Product Details

• Actors: Various
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Questar
• DVD Release Date: May 22, 2007
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000PMGKXY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,866 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham narrates this NATURE miniseries about the remarkable and enduring relationship between dogs and humans, and why dogs have earned a unique and fundamental place in the human heart. More than 750 million of us share our lives with dogs. We love and cherish them. But this most adored of animal companions was once the wild and savage wolf. How did this astonishing transformation take place? In spectacular location footage, NATURE shows how indispensable certain breeds have been to their people, from the Arctic's native Inuit and their sled dogs to desert dwelling Jordanians and the speedy saluki.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Planet of the Dogs, May 14, 2007

By	J. Branson (Seahurst, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The first time I watched this program, I was amazed at all the interesting facts I hadn't known about my three mutts, and I enjoyed the photography of dogs working and frolicking and just being dogs in such a wide variety of ways. The second time I watched, I paid closer attention, and the importance of what these scientists were saying struck me. If the reasoned speculation of this documentary is true (much of it is yet unproven) humans owe a debt of gratitude to dogs for enabling our entire culture.

Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, and they domesticated themselves. It wasn't our doing. Of course, the wolves who chose to live near, and then with humans didn't consciously choose to create a new species, but the domestication of the dog led to all sorts of other advancements. Dogs improved our ability to hunt, using their superior senses of smell and hearing. Dogs guarded our homes. Dogs helped us domesticate other animals, such as sheep and goats. The abilities of dogs permitted us to live in harsh environments, such as the Arctic, where we could not have survived alone. And all along the way, they have been loving companions, members of our families.

The importance of this documentary is hard to overstate. First, if you take away the domestication of the dog, then we would still be hunter-gatherers, probably less than a hundred million in population, and just another insignificant animal on the planet. ( As would be the wolf.) The knowledge contained in all the books on Amazon would not have been obtained if not for the success and lifestyle changes granted to us by our association with dogs. The co-evolution of two species has made all this possible. Homo sapiens cannot be rightly said to be a species in and of itself; it is a member of a species complex including Canis lupus familiaris, as well as cows, pigs, chickens, wheat, corn, etc.

The second important implication to take away from this documentary is: considering how critical the dog has been to our entire way of life, what other species might we associate with to our mutual advantage? We are currently driving species to extinction faster than we can even identify and catologue them. What fantastic advances in knowledge and culture might we be denying ourselves by blindly marginalizing and destroying other species?

Most people who watch this documentary may not be as awestruck as I have been by the magnitude of its implications. The documentary itself is not making these far-reaching claims, merely suggesting them. Even if you are just looking for some entertainment, you should find this program highly enjoyable. It contains excellent photography and travels all around the world as it explores the ordinary and extraordinary dog.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs R Us, June 5, 2007

By	Pepper Moon "Pepper Moon" (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews

This is a fascinating program following the development of our relationship with dogs. Through the same genetic information now indicating where on earth man developed and how he changed, scientists are following the dramatic changes the dog has undergone, including how special, how wondrous is the canine link to us

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs are truly amazing, January 14, 2008

By	C. Eichstead (Michigan) - See all my reviews

I just watched part 1 of this program on PBS last night. It was so good that I decided to come to Amazon and buy the dvd. I was amazed at the historical evolution of our 4 legged best friends. I found myself saying out loud "Wow" over and over again. It's that good. It gave me a new appreciation for my dogs and also talked about the relationship humans have had with dogs from the beginning. They are amazing animals, incredibly adaptable and historically very important to the survival of the human race. I will be buying this dvd to see part 2 and I'm sure it will be equally as enlightening and entertaining as the first part. Even if you aren't a dog owner I think you could appreciate the significance of dogs in our lives and the gifts they have bestowed on us throughout time.