Author Tells Heights Crowd How 'Dog Walks Man'

Some people walk their dogs as a chore.  Not author and journalist Jonathan Zeaman. He takes his dog out in order to have a meditation-like experience, which also gave him the material for his latest book, "Dog Walks Man."

The Leonia resident of 25 years was on hand at the Hasbrouck Heights Library on Thursday night in order to talk about his book, read passages, and sign copies. 

Zeaman’s newest book, "Dog Walks Man," was released in October 2010 through Globe Pequot Press, and just recently found its way to publication in England and Australia.  The author was first published in 1998 for his six-book series "Before They Were Pets."  His latest book continues to focus on his love for animals.   

“Hopefully this book ties together all of my interests,” Zeaman said.  “I am passionate about art, landscape, and pets.”  Zeaman has been an art critic for The Record for 25 years, as well as a self-admitted animal and nature lover. 

“Essentially, this book is about walking my dogs over a 20 year period,” Zeaman said.  “I noticed that when you walk your dog, you step into an alternate world.  You have to walk your dog, and you become a prisoner to the act, but it becomes a way for you to get a fresh look at your life.”

Zeaman found that this simple ritual helped him gain a lot of perspective on his life and a connection with nature. 

“I found that through taking a stroll with my dog, more and more of my life was connected to taking the dog for a walk.  The whole experience made me pay attention to what I see every day.” 

The idea for the book came from walking the family dog, Peter, who was named by Alex Zeaman, Jonathan’s son, because of his love of the movie "Ghostbusters" and the Bill Murray character Peter Venkman.  Zeaman and Peter would walk in Overpeck Park, and Zeaman felt such a strong connection to nature.  After re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s "Walden," and realizing his own relationship with nature, he decided to write a book about walking his dog.

“Dogs cannot understand what humans are doing when they are inside houses,” Zeaman said.  “Dogs do not know what television is.  Outside, both dogs and humans can experience the same thing.  You go into the same world as animals, where they can use their senses.”

The author says that the book is as much about himself as it is about walking his three dogs, Peter, who died at age 14, Luke, 11, and Ellie, 6.  Because of this, the road to publication wasn’t an easy one.

“When I was looking for publishers, some publishers didn’t think that there was enough of the dogs.  This book is more about having your dog next to you and going on that adventure.”

The reading featured several passages, including an excerpt from a chapter called “Good Bug, Bad Bug,” and a brief question and answer session, where the crowd was encouraged to share anecdotes about their own pets.  Zeaman offered his opinion on why the crowd, and people in general, love animals.

“I think dogs make people more sensitive.  They [dogs] bring you closer to the animal world, and I think people miss that.  We are very much cut off from nature now.” 

The book is available in stores and web sites like Amazon.com.