Dog's Best Friend: Annals of the Dog-human Relationship

by Mark Derr (Author), Mark Derr (Author)

New
Paperback
2004
$28.58

In 1090, Mark Derr wrote a controversial article for the Atlantic Monthly challenging the American Kennel Club to cease overbreeding dogs which, in his judgment, has led to an epidemic of genetic disorders and the loss of temperamental soundness and working ability in most purebred dogs. In Dog's Best Friend, an expanded version of his contentious piece, Derr chronicles how man's relationship to dogs was formed and asserts that many of us are unknowingly cruel friends to our canine companions. Dog's Best Friend includes a history of how dogs were domesticated; an overview of dog types; descriptions of how dogs were, and still are, trained for and worked in a variety of jobs and sports; and how overbreeding for appearance can undermine the mental and physical health of dogs. Along the way Derr addresses a number of controversies, both political and scientific, and tells compelling stories about a great many - mostly large - dogs.

Synopsis

In 1090, Mark Derr wrote a controversial article for the Atlantic Monthly challenging the American Kennel Club to cease overbreeding dogs which, in his judgment, has led to an epidemic of genetic disorders and the loss of temperamental soundness and working ability in most purebred dogs. In Dog's Best Friend, an expanded version of his contentious piece, Derr chronicles how man's relationship to dogs was formed and asserts that many of us are unknowingly cruel friends to our canine companions. Dog's Best Friend includes a history of how dogs were domesticated; an overview of dog types; descriptions of how dogs were, and still are, trained for and worked in a variety of jobs and sports; and how overbreeding for appearance can undermine the mental and physical health of dogs. Along the way Derr addresses a number of controversies, both political and scientific, and tells compelling stories about a great many - mostly large - dogs.

$28.58

Quantity

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Edition: Revised
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 27 Apr 2004
ISBN 10: 0226142809
ISBN 13: 9780226142807

Media Reviews

Wide-ranging and well-written... Mark Derr''s book is a quirky and ever fascinating walking tour through the long history of dog human-relations.

--Christine Adkins Modern Dog Magazine (08/30/2004)
If you''ve ever owned a dog or are anticipating the purchase of one, this well-researched volume is a must addition to your library. --Ranny Green, Seattle Times

--Ranny Green Seattle Times
Wide-ranging and well-written... Mark Derr's book is a quirky and ever fascinating walking tour through the long history of dog human-relations.
--Christine Adkins Modern Dog Magazine (08/30/2004)

Author Bio

Mark Derr is the author of Some Kind of Paradise, a critically acclaimed social and environmental history of Florida; The Frontiersman: The Real Life and the Many Legends of Davy Crockett, and the forthcoming A Dog's History of America. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Natural History, Audubon, and the New York Times. He lives in Miami Beach.