Customer Reviews

Dog's Best Friend: Journey to the Roots of an Ancient Partnership

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

 

 

The title of this book doesn't do as much justice as the subtitle. What a wonderful tribute to some lesser known breeds. I found their histories with man fascinating, and the photos excellent. I heartily recommend this book to true dog enthusiasts. What I found most valuable about this book is the information about man's influence on the developement of the featured breeds. The photos of the dogs in their homelands are a history lesson in themselves.

I agree that the title of this book does not do it justice, but the subtitle does. It's written like a series of National Geographic articles as they explore the role of dogs in somewhat primitive cultures around the world. Beautiful photos, great read, lousy title! I own hundreds of dog books; this is a favorite.

I enjoyed this book. It covers some unusual breeds or types and approaches them from a rather different point of view than most "breed books" do. Working dogs can really only be understood by their relationship to the humans they partner with. The authors acheived this understanding and obviously did their homework, though I would have liked to have seen more depth of coverage than a 134 page book could afford.

This amazing book will hold the attention of anyone who is interested in dogs, Anthropology, and the fascinating partnership between dogs and humans in many different cultures and climates. It shows how dogs have adapted to Geographical conditions, to cultural expectations, and how time and again dogs have literally kept humans alive in our struggle for survival. The relationship between dogs and humans, even working dogs like the greenland Huskies, are often cemented by affection on both sides, no matter if the dogs are not "pets". The photos are absolutly beautiful, the descriptions fascinating, and even though the text was translated into English and suffers some awkwardness in word choice in a few places, this does not detract from the book- I though it added to the uniqueness and charm.
In this book, dogs act as "guides" so to speak in an exploration of many exotic locations, interesting people, and diverse lifestyles. All I can say is "wow!- even people who are not "dog people" like this book if they are interested in travel and different cultures.