For example, Rosie who had been a mother for many puppies in her life started thinking about the litter she gave birth to and where it had gone.

Firstly, being able to project their actions to the future with the help of conscious thinking, the dogs start to reconsider their usual activities. Human intelligence brings danger and destruction to the animal world. The Shift in Dogs’ Perception of the WorldĪ dog without the ability to think or use language is a happy one. Their existence completely changed leading them to escape from a kennel, organizing a hierarchical community, developing a language, and writing poetry. One morning fifteen dogs in a kennel found themselves in a new condition, capable of seeing colors, thinking, analyzing, and feeling. Their argument became the beginning of a year-long experiment at the end of which the gods would see if at least one dog died happily. Two gods Apollo and Hermes wondered “what it would be like if animals had human intelligence” and whether animals would die happier or unhappier if they were intelligent (Alexis 14). The book presents an exciting plot discovering the characteristic features of humanity. The paper provides an analysis of the book from the point of view of dogs’ perception metamorphosis. Human intelligence that the gods give to the dogs does not make them happy but subjects them to continuous thoughtful considerations and emotional perception of the surrounding world that ultimately leads to suffering. Their mindsets change and the character of reality perception shifts thus imposing hierarchical structure in their ‘society’ and the ultimate lack of happiness. The author presents a well-built system of presumably relevant events that might take place if dogs obtained human intelligence. It introduces a unique perspective on the state of affairs in the world where dogs are given the ability to think, analyze, and critically perceive reality as humans do. The book under the title “Fifteen Dogs” was written by Canadian writer Andre Alexis in 2015.

Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis