From the time she is nine years old and discovers a Private Way full of the wonderful and creepy creatures of the wild-spiders, deer, moles, chipmunks, and foxes-Lauren Slater discovers in animals a refuge from the troubled life of her suburban home. As she matures, her bond with animals-raccoons, horses, swans, cats and, above all, dogs-strengthens and grows more complex and compelling. They offer relief from the pain of her mother’s mental illness, from a foster family where she feels not at all at home, from her own periodic bouts with depression. As a psychologist, a reporter, an amateur naturalist and above all an enormously gifted writer, she draws us into the stories of her love for the animals that are so much more than pets.