A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent [Paperback]

Mark Derr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Wherever humans have gone in the New World, dogs have been their companions, from the time people crossed the Bering Land Bridge some twenty thousand years ago.
In this remarkable history of the interaction between humans and dogs, Mark Derr looks at the ways in which we have used canines-as sled dogs and sheepdogs, hounds and Seeing Eye dogs, guard dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs-as he tracks changes in American culture and society. From the Spanish conquest of the Americas to the English colonial period, from the age of revolution to slavery, from World War II to the Vietnam War, Derr weaves a remarkable tapestry of heroism, betrayal, tragedy, kindness, abuse, and unique companionship. The result is an enlightening perspective on American history through the eyes of humanity's best friend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Derr (Dog’s Best Friend) takes a dog’s-eye view of American history, beginning with speculations on the dog’s first appearance in the Americas tens of thousands of years ago. Derr discusses the conquistadors and the use of dogs against natives, mentioning Panfilo de Narvaez and his crew, explorers who went to Florida dreaming of wealth, only to be starved out by the natives and "forced to consume many of their own dogs." While readers learn about the often grim roles of dogs in "settling" America ( used very often to hunt Native Americans, and later, slaves), few strong personalities, dog or human, emerge in this book, which sometimes reads like a chronological compendium of facts. Derr explains Washington’s remark about his "Tarrier"; follows Lewis and Clark with Seaman, the famous Newfoundland who accompanied them west, and notes that Lewis had an odd appetite for eating dog along the journey; explains how dogs were both used in and victims of the colonizing of America and during the civil rights era. He then rushes on to the next major event in American history, making little meaning out of his material. This book is nevertheless a solid history of dogs in America.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

If dogs did not come with the first people to enter North America over 10,000 years ago, then they were not far behind, and dogs have been part of the peopling of the continent ever since. Derr, writer-historian and author of a previous work on the human-dog relationship [Dog's Best Friend (1997)], presents a history of the dog in the New World, following their changing role in human societies and their importance to the survival of those societies. Using historical records and personal accounts from people living at the time, the author presents a story that ranges from the brutal Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and South America (greatly aided by their dogs of war), the use of bloodhounds to track runaway slaves and other prisoners, and the rise of the concept of purebred dogs. In the final chapter, Derr looks at the roles that dogs play in today's society and calls for changes in how we view the place of the dog. This fascinating history is both harsh and touching. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374529973
• ISBN-13: 978-0374529970
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tracker-Outdoors.com Review of A Dogs History Of America, December 14, 2004

By 

David Selman "Tracker-Outdoors.com" (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent (Hardcover)

Tracker-Outdoors.com found Derr's writing compelling and very well researched. He kindly shows just how many places and events dogs have been involved with. Derr's tales of mayhem, heroism, exploration, hard work, betrayal, kindness, abuse and love demonstrates clearly the elements that attract people to dogs. History enthusiasts will enjoy the historic content within these pages tremendously. A Dog's History Of America tells the remarkable tales of American history that will inspire dog owners of all kinds. Overall, we found Derr's book fascinating reading but somewhat disturbing. Mark Derr explores the roles of sled dogs, dogs of war, guide dogs and show ring dogs from a historical perspective. We highly recommend A Dog's History Of America to dog lovers, history buffs and those interested in American culture.

Tracker Outdoors
www.tracker-outdoors.com

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Reality, December 30, 2004

By 

Denise Every "Act as if what you do makes a d... (Upstate NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent (Hardcover)

While I found the book basically well written and interesting, I think Derr digressed a little too far into the biographies of some historical figures, such as Columbus and Custer, spending a fair amount of time on details of their lives that didn't really have anything to do with dogs. In a number of instances the information about the dogs seemed rather sparse and the digressive material seemed to be more of a filler. I was also surprised at some of the descriptions of violence (how the dogs that Columbus brought over were used against the Caribe Indians, as an example). Based on these descriptions of violence, as well as some other adult topics, it might not be suitable for youthful readers and perhaps ought to be screened by parents first. Granted, the reality of the harshness with which both dogs and people have been treated in history should not be hidden, but I was expecting a book for a more general readership, and found the descriptions of violence rather disconcerting here. On the plus side, Derr describes at some length the variety of dog types that Native Americans had (far more than I had realized), and I enjoyed the details about the various types that immigrants brought with them, and what important working partners they were. Dogs contributed much, and this book elucidates just how valuable they've been to us.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME BOOK, December 20, 2008

By 

Heather Wilkins - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent (Hardcover)

This is a great book. I can't believe so many have overlooked it. It is full of wonderful and relevant information to dogs and people today. Best I've gotten in a long time.