Dogs

In his book ‘DOGS: Working Origins and Traditional Tasks’ Mike has adventures with a broad selection of working types in order to experience that magical connection between a handler and his dog(s) going about the work they were originally bred for. It is about historical and traditional tasks, not all the jobs that dogs do for us today. It is a celebration of the human/dog partnership, which takes the reader into some interesting byways of social history. There are issues with so many of our modern breeds that have been bred solely for form, disregarding their functional origins, with consequent serious health problems for the dogs. On the one hand there is to much in-breeding with narrowly defined specifications and yet on the other hand, good breeders are the custodians of a precious canine heritage that will be lost if we abandon all attention to breed standards. This book does not pretend to have all the answers. However it asks questions and suggests that if, as a society, we want to do something about the future of our dogs then it is a good idea to have a better understanding of where they came from. The book seeks to further that understanding.