Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show

Tomlinson follows one dog, a Samoyed named Striker, through the last day of the Westminster Dog Show, where he is among the top contenders to be named Best in Show. From that narrative spine, Tomlinson's digressions include the history of dog shows and the nature of the dog/human relationship. The book was prompted, he says, by the question that came to mind while watching the Westminster show a few years earlier: Are these dogs happy?

Striker is not, at least in theory, being directly judged against the other dogs at Westminster. Instead, each dog is being judged against its own breed standard, a lengthy document describing the ideal dog of that breed. The winning dog should be the one that comes closest to its own breed standard. As show more Tomlinson explains it, "It's as if humans decided that George Clooney was the consummate man, and we measured all other men by which ones were the Clooneyest."

This is a charming book, filled with interesting bits of history and anecdotes. If you've ever wondered, for instance, why poodles are so often the victims of canine topiary, Tomlinson has the answer:

"Poodles, of course, are not born with preposterous haircuts. Those haircuts once had a practical purpose. In Germany, where poodles were created, the dogs were bred by hunters to fetch ducks. They were designed to have thick curls to insulate them from cold water. But they wound up with such dense fur that it was hard for them to swim. So their owners shaved the poodles except for the spots that most needed to stay warm -- chest, head, feet. As they came out of the fields and into homes, that fur proved perfect for sculpting. Groomers kept shaving parts of the poodle but went wild with what was left. The poor poodle ended up as a hybrid from hell: duck-hunter chic."

Thankfully, Tomlinson does not make the mistake of anthropomorphizing the dogs he writes about, as too many books about animals do. It is, in fact, one of his themes that we do not know, and likely never will know, what our dogs are actually thinking. Do they love us as much as we think they do, or is that just learned behavior that they know will get them food and shelter? Do they have any memories of their lives with us?

Tomlinson's an easy writer to read. His prose is graceful, and his humor is occasionally pointed without ever being mere snark. This is a delightful book. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. I found the author's insight into dog people to be spot on and often hysterical. I could not put it down, which doesn't happen often enough. Didn't do anything to change my mind about the shortcomings of the whole AKC purebred bit (something that I believe does terrible things to too many of these dogs), so I will continue to adopt mixed breeds in the future, but a fun read nonetheless.

nonfiction - a humorous look behind the scenes of dog shows that ponders whether show dogs (and dogs in general) are happy.