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Katz returns with a dramatic dog adventure to the edges of life in IZZY & LENORE: Two Dogs, An Unexpected Journey, and Me (Villard Books Hardcover; On Sale Date: September 23, 2008). In IZZY & LENORE, Katz examines two of his exceptional dogs and the mysterious power they have in their interactions with the humans around them. One healed his own soul and the other brought Jon into some of the most gratifying work of his life, that of a hospice volunteer in Washington County in Upstate New York. Izzy was an abandoned three-year-old border collie whose sketchy past and nervous disposition reminded Katz of the dogs he has been closest to over his life. As Katz taught this newest denizen of his animal menagerie to calm down and embrace the rhythm of life on Bedlam Farm, Izzy exhibited an uncanny sensitivity to, and tenderness toward, humans who were troubled, ailing, or ill. It was Izzy’s special receptiveness that led Katz to a pursuit he’d often pondered but never seriously considered: volunteer hospice work.

His new memoir DOG DAYS: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm allows us to live our dreams of leaving the city for the country, and shares the unpredictable adventure of farm life. From little Jesus (the newborn donkey who becomes the farm mascot) to the surprisingly sociable steer Elvis (weighing in at 2,500 pounds) and his comparatively svelte sweetheart, Luna, the creatures at Bedlam Farm find new ways to challenge Katz. Riding herd on the entire place is Rose, the workaholic border collie. Not even Rupert, the ram, can intimidate her. As for Pearl and Clementine, the Labs, their work is chomping down food (however revolting), tearing through the woods, and finding laps to snuggle on. The sheep, the chickens, and the cat all contribute to the hum (and occasional roar) of Bedlam. Last but not least there’s Izzy, the abandoned border collie, who, if all goes well, may soon become a Bedlam star. With good neighbors, a beautiful landscape, and tales of true love thrown in, DOG DAYS gives us not only down-to-earth animal stories told in Katz’s inimitable style, but a rich portrait of the harmonious worldthat is Bedlam Farm.

In this gripping and deeply touching book, bestselling author Jon Katz tells the story of his lifetime dog, Orson: a beautiful border collie–intense, smart, crazy, and unforgettable. From the moment Katz and Orson meet, when the dog springs from his traveling crate at Newark airport and panics the baggage claim area, their relationship is deep, stormy, and loving. At two years old, Katz’s new companion is a great herder of school buses, a scholar of refrigerators, but a dud at herding sheep. Everything Katz attempts– obedience training, herding instruction, a new name, acupuncture, herb and alternative therapies–helps a little but not enough, and not for long. While Katz is trying to help his dog, Orson is helping him, shepherding him toward a new life on a two-hundred-year-old hillside farm in upstate New York. There, aided by good neighbors and a tolerant wife, hip-deep in sheep, chickens, donkeys, and more dogs, the man and his canine companion explore meadows, woods, and even stars, wade through snow, bask by a roaring wood stove, and struggle to keep faith with each other.

Sometimes, change comes on four legs. In his popular and widely praised Running to the Mountain, Jon Katz wrote of the strength and support he found in the massive forms of his two yellow Labrador retrievers, Julius and Stanley. When the Labs were six and seven, a breeder who’d read his book contacted Katz to say she had a dog that was meant for him—a two-year-old border collie named Devon, well bred but high-strung and homeless. Katz already had a full canine complement—but, as he writes, “Change loves me. . . It comes in all forms. . . Sometimes, change comes on four legs.” Shortly thereafter he brought Devon home. A Dog Year shows how a man discovered much about himself through one dog (and then another), whose temperament seemed as different from his own as day from night. It is a story of trust and understanding, of life and death, of continuity and change. It is by turns insightful, hilarious, and deeply moving.

When Jon Katz adopted a border collie named Orson, his whole world changed. Gone were the two yellow Labs he wrote about in A Dog Year, as was the mountaintop cabin they loved. Katz moved into an old farmhouse on forty-two acres of pasture and woods with a menagerie: a ram named Nesbitt, fifteen ewes, a lonely donkey named Carol, a baby donkey named Fanny, and three border collies. Training Orson was a demanding project. But a perceptive dog trainer and friend told Katz: “If you want to have a better dog, you will just have to be a better goddamned human.” It was a lesson Katz took to heart. He now sees his dogs as a reflection of his willingness to improve, as well as a critical reminder of his shortcomings. Katz shows us that dogs are often what we make them: They may have their own traits and personalities, but in the end, they are mirrors of our own lives–living, breathing testaments to our strengths and frustrations, our families and our pasts. The Dogs of Bedlam Farm recounts a harrowing winter Katz spent on a remote, windswept hillside in upstate New York with a few life-saving friends.

Some of our greatest thinkers - Aristotle, Plato, Thomas Aquinas - and countless animal lovers have been obsessed with this question for thousands of years. Now, New York Times Bestselling Author Jon Katz looks for an answer and finds even more questions as he recounts the lives and stories of the residents of Bedlam Farm: Rose, his beloved workaholic sheepdog who runs the farm, and an array of gentle donkeys, industrious chickens, docile sheep, obnoxious goats and a murderous yet loving barn cat. Do these remarkable creatures have consciences? Do they possess free will and reason? Do they have a sense of self, or an existence in the spirit world? Do they shape their own lives? Or are we projecting onto ourselves traits we want and need them to have, allowing ourselves to be manipulated into trading food and shelter for what we see as unconditional love?

“My Place On Earth” is a collection of poems by Mary Kellogg of Hebron, N.Y. Mary has been writing poems for more than half a century, and only recently decided to share her powerful and poignant work with the public. This is her first book, and it also contains photographs by Jon Katz.

Visit the My Place On Earth site.

"Out of the Shadows" is the story of author Jon Katz's sudden and painful struggle with mental illness over the winter of 2007-08, and his return to the light.

You can see my photos at www.photosbyjonkatz.com or visit the Out of the Shadows site.