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Dogs are everywhere. According to the most current statistics, there are 72 million owned dogs in the United States (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2007). A trip to the local bookstore reveals many shelves filled with books about dogs: personal stories, breed profiles, training manuals, books on the psychology of dogs, and books about the connection between humans and dogs. A column published by John Grogan in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the death of his dog Marley was met with such an outpouring of support that it led to a best-selling book and blockbuster movie (Grogan, 2005). Cesar Millan has a highly successful television show on dog training (Millan & Peltier, 2008). Clearly people have a special affinity for dogs, even as they often treat them cruelly or abandon them.
Not long ago I had my thirteen-year-old dog Faeden put to sleep. I have been curious about and loved dogs most of my life, but Faeden was the first dog I was responsible for and lived with for many years. I adopted him from a shelter in Long Island, New York, when he was about two. He was a golden retriever mix, a big fluffy dog with a calm and friendly temperament. Faeden was witness to many changes in my personal life, including a major move, divorce, remarriage, and graduate school in clinical psychology. As a psychoanalytic therapist, I naturally wonder about the underlying dynamics of people and relationships. As I grieve the loss of Faeden, I find myself asking two questions. What are the psychological factors that contribute to the strong bond between people and dogs? And how does having a dog influence a psychoanalytic therapist? This article is one step toward answering these questions.