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April 19, 2019
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Chloe Shaw

Chloe Shaw lives in Connecticut with her husband, two kids, two cats, and two dogs. She writes fiction and nonfiction.

What Is a Dog?

What Is a Dog?

Friendship, faith, and love, for starters—yet our relationships with our canine companions contain many more unfathomable mysteries

by Chloe Shaw | Monday, March 05, 2018
Spring, 1988

Spring, 1988

Time does nothing to lessen the pain of sexual assault

by Chloe Shaw | Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Pictures

Pictures

Reflecting on gun violence from the Happiest Place on Earth

by Chloe Shaw | Tuesday, April 03, 2018
Smarty Pants Podcast

Newsletter

THIS WEEK’S ARCHIVE PICK

2nd Look

What Is a Dog?

by Chloe Shaw

We admit that unofficial, national fill-in-the-blank days can sometimes feel contrived. (National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day, anyone?) But National Hug Your Dog Day (April 10) is too good not to celebrate, especially if it means we can revisit one of our favorite essays: Chloe Shaw’s “What Is a Dog?” from our Spring 2018 issue. After losing a beloved hound named Booker—described as a “wolf meets horse meets dinosaur meets tongue”—Shaw confronts the joys and inevitable sorrows of loving a pet. “A dog is a second chance. A dog is death and life. A dog is plush red carpet and fresh warm pee.” A dog is worth celebrating, and not only on April 10.