delivers both scientific information and memoir in a sweet balance. For the the evolutionarily-minded dog-lover, it's a good story.

[Note: The subtitle of the most recent edition of this book has been changed. The book I listened to was subtitled, "The Eternal Connection Between Humans and Dogs." The newer subtitle is, "How the Dog Came to Share Your Brain."]

[Stina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh, I was not impressed.

The author's style, while it is probably enjoyable to read when used for short articles, gets tiresome with a book of this length. But the book's length could also be cut down drastically. The material is extremely repetitive, a lot seems like pointless dribble and fluff, and all in all the whole thing just seems like the author's musing and never seems to come to any hard points. He talks about "the wolf in the parlor" and "son of wolf, son of ape" far too much. It's in the title, okay? We get it. Now chuck the phrase and move on.

It was hard to stay focused. With the content and the author's style quirks repeating so much I would zone out, have a familiar sentence (or paragraph) catch my eye, and I'd come back thinking I must have lost my place and begun re-reading.

Other than knowing more about the origins of poodles than I did three days ago, I can't say I learned a lot. Perhaps if you haven't read much at all about the human-dog relationship you'll get more out of it. Certainly, there are points in the book that made me chuckle or that phrased something in an interesting way that made me go "Huh, never thought of it like that before." The little bits and pieces describing Franklin's experiences with the dog Charlie were interesting. I think, had he given more of that and less of the evolution/anthropology rambling, it would have been a far better book.

[Barry Cochran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Jon Franklin's website calls him a "New Journalist," this book is really a throwback to a much earlier age, one in which books like _The Origin of Species_ could be both literature *and* science. Those who like their science dry-n-dull, or those who prefer fluff only, will be lost by _The Wolf in the Parlor_, but as both a literary person, and a historian of ideas with a strong interest in science, I found it completely absorbing.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon Franklin's exploration of dog evolution and its ties to human evolution is an interesting read, but while presenting compelling theory is ultimately short on science. Franklin links humans and dogs in a symbiotic relationship that was ultimately responsible for the success of both species , which is plausible based on my own experiences as a dog owner and fits with what facts are available, but, as Franklin himself readily admits, the evidence is thin. After spending the first half of the book seemingly reluctant to present any theory until able to support it with science, Franklin ends up caving to the lack of supporting evidence and presenting his theory anyway. The theory is plausible enough, but is almost too basic--arguably self-evident to anyone who considers themselves a "dog person."

Considering that, the book becomes more about Franklin's own reluctant journey to becoming a "dog person" and understanding what that means. This would be fine if the subtitle to the book was something like "My Journey to Understanding Our Relationship with Dogs." The actual subtitle being "The Eternal Connection between Humans and Dogs" sets up a false expectation that the book will actually explain this connection in a more meaningful way. I don't deny the existence of the connection as Franklin presents it, but my ultimate reaction to the book is, "Tell me something I don't know."

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely not what I was expecting. Instead of a feel-good, sappy work about mankind's connection to their loyal dogs, The Wolf in the Parlor is a scientific look at the evolution of humans and wolves into the unique and symbiotic relationship we have now. Science journalist Jon Franklin interweaves his personal narrative of getting a puppy late in life with his research into dogs, spanning about twenty years - from when dogs were largely ignored to when wolves became a fad and dogs consequently got more research.

Franklin makes some interesting conclusions I hadn't heard about before, like the idea that the reason humans and dogs both lost brain mass 12,000 years ago (and subsequently began the rise to civilization and our current culture) is because of a natural tradeoff as dogs took over duties for humans, and vice-versa. I don't know if that is just pure speculation or if there's been actual research done into the topic, but it's an example of one of the interesting points Franklin makes in his book.

It definitely wavers into sappy territory at times, but mostly only when Franklin is talking about his own dog, and it is really difficult to write about one's pet without getting sappy. His observations of his poodle counteract the scientific narrative well.

[Steve H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll steal (or paraphrase) the review of a friend: A leisurely investigation of the co-evolution of dogs and humans. The main point, that humans and dogs are what they are today because of what they were and did for each other about 12,000 years ago, could be told in a relatively short scientific essay. However, Franklin draws out the investigation, sharing with us his history with his own dogs, his career as a science reporter, and his travels to dig deeper into the mystery of origins of dogs.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but that might be because I'm a dog person. There were some provocative thoughts, but it wasn't anything earth shattering. The most touching part was probably near the end when the author talks about the death of his family's dog, Charlie. Oh, and the memory of the dog catcher and the puppy -- that was poignant too.

If you're a dog person (which the author contends we all are), then no doubt you'll find something to take away from this easy-to-read and enjoyable book.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting thoughts on how dogs make us human or how humans have made canines into these furry parasites. Beneath it all we are a symbiotic couple. A bit wordy and memoirist, nothing terribly earth shattering but still a comfortable delve for those of us who want to know why some of us just love dogs. Its in our evolution.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm amazed that this guy is a Pulitzer-winning journalist. He renders an interesting topic boring due to his tiresome love for his own prose style. Not recommended.

[Adam Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book doesn’t know if it wants to be a science book, a memoir, a story about a guy doing research, or something else entirely.

