Dog World: and the humans who live there - Hardcover

Gingold, Alfred

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767916611 ISBN 13: 9780767916615

Publisher: Broadway Books, 2005

Synopsis

An entertaining odyssey through the obsessive, demanding, and colorful world of contemporary dog owners offers witty observations based on the chronology of dog ownership, from choosing a dog, to the emotional upheaval of training, to dog kitsch and memorabilia, with observations on the history of dog walking, the origins of dog food, scooping poop, and more. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

ALFRED GINGOLD is the author of several humor books, including the bestseller Items from Our Catalogue, a parody of the L.L. Bean catalogue. His articles on dog-related matters and the Westminster Dog Show have been featured on Slate and in The New York Times. Gingold lives in Brooklyn with his family and, of course, their Norwich terrier, George.

From the Inside Flap

In the fall of 2001, Alfred Gingold found himself succumbing to the undeniably endearing behavior of his family's new Norwich terrier, George, and becoming a member of what he calls Dog Nation: the 43 million dog owners and their 55 million dogs living in America today. In a matter of weeks, Gingold had become a firsthand ethnographer of the passions (read idiosyncrasies) that define dog owners everywhere. It was literally a case of puppy love.

The result of Gingold's shrewd observation is Dog World, which is structured around the loose chronology of dog ownership: choosing and finding a dog; feeding, walking, and cleaning up after the dog; the literal and emotional obstacle course that is training a dog; and on to the larger cultural realms of dog racing and, of course, dog kitsch and memorabilia. But the real delight of Dog World is in Alfred Gingold's narrative excursions through the canine universe, whereby he reports (and occasionally pontificates) on topics such as the untold history of dog walking, how dog food came to be, the urban art of scooping poop, and an analysis of the relationships great historical figures have had with their dogs.

Like Bill Bryson or Calvin Trillin, Alfred Gingold brings a particularly wry and comic perspective to the world. And whether one is a dog lover or a dog agnostic, Dog World will be a tremendously entertaining journey into mankind's canine love affair.

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0767916611
• ISBN 13: 9780767916615
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 228