Reviews for SOS Dog: The Purebred Dog Hobby Re-Examined

The average rating for SOS Dog: The Purebred Dog Hobby Re-Examined based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-01-30 00:00:00 Steve molsfsaff This book was recommended by a documentary maker I respect as a great but under-appreciated work on the state of purebred dog breeding. So I was slightly disappointed by the content. The authors talk about trying to educate the general public about the health of pedigree dogs, but the language was so dense and technical that I stupruggled with it. Ad I have a BSc Hons in Animal Care and work as a dog trainer. How a layperson could read the book, short as it is, without their eyes glazing over, I don't know. They admit to having spent a good chunk of their lives as pedigree dog breeders, showers and judges. And they are more open than many in the show world I've seen about the health problems suffered by purebreed dogs. It is a stance I admire. But their holier-than-thou attitude makes me think I probably wouldn't like them if I met them. They repeatedly describe processes, procedures and actions commonly carried out by dog breeders which would surprise and maybe even disgust the average dog lover, and immediately follow up by saying that of course, we've [i]never[/i] done [i]that[/i]. They give themselves the authority of experienced judges and breeders, but at the same time look down on others who judge and show. I also thought the book would mostly be about health, and there are chunks about that. There are also some interesting pieces comparing pedigree dogs in the First World to native dogs (that live withing tribes and villages and so are true domesticated dogs as opposed to wild natives) in the Third World, both behaviourally and temperamentally. And the passages on how modern dog owners do not always select the correct dog for their lifestyle, or expect a dogs natural behaviours to vanish because of their inconvenience would have been useful when writing my dissertation. But their solutions boil down to: native land dogs are the best and should be left alone, but since most of the Western World has none of those left only a select few well-educated and naturally gifted people should be allowed to own dogs, and if a pedigree dog gets ill with a genetic defect it should be left to die because evil veterinarians are only curing them to make themselves rich. This is hardly likely to gain favour or traction with modern dog lovers. They should focus on their ideas of better education and reopening breed registers to reduce the problems caused by generations of inbreeding would be much more practical and welcome.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-07-19 00:00:00 Sandra Shaver 5 stars because their positions on dog breeding make an awful lot more sense than most people's and it took some guts to write it as former judges/breeders. I crave a world where I would give it 2 because there are so many better books attacking the futility of trying to "breed for health" in purebred dogs (i.e. closed gene pools), explaining why cropping/docking is wrong, criticizing the practice of breeding for fashion over an animal's ability to perform its natural functions, and encouraging appreciation/preservation of landraces..... But this is not that world