A Dog's History of America : How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent |...

A Dog's History of America : How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent | Mark Derr | Tracker-Outdoors.com Review of A Dogs History Of America

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A Dog's History of...

	A Dog's History of America : How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent Mark Derr, 2004 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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.

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A fascinating tale not only of canine loyalty, but of human betrayal

A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent is the history of canine companions in America during the past three centuries - from sled dogs and war dogs to guide dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs. A fascinating tale not only of canine loyalty, but of human betrayal, including breeders' desire to shape animal's evolution so much that inbreeding was widely practiced despite scientific warnings and firsthand evidence of its role in causing birth defects. Not all tales of the dog are noble; some, particularly those victimized by the demand to create and aggressive breed, are notorious for turning on and sometimes even killing humans. A Dog's History of America strives to be thorough, objective, and balanced, portraying the truth as accurately as historical record tells it, and is a "must-read" for true dog lovers.

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Tracker-Outdoors.com Review of A Dogs History Of America

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.

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An intriguing slant on history

From its arrival 20,000 years ago with the first settlers crossing from Siberia, to its present as inbred pedigree and drug-sniffing cop, Derr takes a comprehensive survey approach to the dog. He examines the major incidents of our history - Columbus (no dogs on his first voyage; a mistake he never made again!), the ruthless Spanish Conquistadors, the Civil War, the Depression, WWII and more - from the point of view of the dog's mostly overlooked contribution.

Although the fact-filled narrative does not conjure up a lot of personality, the loyal character of the dog quickly emerges as crucial. One man's best friend is that man's enemy's enemy. Again and again dogs are trained to attack and kill - the Conquistador stories and those of treeing runaway slaves are particularly gruesome.

Dog loyalty has more benign uses, of course, and Derr explores most of them, from herder and hunter to celebrity companion and adventurer. Explorers, from Lewis and Clark to Ernest Shackleton, have depended on dogs for companionship as well as hunting, guidance or transportation. But in times of trouble doggie devotion has often led to the final sacrifice - sustenance. That best-friend thing has never been totally mutual.

Derr's writing doesn't sparkle, but his breadth of research astounds, and there's a compelling feel to the narrative that comes from the canine slant on familiar history. Dog-loving history buffs will particularly enjoy it.

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Gritty Reality

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.

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Torn between two opinions

I find the information contained in this book truly interesting, however the way it is written and structured makes it a difficult read. I am a tried and true dog lover, so the history of man's best friend fascinates me. I can't believe the buggers have put up with our mistreatment for so long! I am pushing myself through the book, because I crave the information, but the chronology and tangents have not made it easy. I am not sure how I personally would have structured it...maybe offering a visual time line...but I think a well-established writer could have done a little better.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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