"I am sometimes afraid that I will not know the feeling again, that I will never again know what it is to be a dog among dogs....Since the change, I have been alone with thoughts I do not want."

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis

One of the more unique books I've ever read.  I get and agree with the comparison to Watership Down and Animal Farm.  A perfect pick for bookclubs since there is so much to talk about and the writing is lovely.  Definitely worthy of its Giller Prize win.

"I wonder", said Hermes, "what it would be like if animals had human intelligence."
"I'll wager a year's servitude, answered Apollo, that animals - any animal you like - would be even more unhappy than humans are, if they were given human intelligence."

And so it begins: a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs overnighting at a Toronto veterinary clinic.  Suddenly capable of more complex thought, the pack is torn between those who resist the new ways of thinking, preferring the old 'dog' ways, and those who embrace the change.  the gods watch from above as the dogs venture into their newly unfamiliar world, as they become divided among themselves, as each struggles with new thoughts and feelings.  Wily Benjy moves from home to home, Prince becomes a poet, and Majnoun forges a relationship with a kind couple that stops even the Fates in their tracks.