Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show

Tommy has done it again! We have a funny, insightful, and at times a heart tugging book. Dog lovers will be enlightened and view their fur-babies with deeper love. I had 63 highlights, my favorite : "It is such a normal thing now that we take it for granted. Two vastly different animals. One on two legs, one on four. No common spoken language. And yet, somehow, companions and friends. It is nature’s greatest magic trick." That is some beautiful writing! Be warned, chapter four "Conformation" might shock you, but rest assured, it's no animal cruelty, just... well, read and you'll see my point. Do yourself a favor and buy this book. You and your dog will be grateful!

This is the ultimate dog book. It explores the history of man’s best friend and also studies their relationship within the context of the Academy Awards of the dog world-the Westminster. The chapters have interesting top fives along with stories of dogs. Be prepared to cry and often. It was a great book that I read with my chihuahua at my side.

Dogland does a great job of covering dog shows. The dog facts are fun and interesting. I enjoyed this book. But I do not support all of the author's information about breeding purebred dogs. I have shown purebred dogs for over 30 years. But more important - I have loved and lived with dogs for my entire life and could not image life without a dog.Purebred dogs are not only bred for dog shows. They are bred for potential dog owners. That is the only way to select a dog. based on characteristics and not just on looks or seeing a cute puppy. You can actually take tests to match your personality to the best breed for you. Breeds can be rated on need of exercise, shedding, ease of training, good family pet, how much they bark, normal life span, could adapt to apartment life, etc. The only way to find a dog that is a good fit for your family is to do lots of research on the breeds. Then select a breed that best meets the criteria for your family. I have a friend that wanted a Clumber Spaniel for his family pet because he loved the way they looked. This breed was not a good match for his young active family.I think it is great that people adopt rescue dogs. We need people to do that to save these very special dogs. But you do not have much insight into what the dog is going to be like to live with. That is why lots of rescue dogs end up being returned. We also talk about how purebred dogs are not healthy. Well, that is because we have research on the issues that impact purebred dogs. There are no statistics on mixed breed dogs. I have known dogs that die young or from horrible diseases that were both purebred and mixed breeds. All of the purebred dogs that I have owned have lived long lives between 10-15 years, basically in the range that is described in the breed information, The dogs that i rescued have also had long lives between 10-12 years old.

Tomlinson's book is a comical and comforting distraction from the daily news, much like its subject, "man's best friend". Readers expecting a mocumentary like the movie "Best of Show" should realize that it is not a satire and that many of the author's ruminations are both wise and heartfelt. Nevertheless, the book should be as pleasant for the reader as a romp through the park with an inquisitive pet and will appeal to anyone who has ever loved a dog. Since there is one dog in the U.S. for every four people, this represents a formidable audience. A few photos of the breeds described and the people encountered would have been nice, but the book still merits a five-star rating because of its content.

this is one of those 'can't put it down' books. Especially if you are familiar at all with dog shows and the quirky people that inhabit them. Super easy read - very enjoyable. I hope to share it with my dog friends as well. If you liked the movie Best In Show, you'll love this book!

I'm not a dog person, generally. I've had dogs growing up but I've evolved into a total cat person. Nonetheless, I've been a huge fan of Tommy Tomlinson since he wrote for The Charlotte Observer, so I would never miss another book from him. Boy, was I happy to have made that choice! This book is so good, it's like a thriller you can't put down. I read it with my phone at hand so I could look up all the dogs he wrote about. Whether you are a dog fancier or dog lover, or even a cat person, or a bird person, or whatever, this will be a read you'll absolutely love.

This book could have been so much more. Could have been more humorous. Could have been more informative. Lost interest about halfway through, kept reading in case something interesting happened. Not meaty enough for a book, reads more like a magazine article.

I have shown dogs 9 years now and I wish my family and my friends would read this book to understand the depth to which we give ourselves to our dogs to be in the show ring.In the end this book made me cry, not because it was sad, but because it is such a true story of how much dogs mean to us and how much we mean to them.I could never have predicted all the heartache and all the triumphs showing my two Silky Terriers would have shown me, but I wouldn’t change a thing. they have been some of the richest experiences of my life.

If you have ever wondered what all the fuss is about with respect to dog shows, this lays it out for you. But if you want to know why dogs are the best thing that ever happened to the human race, this book will answer that too. I loved it.

I have been obsessed with dog shows and the Westminster Kennel Club since 2001. So much so that it led me to become a Junior Handler for five years and now an adult Owner-Handler. I also went to WKC in 2019 as a photojournalist on scholarship. I saw Striker show at one of his last Canadian shows in BC before he made his way down to the US to start his US campaign. This book was such a wonderful look at our lives with dogs, the history of Westminster, and a behind the scenes look at what it takes to have top show dogs.There were a few dog show nuances I felt were missed (ie. Don Sturz’s description of Trumpet was in fact mentioning important aspects of the breed/breed standard.) However, overall I really enjoyed this unique look into the unique and wonderful world of dog shows!