Dog Eat Dog: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows [Paperback]

Jane Stern (Author), Michael Stern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 1998

Canine competition wasn't always a pretty affair. In the early nineteenth century, "bull-baiting" and "ratting" were the sports du jour. By the middle of that century, however, another form of dog combat was slowly emerging: the more genteel but no less fiercely contested pedigree dog show. Today, the American Kennel Club sanctions over 11,000 of these shows each year.

Of the 20 million registered purebred dogs in America, some 2 million will compete in events around the country. In Dog Eat Dog, Jane and Michael Stern follow one kennel's dogs -- Mimi Einstein's Allstar Bullmastiffs -- through a tumultuous year on the circuit, from the opening weekend show III Princeton, New Jersey, to the nerve-racking season finale ten months later at the Super Bowl of dog shows: the Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden.

Along the way they explore a wide world of dogs: tiny, hairless polka-dotted ones like Randall, a Chinese Crested; giant, hirsute ones like the leonine Leonberger, Koko von der Heckenrose; and an assortment of Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Afghans, and more. At all-breed shows in Providence, Rhode Island, and Greenwich. Connecticut, and a best-in-breed specialty event in Plano, Texas, they put the reader in the crossfire of competition and explain the politics, tonsorial tricks, and gritty ambition that can make a show dog a champion and its handler a star.

Written with genuine affection for dogs and spirited enthusiasm for the equally entertaining people and rituals of the show world, Dog Eat Dog is a must-read for anyone who has ever owned a dog, showed a dog, or wondered what could possibly motivate those who do.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Following World War II, ownership of dogs in America?particularly purebreds?skyrocketed. The American Kennel Club (long established as the epitome of canine registries and events-licensing organizations), registers millions of dogs and sanctions thousands of championship and titling events each year. People involved in the sport of breeding and showing dogs often lead lives of total immersion in their canine activities. This book offers entertaining insight into that unique world. As casual participants, the Sterns (Jane & Michael Stern's Image of Pop Culture, LJ 10/15/92) enlisted the aid of longtime bullmastiff breeder Mimi Einstein and followed her through one year of activities, including the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show and the Bullmastiff National Specialty. We go on the roller coaster ride of breeding and handling decisions and longstanding rivalries. An enchanting romp through the dog show circuit that will entertain anyone who has even the most remote interest in show dogs.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Jane and Michael Stern have written 20 other books that chronicle American popular culture. Here they focus their attention on the joys and sorrows of professional dog breeding and dog shows by accompanying Mimi Einstein, owner of Allstar Kennel in Katonah, New York, as she exhibits her prizewinning bullmastiffs on the show circuit that culminates with the Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden. In the purebred competitive ring, "dogs are the soldiers in these battles, but tactics are planned and strategy is charted by human beings: breeders and breed loyalists, handlers and groomers." Between shows, readers will get to know Sam Kohl, director of the New York School of Dog Grooming, and Bill and Bonnie Wilson, whose passion for a Leonberger (a cross between a Newfoundland and a Saint Bernard) leads them into breeding with artificial insemination. Fans of bullmastiffs--the Sterns have two--as well as dog lovers in general will delight in this behind-the-scenes peek at canine contests and the people doggedly devoted to them. Jennifer Henderson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1st Fireside Ed edition (February 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684838923
• ISBN-13: 978-0684838922
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I've read that explains the world of dog shows., April 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: DOG EAT DOG: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows (Hardcover)

If you love dogs, but can't understand why anyone gets involved in dogs shows; if you've ever watched the Westminister Kennel club show on USA Network, and wondered what it's really like for the human contestants, if you want to know why anyone would turn their lives around for their dogs, this book is the best explanation I've read. Havings owned show dogs and raised show dogs, I've found it nearly impossible to describe to the uninitiated what it's like to show dogs, what it's like to be with dog show people, and why anyone would devote all their vacations and much of their disposable income to a sport where you're going to lose most of the time. The Sterns use a year in the life of a Bullmastiff breeder to get inside the world of dog shows, dog show people and expose the humor, pathos, bitchiness (both from the dogs and the humans) involved in a sport involving millions of dogs and owners, but one almost entirely foreign even to dog owners and lovers who don't show. It's funny and reads much too quickly. You'll never forget Mimi Einstein the breeder or her charges Rusty, Sam and Sugar

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Interesting, and True, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: DOG EAT DOG: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows (Hardcover)

"Dog Eat Dog" is an entertaining look at the dog show scene, and is a must for any dog fancier. The book thoroughly chronicles the life of a prominent breeder and her campaigning special, Rusty. "Dog Eat Dog" is humorous and interesting, and will have you repeatedly nodding your head in agreement. Read this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good--fast read!, July 1, 2002

By 

C. Thomas "cct816" (Overland Park, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dog Eat Dog: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this look into the world of dog shows. The author doesn't hide the truths of the ins and outs of the world of showing and breeding dogs. Quick read--I read it in a day. Very well-written. Great little book!