The Truth About Dogs: An Inquiry into the Ancestry, Social Conventions, Mental Habits, and Moral Fiber of Canis familiaris Stephen Budiansky ISBN 0670892726 A look at dogs as they really are and how they became that way.. More information ORDER YOUR COPY Click on your country of choice. Add the book to your shopping cart before you browse. You can always remove it later if you change your mind. $25.49 $4.98 £

Reviewed by: Elizabeth Gredley

After you've read all the books about the benefits of the human-animal bond and dogs as  domesticated wolves, you have to read The Truth About Dogs.

In the first chapter, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Budiansky questions why dogs hold the position they do in human society.

 Dogs belong to that elite group of con artists at the very pinnacle of their profession, the ones who pick our pockets clean and leave us smiling about it. (p. 1)

If biologists weren't victim to the same blindness that afflicts us all, they probably wouldn't hesitate to classify dogs as social parasites. This is the same class of manipulative creatures exemplified by the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in the nest of some unsuspecting dupe of a bird of another species. (p. 7)

These quotes make it sound as if the author doesn't like dogs. On the contrary, he loves dogs but thinks dogs would be much better off if we accepted them for what they are.

Seeing dogs as they are, with doglike understanding, doglike motives, doglike perceptions, and doglike instincts, is to see them with respect for their true natures and true capacities, to see them as they are rather than as we, with our remarkably self-centered and limited imaginations, would imagine them to be. Grasping what make dogs tick is a way to avoid a lot of misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and unnecessary strife in our ever so peculiar relationship with them. (p. 11)

Having thus set the stage, Budiansky draws on modern scientific evidence, including DNA studies, to talk about how dogs came to be domesticated, how domestic dogs are different from wolves, and how dogs experience the world. He also discusses some surprising genetic facts about different dog breeds.

Having read many books about dogs and the human-animal bond, I found The Truth About Dogs to be refreshingly different. At times, I became a little irritated with Budiansky because I felt he was shortchanging dogs, but then in the next sentence he would clarify his statement and I'd have to agree. You owe it to your dog to read this book with an open mind.

Chapter Titles

The Irredeemable Weirdness of the Dog: An Introduction
Proto-Dog
Social Etiquette, Doggie Style
Canine Kabuki
Two Colors, a Million Smells
If They're So Smart, How Come They Aren't Rich?
Odd, but (Mostly) Normal Behavior
Troubled Dogs, Troubled People
Brave New Dogs