Customer Reviews

Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Dog people vs. cat people. There are a number of other books on this topic and one wonders whether the author of this one will subject us to a "Cats Are Better." It's all in good fun, however, and the narrators zero in on many succinct truths. A poll released about a week ago showed cats lagging at about 41 percet favorabilty. Apparently Afro-Americans, Hispanics, and married men are amongst the stereotypes who don't like cats. Women seem to love them. Of course, all these things are generalizations. In the words of Rodney King, why can't we all just get along?

This "coffee table book" is approximately 8X10", very heavy (no cheap paper here) and full of beautiful photographs, but it is not just a photography book. On nearly every page, the author makes his case for why dogs are better than cats with a large dose of humor, amazing full-page photography by Rachael Hale, and above all, a clearly apparent love of canines.

This book is beautiful to look at, but it isn't just a collection of perfect-looking cats and dogs--many of the photos are hilarious. The text is full of tongue-in-cheek humor ("A dog would follow you to the edge of the world, but anyone who has tried to put kitty in a pet carrier for a six-minute car journey knows that cats ain't going nowhere for nobody."). There is an especially funny section how how dogs became man's best friend, beating out goldfish, monkeys and many other species for the honor.

In addition to being humorous, the book is endearing and full of unbearable cuteness, without ever being overly saccharine. There are two heart-breaking pages in which the author talks about what a dog will live through to stay with you and when he will finally leave. So powerful. So sad. And so true.

I must admit that I, too, like dogs better than cats. Like the author, I don't hate cats--I just prefer dogs. I enjoy what value a dog adds to my life. That is, in the end, what this book is all about.

I received this book and not only are the pictures funny and great to look at but the book itself is entertaining. Not just for adults, my niece had a good chuckle. A must have for any dog lover.

First off, I'm a cat person. But, I thought it would be pretty interesting to see how the case was made for dogs being better than cats. Well, after reading this book, I'm still a cat person, but loved how the author compared cats and dogs. There are a lot of humorous insights and just plain making fun of cats, but it doesn't outright condemn cats. It lists quite a few of their virtues, but then shows you how dogs are just better, hence the name of the book.

It's a very large, hardback book with a lovely cover and crisp, thick, glossy pages. There are full color pictures on nearly every page - of dogs AND cats, and sometimes together. Most of the pictures are quite beautiful and convey the personality traits we all love in our pets. The accompanying text, and there's actually quite a bit of it, is humorous, mostly truthful with lots of poking fun at cats, and very, very easy to read. A plus is that this isn't a book you need to read from front to back in order. The chapters, if you will, are mainly points of proof as to why dogs are superior to cats, so you can almost flip to any page and start reading.

If you are the type of person who loves cats so much you'll feel offended at all the name-calling and laughs at their expense, you might be a little offended. But, if you love dogs or know and love cats despite their many "flaws" (or, as I like to think of it, examples of their independent and self-sufficient personalities), you will thoroughly enjoy this book and will pick it up again and again to laugh and put a smile on your face.

I think this is such a great book however if you want to be FAIR you must
read LESSONS FROM STANLEY THE CAT: NINE LIVES OF EVERYDAY WISDOM. Cats and Dogs
are just animals until they become exceptional and then they are TEACHERS. Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom

With great photos and clever writing, this book is a tongue-in-cheek comparison of canine and feline friends. The book purports to prefer dogs over cats, but it makes both sound pretty great as companions and entertainers.
This is a fun read, and would be a great gift for any pet-loving person, whether of the cat or dog persuasion.

If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably won't enjoy reading this book. You may still admire the pictures, which are excellent and well-presented. And the design of the book (hardcover edition) is very appealing. The typeface is fairly large, skillfully set off by blank space and pictures. The photography is first-rate, and almost all of the animals pictured look adorable.

The author is witty and I found myself smiling many times as I went through the book. He also makes some serious points about pet overpopulation and reminds us that a tremendous number of animals wind up in shelters. But most of the time he is clever and humorous.

This book is a nice gift for someone who likes dogs. I have a couple of dogs and wound up appreciating them more after absorbing all the praise for their exceptional qualities.