Extraordinary Dogs: book review

Extraordinary dogs is a collection of articles about dogs who assist human beings in an enormous variety of fields of life (and occasionally, as in the case of Scamp, who appears to recognise when nursing home residents are nearing the end of their lives; death). However it's much more than just a disjointed collection of anecdotes because each group of stories is introduced with a brief summary of the science that lies behind the dogs' abilities. It's not a book about dog training as such, but may benefit ordinary pet dogs by encouraging their owners to realise their need for mental stimulation and physical exercise. 

We tend to think that of working dogs as belonging to just a few specialised breeds, but this book shows that talent exists in breeds as unexpected as the little Chinese Crested, Yorkshire terrier and Miniature Schnauzer.

For anyone who wants to find out more, there's a useful list of organisations consulted, together with their websites, but I felt it was a bit of a pity that there were no other suggestions for further reading, or references to the science involved.

The Channel 5 series it accompanies is on now.

The Lost Dogs

This is the story of the 48 dogs rescued as the result of a raid on a dog-fighting breeding establishment in Virginia. The case was something of a cause célèbre due to the fact that one of the owners of the kennels was a highly-successful American Football star and, as part of his plea-bargaining arrangements a considerable amount of money was made available as "restitution" to be used for the rehabilitation of the dogs.

Without this financial resource it's unlikely that the more timid or dog-aggressive animals could have been saved—and in fact from a British viewpoint it's rather shocking that all of them might have been put down with no attempt at evaluation and before the case had even come to trial simply because the police had no funding to keep dogs long-term.

The cash windfall made possible what was effectively a trial project into the rehabilitation of dogs seized from fighting cases. The results are fascinating and in some ways it's a pity this write-up is so firmly aimed at a popular animal-loving audience. I hope some more in-depth studies will appear later.

Within its limitations this is a book with lessons for anyone interested in the "status dog" phenomenon and in rehabilitation of abused dogs. (A very clear lesson is that it can only be solved by dealing with the problem of young male human status aggression, not by regulating particular breeds of dogs). 

One  very surprising finding was that fearfulness was enormously more of a problem for the majority of the dogs on their journey towards normal life than aggression towards other dogs.

The Rescue Dog: A Guide to Successful Re-Homing

This is a really excellent little book which explains why rescue organisations have rules on rehoming which may seem needlessly obstructive to would-be adopters. Taking on an adult or nearly-adult dog who may have had bad experiences cannot be the same as starting with a pup who knows no other home than yours.

The authors are possibly a bit over the top about the degree to which rescue dogs are likely to suffer from fearfulness or anxiety — many dogs who need rehoming are stout, cheerful characters who take life in their stride. However it may save lives by helping owners to recognise that their new dog is not being difficult or "challenging" and just needs help to settle in and feel safe.

Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters

Filling the Ark by Leslie Irvine is a thoughtful discussion by one of the "new wave" of animal advocates. The author is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and also a volunteer with her local humane society who took part in the efforts to save pet animals following the devastion caused by Hurricane Katrina. She documents the huge suffering and loss of life which took place in livestock and research animal facilities and which received very little media coverage and argues that we should be pressing for effective risk reduction efforts for these animals. Intensively farmed animals are often much more vulnerable in emergency situations than dogs, cats or horses because they are closely confined and unable to make any efforts to save themselves. Leslie Irvine argues that emergency preparation should be part of welfare standards for farm assurance schemes for food production animals and of animal care and use standards for animals used in scientific research. This is an important book which should be on the shelves of anyone involved in campaigning for improved conditions for animals.

Incidentally, anyone interested can view the emergency preparedness sections which are part of the Freedom Food welfare standards.