What Is A Dog

Download or read book What Is a Dog? written by Raymond Coppinger and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An informative, well-written book on the evolution of all canids, including the wild types (wolves, coyotes, jackals, and dingoes)…Recommended.”—Choice Of the world’s dogs, fewer than two hundred million are pets, living with humans who provide food, shelter, squeaky toys, and fashionable sweaters. But roaming the planet are four times as many dogs who are their own masters—neighborhood dogs, dump dogs, mountain dogs. They are dogs, not companions, and these dogs, like pigeons or squirrels, are highly adapted scavengers who have evolved to fit particular niches in the vicinity of humans. This book present an eye-opening analysis of the evolution and adaptations of these unleashed dogs and what they can reveal about the species as a whole. Exploring the natural history of these animals, canine behavior experts Raymond and Lorna Coppingers explain how the village dogs of Vietnam, India, Africa, and Mexico are strikingly similar. These feral dogs, argue the Coppingers, are in fact the truly archetypal dogs, nearly uniform in size and shape and incredibly self-sufficient. Drawing on nearly five decades of research, they show how dogs actually domesticated themselves in order to become such efficient scavengers of human refuse. The Coppingers also examine the behavioral characteristics that enable dogs to live successfully and to reproduce, unconstrained by humans, in environments that we ordinarily do not think of as dog friendly. A fascinating exploration of what it actually means, genetically and behaviorally, to be a dog, What Is a Dog? is likely to change the way beagle or bulldog owners reflect on their four-legged friends.

Download or read book Beloved Dog written by Maira Kalman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-10-31 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maira Kalman, with wit and great sensitivity, reveals why dogs bring out the best in us Maira Kalman + Dogs = Bliss Dogs have lessons for us all. In Beloved Dog, renowned artist and author Maira Kalman illuminates our cherished companions as only she can. From the dogs lovingly illustrated in her acclaimed children’s books to the real-life pets who inspire her still, Kalman’s Beloved Dog is joyful, beautifully illustrated, and, as always, deeply philosophical. Here is Max Stravinsky, the dog poet of Oh-La-La (Max in Love)-fame, and her own Irish Wheaton Pete (almost named Einstein, until he revealed himself to be “clearly no Einstein”), who also made an appearance in the delightful What Pete Ate: From A to Z. And of course, there is Boganch, Kalman’s in-laws’ “big black slobbering Hungarian Beast.” And that’s just the beginning. With humor and intelligence, Kalman gives voice to the dogs she adores, noting that they are constant reminders that life reveals the best of itself when we live fully in the moment and extend unconditional love. “And it is very true,” she writes, “that the most tender, complicated, most generous part of our being blossoms without any effort, when it comes to the love of a dog.”

Download or read book What Is a Dog? written by Chloe Shaw and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2021-07-13 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the heels of her family’s beloved dog’s death, one woman returns to the canines of her past in order to imagine the human she hopes to become in the future in her memoir, What Is a Dog? Chloe Shaw is in a dog house of her own choosing. A married mother with kids, the death of Booker, her children’s eldest family pet, has left her reeling and reckoning with her lifelong relationship with dogs. Unable to shake the feeling a year later, she asks her family for some time alone to be with nothing but her thoughts and remaining canines, Safari and Otter—only to find the dogs of her past pawing at her every memory and running, sticks in mouths, back into her life. What follows is a meditation on one woman’s life through the dogs she's loved and lost. Since she was a child, Shaw had learned to escape the hardest parts of being human by immersing herself in the lives of her canine companions, an adaptive attachment that carried her to adulthood. Yet, in marriage and motherhood, Shaw finds herself facing her most human struggles yet. Her old ways of “being the dog” in the face of hardship prove destructive, and it’s not until she’s able to love herself and learn from the dogs of her past and present that can she truly thrive as a person, and show up for the family who needs her to be their person. With artful prose and a philosophical touch, Shaw takes us on an emotional journey anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog will connect with—and discovers dogs do more than just make our lives better—they quietly (and sometimes loudly) pull us boldly toward the person we were always meant to be.

Download or read book What's a Dog For? written by John Homans and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-11-08 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Homans adopted his dog, Stella, from a shelter for all the usual reasons: fond memories of dogs from his past, a companion for his son, an excuse for long walks around the neighborhood. Soon enough, she is happily ensconced in the daily workings of his family. And not only that: Stella is treated like a family member—in ways that dogs of his youth were not. Spending humanlike sums on vet bills, questioning her diet and exercise regimens, contemplating her happiness—how had this all come to pass, when the dogs from Homans’s childhood seemed quite content living mostly out in the yard? In What’s a Dog For?, Homans explores the dog’s complex and prominent place in our world and how it came to be. Evolving from wild animals to working animals to nearly human members of our social fabric, dogs are now the subject of serious scientific studies concerning pet ownership, evolutionary theory, and even cognitive science. From new insights into what makes dogs so appealing to humans to the health benefits associated with owning a dog, Homans investigates why the human-canine relationship has evolved so rapidly—how dogs moved into our families, our homes, and sometimes even our beds in the span of a generation, becoming a $53 billion industry in the United States in the process. As dogs take their place as coddled family members and their numbers balloon to more than seventy-seven million in the United States alone, it’s no surprise that canine culture at large is also undergoing a massive transformation. They are now subject to many of the same questions of rights and ethics as people, and the politics of dogs are more tumultuous and public than ever— with fierce moral battles raging over kill shelters, puppy mills, and breed standards. Incorporating interviews and research from scientists, activists, breeders, and trainers, What’s a Dog For? investigates how dogs have reached this exalted status and why they hold such fascination for us. With one paw in the animal world and one paw in the human world, it turns out they have much to teach us about love, death, and morality—and ultimately, in their closeness and difference, about what it means to be human.

Download or read book What Is a Dog Sled? (Level 4 Reader) written by Rivet and published by Google. This book was released on 2019-07-30 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From first introductions to deep dives into the wonders of our world, Rivet nonfiction books fascinate young readers. A level 4 reader in the Transportation around the World series, What Is a Dog Sled? will feed readers' curiosity about Transportation and Animals.

Download or read book What's My Dog Thinking? written by Hannah Molloy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the true meaning of dog behavior to form the deepest bond with your canine companion. What does it really mean when a dog rolls over and shows their tummy? They're not always looking for a belly rub... Drawing on the latest research in dog psychology, this book reveals the secret meanings behind more than 80 canine behaviors, including the seven types of dog greetings and why some dogs eat your underwear! Packed with dog watching tips and positive reinforcement training advice, this book will help you keep your dog happy, stimulated - and adorable!

Download or read book What Is the Name of Your Dog? written by Doug Hawkins and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a tale of the first male elementary teacher in a school district in Southern California. The author takes the reader along a journey from the first day of teaching in a 6th grade class to the end of the first year as an elementary school teacher. The story shows the relationship between a mentor teacher and new teacher as he maneuvers the daily struggles and celebrations of teaching in a public school system. The story revolved around a teacher, his guide, and the students that taught him to become the very best teacher he could be. The story showcases how doing real world activities with students impact their curiosity to learn and deepens a teachers drive to love to teach.