Dog's best friend: the story of an unbreakable bond

Title:

Author:

Garfield, Simon, author.

Personal Author:

Garfield, Simon, author.

ISBN:

9780063052246

Physical Description:

307 pages,16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm.

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

Introduction: the dogness of dogs -- The indelible image -- How dogs began -- Fido thinks maybe -- What Darwin didn't know about dogs (was hardly worth knowing) -- Dogs will heal -- The smartest dogs on earth and beyond -- How we got to Jackshi-tzu -- How to win a ribbon -- Dog story -- Through the hoops -- The art of floofiest -- Inglorious -- Born a dog, died a gentleman -- Discover dogs!

Abstract:

"Ludo is a dog--Simon Garfield's beloved black Labrador retriever, one of millions of canines who have become integral parts of our lives. But how did the dog become top dog? How did these faithful animals come to assist us not only in hunting, but in bomb disposal and cancer detection--and ultimately become our closest companions? Dog's Best Friend examines how this bond developed over the centuries, and how it has transformed countless lives, both human and canine. Garfield begins with the earliest visual representations--dogs depicted in ancient rock art--and ends at the laboratory that first sequenced the canine genome. Along the way, we meet the legendary Corgis of Buckingham Palace, the dogs of the Soviet space program, the world's first labradoodle, and a border collie that can identify more than a thousand different plush toys. Garfield reveals the secrets of the world's best dog trainers, takes us inside the wild world of dog breeding and dog shows, and unearths the deep psychological roots of the human-dog link. And Ludo pops his snout in from time to time as well."--Amazon.

Subject Term:

Dogs -- History.

Human-animal relationships -- History.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Main Library	Book	636.7 G	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West End	Book	636.7 G	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"A fascinating, informative and highly entertaining expedition through the highways and byways of dogdom." --John Bradshaw, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Sense

A charming meditation on the relationship between humans and dogs, drawing upon history, science, art, and personal experience to illuminate a magical bond that has endured millennia--from the New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type.

"Ludo is now an elderly gentleman, and we would do almost anything to ensure his continued happiness. We schedule our days around his needs--his mealtimes, his walks, the delivery of his life-saving medication (he has epilepsy, poor love). We spend a bizarrely large amount of our disposable income on him, and he never sends a card of thanks. When he's not with us for a few days, the house feels extraordinarily empty. I feel so fortunate to know him."

Ludo is a dog--Simon Garfield's beloved black Labrador retriever, one of millions of canines who have become integral parts of our lives. But how did the dog become top dog? How did these faithful animals come to assist us not only in hunting, but in bomb disposal and cancer detection--and ultimately become our closest companions? Dog's Best Friend examines how this bond developed over the centuries, and how it has transformed countless lives, both human and canine.

Garfield begins with the earliest visual representations--dogs depicted in ancient rock art--and ends at the laboratory that first sequenced the canine genome. Along the way, we meet the legendary Corgis of Buckingham Palace, the dogs of the Soviet space program, the world's first labradoodle, and a border collie that can identify more than a thousand different plush toys. Garfield reveals the secrets of the world's best dog trainers, takes us inside the wild world of dog breeding and dog shows, and unearths the deep psychological roots of the human-dog link. And Ludo pops his snout in from time to time as well.

A celebration of this deep interspecies connection, delivered with Simon Garfield's inimitable wit, Dog's Best Friend offers delights and insights for anyone who has ever loved a dog.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A British journalist and nonfiction writer explores the "rich, diverse, perplexing and complicated" relationship between humans and canines. Garfield wrote this book to answer one question: How did humans go from hunting with the wolf ancestors of modern dogs to pampering them with everything from "furs and bejeweled collars" to "electrically heated daybed[s]"? The human-canine relationship began roughly 15,000 years ago when human beings "settled in permanent places and threw things out." The bond between them grew so strong that scientists have hypothesized that certain dog features, such as expressive eyebrows, emerged as a result of "natural selection based on the preferences of humans." Personalizing dogs was an accepted practice as far back as the ancient Greeks. But where the Greeks gave them names to describe "temperament or ability," owners in modern European countries like Britain and France tend toward giving human names like Alfie, Bella, or Marcel, as though to emphasize their humanness. Cultures have long celebrated dogs in literature and art and made them the subject of spectacles like dog shows and track racing. However, such modern trends as breeding "designer dog[s]" and the penchant to anthropomorphize them--as suggested by William Wegman's portraits of Weimaraner dogs in "all manner of human garb"--suggest a darker side to dog love: Human affection for canines may be "spilling over into disrespect…[and] exploitation," and it may also be taking away from their animality, which is part of their appeal. In this well-researched and absorbing narrative, written with the same enthusiasm that characterized Just My Type and On the Map, Garfield explores the human-dog relationship with humor, intelligence, and warmth. The author also wisely reminds readers that it is the very "dogness" of canines that brings out the best in human beings and binds them to a "wider world…of responsibility and sociability." A dog fancier's delight. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.