DOGLAND

Are show dogs happy? Are regular dogs happy? A dog lover examines these and other questions.

In this follow-up to The Elephant in the Room, Tomlinson, the host of NPR’s SouthBound podcast, delivers an easygoing look at dog show culture, which he calls "Dogland" and its denizens call "the fancy." Along the way, he includes tidbits of dog-related research, various "top fives"—e.g., Cartoon Dogs, Advertising Dogs, Dog Haters—and a section devoted to the saga of his own dear lab mutt, Fred. While some of the fun facts are well known (the breathing problems of French bulldogs), others are fresh, and all are presented in Tomlinson's disarming and humorous style. For example, writing about a politician in Argentina who cloned his late mastiff, he notes, "The weird part is that Milei considers the mastiffs to be his political advisers, via a mystic who serves as a go-between....If you think this in any way disqualifies him from office, welcome back to Earth from wherever you have spent the past few years. In November 2023, Milei was elected president of Argentina." One of the main narrative threads concerns Striker, a beloved Samoyed who took honors at the Westminster Dog Show two years running and was profiled in the New York Times. Tomlinson illuminates the personalities and practices of the characters on the dog show circuit, particularly the relationship of Striker and his handler, Laura King, who travels with as many as 20 dogs in a motor home she calls Betty White. "I came to think of the whole scene as something like the eternal caravan of Deadheads,” he writes, “except fueled by boxed wine and Big Macs more than LSD and falafel.” Readers will want pictures, but images of Striker and his competition are easily found online.

This book wants to lick your face. Let it.