Canines and humans have depended upon one another for tens of thousands of years. Humans took the initial steps of domesticating canines, but somewhere through the millennia, dogs began dramatically to affect the future of their masters. In A Dog's History of the World, Laura Hobgood-Oster chronicles the canine-human story. From the earliest cave paintings depicting the primitive canine-human relationship to the modern model of dogs as family members, Hobgood-Oster reveals how the relationship has been marked by both love and exploitation.

Canines have aided and been heir to humankind's ever-increasing thirst for scientific advancements, empire building, and personal satisfaction. They have tested equipment for space exploration, fought beside us in war, and advanced countless industries. But Hobgood-Oster reminds us that, just as canines would not have flourished without humans, humans would not have flourished without canines.

They have been our healers, licking wounds and providing therapy to the sick and troubled for countless years. Weaving together archaeology, history, and literature, Laura Hobgood-Oster conclusively shows that humans would not be what they are without the presence and influence of canines, that the human-canine relationship has never been one sided, and that humanity's temptation to exploit canines is never far away.

This was both an easy and a hard book to read. Easy because it presents the information in an organized manner; each chapter covers a distinct part of the human/canine relationship.

But also hard, because much of that information doesn’t present humans in a very good light. Too often, dogs have gotten, and still get, the short end of the stick. We use them for so many things, many of which put them in danger. At the same time, too often we discard them as if they were little more than trash.

My only disagreement with the author’s information is when they hypothesize about how the dog became the dog. Or, more to the point, how wolves did. They describe the pack as having an alpha male and female, without making it clear that that pair is the mother and father of the rest of the pack; even the lowest of the pack is treated well. If a wolf is killed, it’s by a wolf from another pack. It’s hard to imagine that any wolf would leave its pack in order to be even lower on the totem pole with humans.




Mount TBR 2023 Book Links

( Mount TBR 2023 Book Links 1-20 )

21. The Magpie Lord (Charm of Magpies 1) by K.J. Charles
22. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline
23. Wanderers (Wanderers #1) by Chuck Wendig
24. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
25. A Dog's History of the World: Canines and the Domestication of Humans by Laura Hobgood-Oster

In a remote outpost of Now Zad, in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, Pen Farthing and his troop of young Royal Marines survive frequent engagements with the Taliban and forge links with the local community. Pen's tour of duty will change his life forever, but for entirely unexpected reasons ...

Appalled by the horrors of a local dog fight, he intervenes to free the victims. One of these dogs finds his way into the Marine compound - and into Pen's heart. Soon other strays are being drawn to the sanctuary provided by Pen's makeshift pound, including one young mum who crawls under the compound fence carrying her newborn pups to safety.

But as his tour of duty draws to an end, Pen cannot leave the dogs of Now Zad to their own fates. he begins hatching plans to help them escape to a better life.

This is Pen's gripping account of his time in Now Zad, the friends he made there and the remarkable journey they - and he - undertook. Above all, it is the story of one man's courage and humanity and his fight to make a difference in the most hostile and dangerous environment - one dog at a time.

I’ve read books before where a soldier fights to bring home a dog he adopted in Afghanistan, but never before have I read where a soldier decides to help as many stray dogs as he can. But here, you’re introduced to a soldier who decides to do just that.

It’s an uplifting tale, though not all stories end happily. it’s still a pleasure to be introduced to the many dogs whose lives Penn makes better. Obviously, the entire book can’t be about the dogs. Penn is a soldier, after all. But through it all, his compassion and concern for his charges come through.

Not a lot of good came from this war, but it’s nice to know that something did. For these animals, Farthing is a hero. For me, too.




( TBR Book Links 1-65 )

66. Katherine by Anya Seton
67. The Bear Who Found Christmas by Alan Rodgers
68. The Elves of Cintra (Genesis of Shannara #2) by Terry Brooks
69. One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Helmand by Pen Farthing









Read a Book About Giving - One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Helmand by Pen Farthing

No wild animal captures the spirit of North America quite so powerfully as the wild horse--nor has any faced such diverse and potent enemies. In this provocative account, Hope Ryden--who helped to ensure the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which grants mustangs special protection--combs the history of these proud and noble horses.

Descended from the Spanish horses ridden by the conquistadors, they evolved into the tough and intelligent ponies that Indians--and later, explorers and cowboys--learned to rely on. From the period when wholesale extermination of the buffalo was under way until recent times, commercial and political interests have sought to eliminate the wild horses as varmints. In this update to this classic story, Ryden tells of the successes and failures of regulation, and includes stunning color photographs. The subject of a front-page article in The New York Times when it was first published, America's Last Wild Horses continues to be a compelling testament to the life of a uniquely American symbol of grace and wildness, and is a must-read for horse lovers and Western history enthusiasts everywhere.

