âA fascinating, informative and highly entertaining expedition through the highways and byways of dogdom.â âJohn Bradshaw, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Sense
A charming meditation on the relationship between humans and dogs, drawing upon history, science, art, and personal experience to illuminate a magical bond that has endured millenniaâfrom the New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type.
âLudo is now an elderly gentleman, and we would do almost anything to ensure his continued happiness. We schedule our days around his needsâhis mealtimes, his walks, the delivery of his life-saving medication (he has epilepsy, poor love). We spend a bizarrely large amount of our disposable income on him, and he never sends a card of thanks. When heâs not with us for a few days, the house feels extraordinarily empty. I feel so fortunate to know him.â
Ludo is a dogâSimon Garfieldâs beloved black Labrador retriever, one of millions of canines who have become integral parts of our lives. But how did the dog become top dog? How did these faithful animals come to assist us not only in hunting, but in bomb disposal and cancer detectionâand ultimately become our closest companions? Dogâs Best Friend examines how this bond developed over the centuries, and how it has transformed countless lives, both human and canine.
Garfield begins with the earliest visual representationsâdogs depicted in ancient rock artâand ends at the laboratory that first sequenced the canine genome. Along the way, we meet the legendary Corgis of Buckingham Palace, the dogs of the Soviet space program, the worldâs first labradoodle, and a border collie that can identify more than a thousand different plush toys. Garfield reveals the secrets of the worldâs best dog trainers, takes us inside the wild world of dog breeding and dog shows, and unearths the deep psychological roots of the human-dog link. And Ludo pops his snout in from time to time as well.
A celebration of this deep interspecies connection, delivered with Simon Garfieldâs inimitable wit, Dogâs Best Friend offers delights and insights for anyone who has ever loved a dog.