I was sent this link recently, it is a brilliant piece, and I will no doubt stretch my budget to the whole book. The extract looks primarily at the aged dog and humans’ attitude to aging.
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/89914/The_last_word_Why_old_dogs_are_the_best_dogs
From the book Old Dogs, text by Gene Weingarten and Michael S. Williamson