The author loves to talk about how hard his research was instead of just telling us what he learned. That’s the kind of thing you can address in an introduction or an afterward, but not every single time you give us facts.

The book isn’t well-organized either. The chapters are divided by nothing in particular and the author didn’t even pretend otherwise — it’s not like the chapters were given titles highlighting their topics.

Within the chapters he bounces around between science and personal stories. This could theoretically be a fun method of bringing science to life, but really it just means he rarely completes a thought. Most chapters end with something like “and I had no idea what to do with that knowledge.”

I can’t deny there is some greatly interesting info in this book. But it’s such a slog through the words of a man who likes to hear himself talk that I’d rather have just done the research myself.

[Cheryle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can get through the first 4 or 5 chapters, you'll be hooked. There's lots of research detailed before you reach the "story" (as one friend called it). If you like reading about archeology, the brain, and lots of speculation and supposition, you'll be fine. But when you get to the "story," you'll find it was worth if!

[Shally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. As someone with a background in biological science and animal behavior, I was hoping this book would relate more to the actual genetic and evolutionary connections between wolves and dogs. Despite Franklin being a "science writer", this book fell short of everything I was hoping for and expecting. I got really bored with all the personal anecdotes, hypotheticals, and the author inserting his own opinion (without much scientific knowledge to back up his statements). I was expecting better, maybe that's why it was on the clearance rack at my local bookshop...

[JBF · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book had just a little bit too much science for me - these non-fiction slow reads just don't work for me sometimes. also, the author's hypothesis was not presented quickly or clearly enough for me.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Wolf in the Parlor" is about the search for the history of the man/dog connection- REALLY interesting book, well written, in conversational style...I just may be sad to finish it (not something I often say about non-fiction!)

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this very long and sometimes repetitive treatise on the human/canine relationship. It was good, but as I said....long.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really didn't like this. I couldn't even make it to the main thesis, with all the pointless rambling.

[Anjie Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy is a pompous boob who can't seem to follow a thought through to completion. Do NOT recommend!

[howardnstephanieestes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be so much better than it is. The author takes the reader down too many rabbit holes without reward. Reading this book is a struggle.

[Scott Bischke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book but couldn't get away from the fact there was no (for me) compelling story line that tied it all together. Franklin is a finewriter, but the book felt like a series of loosely-related magazine articles turned into chapters.

I learned a lot, sure, but not in a I-can't-wait-to-keep-reading way. It felt like the author dumped a lifetime of his own work into the story, and often the items he added felt only tangentially connected to the story of the dog and man co-evolution (the core focus, in theory, of the book).

I would have loved him to have stayed closer to his relationship with his own dog--when he does and then ties that relationship to some interesting science factoids about dogs great!--but instead he ranged so far and wide many times I thought to simply stop reading (or listening, in my case) and move on to another book.

Given this concern, and the fact that a bunch of factoids are repeated time and again and again in the book, I think Franklin would have done well to have a stronger editor. The book could have been shortened by 1/3 with no loss in valuable substance. Fine writing, just need to be shortened and focused -- both items to me the work of an editor.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read to date. The writing style is fantastic. Easy to read and follow; lots of good metaphors to help descriptions, and a good mix of biography and hard science and theory. I loved listening to the scientific adventures of the author and his relationship with his own dog.

This book is about humans. It's about dogs. It's about the companionship between them both and how we seemed to have evolved together. I learned a lot about how human and dog brains function and how both have evolved over time. I learned about modern dogs and ancient dogs. I gained new perspective on the domestication of dogs. I learned more about myself, and any book that does that is almost always a 5/5 from me.

Very interesting and would recommend.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit rambling, a bit longer than I think it needed to be. But had some interesting info. I liked the more personal parts about their own dog best. Heavy on evolution (dog AND human), & uh…philosophy(?). I would’ve given the reader 10 stars but for a half dozen or so oddly-pronounced words; but his voice modulation is a big part of what kept it interesting. [Just discovered he read “A Dog’s Purpose”, & “A Dog’s Journey”.]

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book could've used editing. There were interesting things in the second half like I learned that the dog days of August got that name because that's when Sirius, the dog star, is highest in the sky. I also learned that people who have flat affect benefit greatly from interaction with dogs.

[Carolina Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too much science for my taste. I'm more after the story of how the love for his wife's dog grew along while he was doing all the research related to dogs and human. So although I've been skipping the scientific pages (just blah-blah, for me) I plan to keep reading until the end. Sadly I lost the book by accident. So I had to order it again online and wait for about a month or so till it arrives to my door.

[Julie Perchynski]

This book surprised me. It was long and had so many details as Jon Franklin searched for the truth about man and dog's shared evolution. Maybe, just maybe, man and dog both survived because of their relationship with each. Fascinating!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for all dog lovers (and those wishing to understand dogs and dog lovers). Franklin deftly mixes his journalistic skills with philosophy, evolutionary biology and neuroscience, and memoire. I am hoping to positively apply what I learned to living with our new puppy, Ziggy.

[Tonyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, couldn't put it down.

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Lots of.facts, some interesting, some not. Could have been less wordy. I skipped through some