Diary of a dog-walker - Edward Stourton

Based on the popular series of articles appearing fortnightly in the Telegraph , Ed Stourton muses on the meaning of life and all things canine as he walks his dog Kudu.

Anyone who ever walks a dog will know that if you are accompanied by a dog you can talk to anyone, and anyone can talk to you -- about anything. What is more, while we may know that a dog is just a dog, we continue to allow ourselves to speak and think of our dogs as friends, individuals with a full claim on our affections. "The reward is that dog-walking becomes like reading a novel, or watching a play: disbelief is suspended and for an hour or so, we are given licence to escape ordinary life. Fantasy flourishes and really quite trivial moments in a dog's life become a source of wonder to be laughed about and even worried over."

As Ed Stourton takes Kudu for his walk he finds himself considering the whole gamut of things canine: Just how well does he know Kudu -- and can our dogs know us as well?; do dogs perceive ownership as we do? How devoted is a dog? Are dogs ever really guilty? And why are they a symbol of depression when so much of the time our dogs cheer us up... ? Along the way he finds himself exploring much bigger subjects -- war, bravery; office politics, current affairs, all given sudden levity and a new sanity when viewed through the prism of walking the dog.

Funny, touching and surprisingly revealing -- this is a sparkling source of amusement and comfort for dog-walkers everywhere.