This book was both an easy and a hard book to read. Easy, because it’s written in such a clear and straightforward manner. Hard, because it makes clear just how horribly Man has treated this animal, time and again putting his own greed before the welfare of this noble beast.

The easiest, and most interesting part of the book was the history of the wild horse, beginning with its start in the Americas as the tiny eohippus. Time would evolve them into the animal we know today, but not before some would take the journey across the Bering Straits. A lucky happenstance, since the original stock would be wiped out with the coming of Man from the other direction. So the horses brought over by the Spaniards were not an invasive species as our government prefers so name them (so, I assume, they don’t have the little protection afforded other species in our National Parks.) Instead, they were essentially coming home.

From the Spanish Conquistadors, to the Plains Indians, to their brethren in the East, all would find a need for the horse. But many of those horses would find their way to freedom, only to come up against the white man who would start a campaign of killing the wild horses of the American Plains and Southwest.

That campaign continues to this day, making the second half of the book difficult to read. While much of this part of the book is the history of the different breeds of horses, it seems that, eventually, all suffer when coming in contact with Man.




( Mount TBR 2020 Book Links )


BOOK BINGO 2020 - 13. Read a Book by a Female Author

Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman won the hearts of readers everywhere with his moving story of adopting an abandoned puppy named Lava from a hellish corner of Iraq. He opened the door for other soldiers to bring dogs home, and in From Baghdad to America, Kopelman once again leads the pack with his observations on the emotional repercussions of war.

Here, for the first time, Kopelman holds nothing back as he responds to the question, “Why did you save a dog instead of a person?” The answer reveals much about his inner demons—and about the bigger picture of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He talks about what it’s like to return to the States and examines the shocking statistics to come out of Iraq: Depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and broken relationships are at record highs for the men and women who serve there. Kopelman credits Lava with helping him to endure combat and the pain of war, as well as helping him deal with the surprising difficulties of returning to everyday life. Civilians have a hard time understanding what being a Marine means, and the adjustment to living among them is hard for these soldiers. This book attempts to shed light on that for all readers.

I have to agree with previous reviewers who were disappointed in the book not being so much about Lava as about Kopelman. I know the title says it’s about both their lives back in the States, but in that the book is very uneven-handed. In fact, there’s very little about Lava, who was the reason I picked up the book in the first place.

What made the book even harder to read was that the more I learned about Kopelman, the less I liked him. It didn’t help that the book starts out with him allowing a juvenile dog who’s had little training off-leash next to the street. And, no, it didn’t have anything to do with him not being a good person; it was more than he wasn’t a very good dog owner.

Things only got worse. It got sort of tiring, Kopelman’s obvious distain for those who haven’t served. And don’t even let them have an opinion about the war that doesn’t fall into line with his. Along with his constant describing of himself as bad-tempered, rigid, and judgmental, it got to be a bit much. It does sound as if therapy has done him some good, so hopefully it all worked out in the end.




Mount TBR 2019 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. The Outsider
2. War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
3. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
4. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
5. Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
6. From Baghdad to America: Life after War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog (Lava #2)


BOOK BINGO


1. Fantasy, Scifi, Paranormal - The Outsider by Stephen King
7. Biography/Autobiography Non fiction - From Baghdad to America by Jay Kopelman
8. Historical (fiction or nonfiction) - Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie, John Geiger
11. Female Author - Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon
15. Title is at Least Six Words Long - War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
20. A New-to-You Author - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

When Marines enter an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq, and hear a suspicious noise, they clench their weapons, edge around the corner, and prepare to open fire.

What they find during the U.S -led attack on the "most dangerous city on Earth," however, is not an insurgent bent on revenge, but a tiny puppy left behind when most of the city’s population fled before the bombing. Despite military law that forbids the keeping of pets, the Marines de-flea the pup with kerosene, de-worm him with chewing tobacco, and fill him up on Meals Ready to Eat.
Thus begins the dramatic rescue attempt of a dog named Lava and Lava’s rescue of at least one Marine, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman, from the emotional ravages of war.

From hardened Marines to war-time journalists to endangered Iraqi citizens, From Baghdad, With Love tells an unforgettable true story of an unlikely band of heroes who learn unexpected lessons about life, death, and war from a mangy little flea-ridden refugee.

Being a dog lover, I was immediately drawn into Lava’s story and the measures taken to get him out of Iraq. And even though I knew they were ultimately successful, I was on the edge of my seat through every setback.

The author does veer off onto other subjects from time to time, but, given the circumstances, I think he can be forgiven. An all-around satisfying story.




( Mount TBR 2018 Book Links )