Dog's Best Friend: The Story of an Unbreakable Bond

"A fascinating, informative and highly entertainingexpedition through the highways and byways of dogdom." --John Bradshaw, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Sense

A charming meditationon the relationship between humans and dogs, drawing upon history, science, art, and personal experience to illuminate a magical bond that has enduredmillennia--from the NewYork Times bestsellingauthor of Just My Type.

"Ludo is now an elderly gentleman, and we would do almost anything toensure his continued happiness. We schedule our days around his needs--hismealtimes, his walks, the delivery of his life-saving medication (he hasepilepsy, poor love). We spend a bizarrely large amount of our disposableincome on him, and he never sends a card of thanks. When he's not with us for afew days, the house feels extraordinarily empty. I feel so fortunate to knowhim."

Ludo is a dog--SimonGarfield's beloved black Labrador retriever, one of millions of canines whohave 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 inbomb disposal and cancer detection--and ultimately become our closestcompanions? Dog's Best Friend examines how this bonddeveloped over the centuries, and how it has transformed countless lives, bothhuman and canine.

Garfield begins with theearliest visual representations--dogs depicted in ancient rock art--and ends atthe laboratory that first sequenced the canine genome. Along the way, we meetthe legendary Corgis of Buckingham Palace, the dogs of the Soviet spaceprogram, the world's first labradoodle, and a border collie that can identifymore than a thousand different plush toys. Garfield reveals the secrets of theworld's best dog trainers, takes us inside the wild world of dog breeding anddog shows, and unearths the deep psychological roots of the human-dog link. AndLudo pops his snout in from time to time as well.

A celebration of this deep interspecies connection, delivered with Simon Garfield's inimitable wit, Dog's BestFriend offers delights and insights for anyone who has ever loved adog.