Book excerpt: Steve Reider is the "doctor of dogdom," the "pooch prognosticator," the "wizard of woof," the "muse of mutts," and the "canine clarion." Nobody explains and describes the touching and hilarious intersection between the world of dogs and their human partners like Steve Reider. In his book Somedays You're the Dog, Somedays You're the Fire Hydrant, Steve has captured the wonderful, touching, hilarious, mystical, and precious relationships between dogs and humans in ways that anyone who has ever had a dog will understand. His stories and their accompanying illustrations will make you howl with laughter while simultaneously encourage you to reflect on the meaning of life. Most importantly, you will deeply appreciate how the world seen through a dog's eyes provides a fitting metaphor for our human foibles and imperfections. Somedays You're the Dog, Somedays You're the Fire Hydrant, is without question a funny book. But, when one steps back a minute and considers its' broader message, it becomes clear that Steve Reider has given us a unique "window" through which we can see the many ways that dogs help to cast a brighter light on the joys, sorrows, frustrations, contradictions, and hilarities of our own lives and of our fellow humans. Dr. Stephen Davis Professor Emeritus, Cal Poly Pomona