Sirius.

By Olaf Stapledon.

Synopsis:
Thomas Trelone creates a dog with the intelligence of a human, named Sirius. He is born at the same time as Trelone's youngest daughter, Plaxy, and the two are raised together. Set before and during the second world war, and told from the viewpoint of Plaxy's husband, the book covers the span of Sirius' life.

Review:
At first I wasn't sure what to make of this book. From the blurb I half-expected it to be funny, and it could easily have been. However it was a scarily believable, and obviously well-researched account of a dog with the brain capacity of a human. Sirius is unable to communicate easily, and has difficulty coping with the fact that he can play no useful part in human society, and also finds it impossible to fight his animal instincts completely. Plaxy also has difficulties, as she has been raised with Sirius, and feels she is not entirely human as a result.
There is some brilliant characterisation, especially the way Plaxy and Sirius behave togther - falling out and arguing, even deliberately antagonising one another, but always making up afterwards.