tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post6507634854556807462..comments2024-02-24T18:30:26.749-07:00Comments on prairiemary: DARWIN'S DOGSUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post-90233753956663582202009-02-28T16:02:00.000-07:002009-02-28T16:02:00.000-07:00Hi Richard. I second your nomination of Alston's b...Hi Richard. I second your nomination of Alston's book. Actually Libby and I were among his first readers and if you look in the acknowledgments you will find us. I think it is one of the best dog books ever!Steve Bodiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14434597061701369867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11838465.post-43313821919289445912009-02-28T08:28:00.000-07:002009-02-28T08:28:00.000-07:00I'd commend to you Alston Chase's lovely and tende...I'd commend to you Alston Chase's lovely and tender memoir of life in rural Montana on the Smith River, and he and his wife Diana's love of Jack Russell Terriers. It's called We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear, after the Kipling line. <BR/><BR/>But it is so much more. It digs into the human vanity and the horror of AKC breeding and pedigree, which he believes has virtually destroyed a number of breeds. He provides a rich history of terriers, and how breeding is demolishing them. He notes that the breed was founded by the Reverend Russell, from mixed terrier mutts with athletic skills. The reason the Jack Russell is such a healthy dog is that it has mixed blood. It's a mongrel, with outbreeding the norm. <BR/><BR/>He probes the metaphysics of pet ownership, and the absorbing question of whether dogs or other pets can or should be duplicated or cloned. And he probes what it really means to lose a beloved pet. <BR/><BR/>But the book is also a rich, anecdotal account of Montana life with pets, and has won much acclaim from reviewers. In that, he and Mr. Bodio have much in common, and wisdom to share with us all.<BR/><BR/>Richard WheelerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com