A Dog's History of America

How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent

Mark Derr

• Publisher: Abrams Press
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN:
  9781468309102
• Print ISBN:
  9781468302660
• Subtopic: Zoology

"A consummate and loving tribute to canines as well as a comprehensive history, seamlessly blending facts, anecdotes, and ideas." — Kirkus Reviews

In this revelatory book, Mark Derr looks at the ways in which we have used canines—as sled dogs and sheepdogs, hounds and Seeing Eye dogs, guard dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs—as he tracks changes in American culture and society. A Dog's History of America weaves a remarkable tapestry of heroism, betrayal, tragedy, kindness, abuse, and unique companionship. The result is an enlightening perspective on American history through the eyes of humanity's best friend.
 
"Includes stories of heroic dogs like Satan, who in WWI dodged bullets to take a message that saved a garrison under fire; the Alaskan sled team whose 1920s 'serum run' saved a town from diphtheria; and dogs in the Pacific who detected hidden Japanese snipers in WWII . . . A humbling reminder of the dog's remarkable spirit and intelligence in the face, even, of human cruelty." — Kirkus Reviews
 
"A history of the dog in the New World . . . fascinating." — Booklist 
 
"Takes a dog's-eye view of American history, beginning with speculations on the dog's first appearance in the Americas tens of thousands of years ago." — Publishers Weekly 
 
"Scrupulously researched, anecdotally rich, historically provocative and wide-ranging . . . Draw[s] on an impressive array of archival sources." —Bruce Olds, author of  Bucking the Tiger

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• 1. First People and Dogs Settle the New World and Finally Are Lost: Reassembling the Scant Bits and Pieces of the Vanished
• 2. Deadly Encounters: Dogs of Mayhem and Slaughter Take the New World for Spain
• 3. The English Take Hold, Spread Out
• 4. Washington, Lafayette, and Jefferson Make Revolution and Hunt for Dogs. The Sagacious Dog Appears. What’s a Man to Do Without His Hounds and Sheepdogs?
• 5. Crossing the Great Divide: Travels with Dog
• 6. Moving On: Coast to Coast and In Between
• 7. Polar Opposites: North–South, City–Country, Rich–Poor, Black–White, Purebred–Cur, and the War Between the States
• 8. Fights Indians; Runs with Dogs: The Domestication of the West Through Extermination
• 9. Don’t Fence Me In: Seeking New Frontiers When the Old One Closes
• 10. Civilizing the Dog but Forgetting the Man: Obedience in a World Gone Mad
• 11. Twenties Roar, Thirties Crash and Rumble: The Nation Falls into Depression. Dogs Work, Prance, Preen. Race Is the Thing
• 12. World on Fire: Hot War, Cold War, Race War, Guerrilla War—Peace
• 13. The Good, the Bad, and the Dog; or, New Games for Old Talents, Plus a Lingering Question. What Is the Dog?
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• Author
• Overlook Press
• Back Cover