Customer Reviews

Dog Eat Dog: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

"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.

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!

Recently, a friend mentioned he was thinking about breeding puppies. Luckily, I was already reading this book. After mentioning the schedules, money, paperwork, heartbreak, and blood, sweat, and tears that goes into dog breeding, he said "never mind"

Not only is Dog Eat Dog a brilliant expose on dog breeding, it focuses on the world of show dogs, a complicated place in which the slightest bump on a dogs shoulder can make the difference between winning and loosing, and where wirehair dogs have to be groomed by having individual hairs pulled out.

Though many breeds and breeders are mentioned, the main focus is on Mimi Einstein and her All Star Kennels, which breeds and shows Bull Mastiffs, massive, loving guard dogs. Many of the stories are touching, some will make you cheer outloud and one made my eyes water.

It's fast moving, well paced, and though a real tale it has a happy ending.

If you're thinking about getting a pure bred dog, showing a dog, or breeding for profit, please read this book first!

Highest recommendations.

'Dog Eat Dog' is the 'Orchid Thief' of the dog show world, but the obsession in this case is with Bullmastiffs, not orchids. Jane and Michael Stern have written an interesting, sweet, and sometimes sad book about the 'dog eat dog' competition in the American dog show ring. The sadness comes in when the authors describe the problems that we humans have wrought upon our best friends, by breeding for a particular and possibly arbitrary trait (size or hairlessness) and ignoring the consequences (hip dysplasia, deafness, birthing problems).

The authors suffered from the purebred dog syndrome themselves: "Some couples dream of a house, others of a baby; we could think of nothing more enriching to our tender relationship than the companionship of a drooling, flatulent Bulldog."

Richard, the Bulldog was an utter failure in the showring but if he was the genesis of "Dog Eat Dog", then he was a very successful Bulldog, indeed. Please read this book. It is a droll, ingratiating, doggy slice of Americana.

At first read, this is a highly entertaining, well written, humorous account of a behind the scenes look at the world of dog shows. However, after reading it once, I was left with a nagging feeling that it really shouldn't have been humorous, so I read it again, and, being a dog lover, I started getting quite disturbed. I and many others who love dogs have often thought that these beauty contests for dogs and the breeders who breed solely to win these contests are seriously damaging the genetic makeup of purebred dogs. This story, although it tries to present this side of the dog world in a positive light, if looked at closely it exposes many of the problems. The show dogs live a horrible life, travelling around cooped up in cages for years. The main character the book follows claims HER breed has no genetic problems, but an average lifespan of 5 years? constantly lame dogs? having to deliver all the pups surgically? breeding dogs that behave so badly no sane person would want to keep one as a pet? if this is a breed with no genetic problems, I don't want to hear about breeds that have problems! Over all, though, a very readable, informative book, something every dog lover should take a look at, and something anyone considering getting into the dog show business should read.

Alright, I must admit, I am a little biased. I have known Mimi Einstein, the subject of this fascinating book, since I was a child. She and her incredible dogs, the "Allstar Bullmastiffs" have been precisely captured in a work which intimately details the goings-on of a very unique and somewhat deranged land, the world of purebred dog showing. The book is an extremely telling account of this world, and a true and honest reference for anyone thinking about exhibiting their beloved Fido. The Sterns' language is, at times, grandiose and overbearing, but they really can't help it...so is the world of dog shows.

I have watched the Westminster kennel club show on USA for years. We just recently adopted a retired racing greyhound. Of course, we think she's wonderful...would anyone else?

After reading this book, I now know that I have no future in dog shows, but that's okay. I thoroughly enjoyed spending "the year" with Jane and Michael Stern, Mimi Einstein, Mugsy, Sugar, and yes, even Allen Levine (read the book to find out what *that* means!). Of course, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down and whipped through the book in an afternoon and evening. That's all?? I wanted more to read!

I have always loved Road Food, Square Meals and the Sterns' monthly column in Gourmet. I enjoyed them as much on the dog show trail.

I'm not a dogparent, but I take everyone else's hound to my favorite park in San Francisco, which is where I first saw a pack of Bullmastiffs in all their glory...their walker told me about the Stern's book and I rushed to learn about this odd looking cross between a rhino and a bulldog..I loved the Sterns other books, particularly the Bad Taste Encyclopaedia...now I and find Dog Eat Dog, for a non-dogshow neophyte trapped in the body of a diligent pooper scooper, a marvelous glimpse into the world of canine chaos. It's entertaining, whimsical and best of all, the reader's spared a bunch of dog show lingo. A wonderful gift for just about anyone whoever wondered why dogs show their lipsticks at the most inopportune time.

An easy read, hard to put down once you start. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. Any person in the fancy should be able to identify with Mimi, Jane & all the dogs with the trials and tribulations of campaigning a show dog. I know I sure can.