For more than 12,000 years dogs have been interacting with humankind on a domestic level, first tamed for purposes of labor. But the dog-human relationship goes much deeper than that, as illustrated in The Company of Dogs, a collection of fictional stories by many notable writers, including Amy Hempel, Antonya Nelson, and David Updike. Seeking to honor the "openhearted and inscrutable, the simple and complicated animal" that James Thurberso perfectly characterized some 50 years ago, the collected stories focus on our daily lives with dogs and the amazing array of complicated emotions that canines are able to elicit from unsuspecting humans. William Wegman's black-and-white photographs of his deadpan Weimaraners Man Ray, Fay Ray, and Batina grace the pages of this thoroughly enjoyable, tail-waggingly good book.

Companionship between a human and a dog connects these entertaining stories, many by well-known contemporary writers. The relationship is explored in a variety of ways. David Updike in "Out on the March" reflects on aging--a dog's and his master's: "I realize he has grown old without me." Bobbie Ann Mason ("Lying Doggo") traces the evolution of a marriage that owes its origin to a German shepherd. "Seeing Eye" by Michael Martone takes us to a town where guide dogs are trained. The limits of life, the inexorability of dying are experienced by people and paralleled by their canine companions in stories by Thomas McGuane, Robert Gillespie and Wright Morris. Supplemented by cartoons and photos (not seen by PW ) and a perceptive editorial overview, the volume, whose profits are earmarked for dog welfare agencies, is a treasure for dog lovers. Rosen is literary director of the Thurber House in Canton, Ohio.