Morie Sawataishi had never owned a dog, but in 1944, when the Japanese man was 30 years old, the desire for one came over him like a sudden… craving. During WWII, snow country dogs were being slaughtered for pelts to line officers’ coats; working for Mitsubishi in the remote snow country, Morie decided to rescue Japan’s noble, ancient Akita breed—whose numbers had already dwindled before the war—from certain extinction.

Raised in an elegant Tokyo neighborhood, his long-suffering wife, Kitako, hated country life, and his children resented the affection he lavished on his dogs rather than on them. The book brims with colorful characters, both human and canine: sweet-tempered redhead Three Good Lucks, who may have been poisoned to death by a rival dog owner; high-spirited One Hundred Tigers, who lost his tail in an accident; and wild mountain man Uesugi.

To Western readers Morie’s single-mindedness may seem selfish and Kitako’s passivity in the face of his stubbornness incomprehensible, but former Washington Post staffer Sherrill (The Buddha from Brooklyn) imbues their traditional Japanese lifestyle with dignity, and Morie’s adventures (he is now 94) should be enjoyed by dog lovers, breeders and trainers.
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“Here’s a story of a rare life lived in sharp contact with the natural world–not just mountain and forest, but even more with that most interesting of species, the dog. These akitas have wildness in them, enough to bring it out in those who look into their eyes. There’s not a sentimental word in this book, but it will move you strongly.”
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

“Dog Man evokes the ancient myths: deep and quiet like high mountains in snow. Morie Sawataishi has learned from his beloved Akitas to embrace the wild. Read this book and feel that power.”
Neenah Ellis, author of If I Live to be 100

In Japan, Akitas, a noble dog native to the islands, are viewed as a national treasure. But during World War II, they were killed to near extinction for their coats and meat.

In “Dog Man”, Martha Sherrill shares the story of how these dogs were bred back to popularity as a nation regained its footing after a devastating war.

Specifically, “Dog Man” is the story of Morie Sawataishi, his love for Akitas, the landscape of Northern Japan and his long-suffering wife, Kitako. In 1946, as far as Sawataishi could tell, “there were only 16 Akitas left,” so he decided to start breeding. It’s unclear why he initially took on this cause with such fervor, but in the end, his large breeding operation helped to return the breed to prominence, reignited a country’s love for a cultural icon, and alienated his wife and children.

The lives of Morie and Kitako Sawataishi and their many Akitas is indeed a singular story. However, the author is a journalist who is seemingly unwilling to set aside her training. Sherrill, a former reporter for the Washington Post, takes a “just-the-facts” approach to what could have been an extremely engaging tale.

But, in the end, the sheer number of facts and shifts in focus turn the book into a somewhat bland and discontinuous exercise in fact-telling. Characters — canine and human — come and go and, unfortunately, are all given basically the same treatment.

At the end of the book, readers certainly will have learned a lot about Akitas, family dynamics, Northern Japan after the war, the job of breeding and showing dogs, even bear hunting.

What the reader won’t get is the promised tale, the real sink-your-teeth-into-it story of a man, his dogs and his almost obsessive need to cling to old-world Japan.
Sara Rose