My Life in Dog Years Themes & Characters

My Life in Dog Years Themes and Characters

My Life in Dog Years is an autobiography because it is about Paulsen's relationship with dogs, but the dogs are the stars of the book. Paulsen declares: I am—I say this with some pride and not a little wonder—a "dog person." I make no excuses for unabashedly loving them—all of them, even some that have bitten me. I have always had dogs and will have dogs until I die. I have rescued dozens of dogs from pounds, always have five or six of them around me, and cannot imagine living without dogs. They are wonderful and, I think, mandatory for decent human life.

These are the most important facts a reader needs to know about Paulsen for My Life in Dog Years. Other facts come out in his stories of his dogs—that he likes to wander, likes challenges, and can be cantankerous—but that he loves dogs is the...
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