Brandow Has Critics Howling With Delight

MatterBreedingBrandow“This snarky look at the purebred-dog industry is a must-read for all dog lovers,” says Booklist in their starred review of Michael Brandow’s A MATTER OF BREEDING, forthcoming from Beacon Press. More advance praise after the jump! 

Kirkus Reviews calls it a “no-holds-barred defense of dogs that are the hapless victims of their clueless owners.”

Mark Derr, author of How the Dog Became the Dog, says, “Michael Brandow’s A Matter of Breeding is at once a keenly observed memoir of his days as a New York City dog walker, a thoroughly researched history of purebred dogs, and an often biting social critique of people, their dogs, and the world they have made for each other.”

A Matter of Breeding addresses a critical but often ignored ethical issue—dog pedigrees,” says Alan M. Beck, Sc.D., Professor and Director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. “Brandow exposes the underbelly of the dog fancy industry, showing what outrageous lengths humans have gone to—shaping dogs into almost unimaginable shapes and sizes—in order to increase their own social status. This book is not only incredibly important but is a delightful read with fascinating insights into the history and psychology of the pure bred dog world.”

Betsy Banks Saul, founder of Petfinder.com, urges readers, “If you’re considering welcoming a dog (or two) into your family, read Michael Brandow’s fascinating and eye-opening book before visiting a pet store or breeder. Brandow not only unearths the status driven history of so-called ‘purebreds,’ but exhorts us to love all dogs regardless of breed. A dog is a living, loving creature, not an accessory item and Brandow makes his case persuasively and with wit.”

 The book will be released in February, just in time for the Westminster Dog Show, but dog lovers can preorder their copies here

Share

Comments are closed.