Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats [Hardcover]

Bradley Trevor Greive (Author), Rachael Hale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009

Some pairings are just meant to be: peanut butter and chocolate, yin and yang, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. So it was only a matter of time before the stars in the universe lined up and suggested the collaboration between New York Times best selling author Bradley Trevor Greive and award-winning photographer Rachael Hale.

Teaming up on their first collaborative effort, Greive and Hale explain once and for all Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats. Now, before all you cat lovers find your fur standing on end, Greive is quick to stress that he is simply "prodog, not anticat. The purpose of this book is not to criticize cats or their owners, but to champion the many exceptional virtues unique to dogs."

What are these unique attributes that make canine companions superior to their feline fiends? (Oops, we meant friends.) Consider the following:

Put simply:

* Dogs are social. Cats are sociopaths.

* Dogs match up to people. People must match up to cats.

* Dogs teach us patience. Cats test our patience.

* Dogs give and give. Cats are the gift that keeps on grifting.

The bottom line is this: Dogs want love. Cats want fish.

Although Greive admits that there is something to be said for "soft, warm, and sleepy" (a.k.a. cats) as captured in Hale's cuddly feline photographs, he concludes that dogs would be the only ones with character enough to admit this fact, thereby once again positioning themselves as the superior pet, confidant, admirer, and friend.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since the debut of his best-seller The Blue Day Book, Bradley Trevor Greive has become an international publishing sensation. His books have sold more than 18 million copies in 115 countries. A former Australian paratrooper, BTG left the army to pursue more creative misadventures. Between qualifying as a cosmonaut for the Russian space program and writing books, BTG seeks out wildlife and wild places. He now spends most of his time in a tiny Tasmanian hamlet with his three Great Danes.

Photographer and best-selling author Rachael Hale is one of the world's most popular and successful photographers. Her endearing images have been published on greeting cards, calendars, posters, and stationery around the world, and her books have sold over 2.5 million copies in eleven languages. Born and raised in New Zealand, Rachael now lives in the south of France with her husband, Andrew, and a Dalmatian Boxer-cross named Kizzie.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; 1 edition (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740785133
• ISBN-13: 978-0740785139
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since the debut of his international best-seller The Blue Day Book, Bradley Trevor Greive has become an international publishing sensation. A former Australian paratrooper, BTG left the army to pursue more creative misadventures. He has been bitten by wild monkeys and rabid bats and was accepted into the Russian cosmonaut program--though those incidents hopefully were unrelated. He spends most of his time in a tiny Tasmanian hamlet with his three very large dogs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever, beautiful book, not sappy and foo-foo at all.., October 24, 2009

By 

Jadecat (Lake Orion, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

As the owner of 4 cats and 2 dogs I thought this might be interesting. I have no desire to look at pet books with cutesy pictures and sappy sayings about how wonderful this dog or this cat is. Blech. This book is nothing like that, yes, the photos are gorgeous, you won't see your ordinary cats and dogs here, especially the cats! The style of writing is perfect, you are chuckling to yourself as you read it and agreeing to the authors comparisons. As the author writes, "dogs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and most important, dispositions....cats, however all fit neatly into the same silhouette...only superficial differences and varying degrees of neurosis distinguish one breed from the other.". How true is that!?

There are 225 pages in the book, but it can easily be read through in one sitting. My favorite section was how dog became mans best friend. The author explains that all creatures had a chance to win that honor over the past thousands of years. When describing the chance the ostriches and emus had to become mans best friend, the author explains they "can't stop themselves from constantly peering over your shoulder, which, if unchecked, is certain to create serious paranoia". One reason cats didn't take the top honor, aside from the part that they just didn't care, is that "humans don't like to be watched while sleeping". Forgive my quotes of the book, but those show that it is written with humor and creativity.

Also for all the die hard cat fans, the author really does not dislike cats, you can tell he has some appreciation for them (even though he does fear they may cause the collapse of human civilization one day), and that he doesn't take pet ownership lightly. It is a responsibility that not everyone is suited for.

As I was reading through the book, I could easily think of several friends this book would be great for. It is a breath of fresh air in the vast field of dog and cat books. The photography is top notch, overall quality of book is excellent, I love how the pages are thick and don't stick to each other. Kudos to the author for a fun book to keep, look at, and read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On the Cat Planet, you need a good friend!, October 24, 2009

By 

Christina Paul (Anamosa, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Earth really is the cat planet, and this book wastes no time in informing us of this fact. There are more than two hundred million cats in the world than there are dogs. As someone who owns two Labrador Retrievers, and with a couple of ferral cats that have taken up residence in my barn, I have to say I found this book adorable! It is filled with wonderful photographs both of various breeds of dogs and cats in several "AWW!"-inducing scenarios. "Dogs are inherrently good. Cats are something else entirely." The statement is true and certainly illustrates the idea that dogs really are our best friends, cats merely treat us as acquaintences.

As a coffee table book I would recommend it to dog lovers of every kind, and I am sure a few cat lovers would get some amusement out of it as well. This book is mostly photographs, with a few cute phrases and a few paragaphs of good factual information and anectodes about man's best friend vs. felines. It would make a really nice gift for a dog lover or someone who shares their home with both types of creatures.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great gift or coffee table book, October 22, 2009

By 

Rob T "robtish" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book turned out to be a lot of fun. It's over 200 pages long, with full page photography on nearly every page (probably about 2/3 dogs and 1/3 cats). There's text on most pages, but it's usually brief, formatted in a way that works with the photo, and the words enhance the pictures. That's because the dogs and cats really have great character and expression in their faces, and the captions bring it out even more: "If you care for dogs long enough, they become members of the family...Cats become destructive housemates with bad breath" -- which might not be that funny on this review page, but is really cute when paired with photos.

This is a copy table book that people will want to sit back and read.