DOG EAT DOG: A Very Human Book About Dogs and Dog Shows

The owners of two bullmastiffs bring the world of dog breeding and dog shows to life, offering a portrait of the canine show circuit and following one kennel's dogs through a year's worth of contests

The Sterns (Way Out West, 1993, etc.), pop culture's Boswells, turn their attentions to more blue-blooded purlieus in this deeply satisfying chronicle of a year spent on the dog-show circuit. Some time back the Sterns owned a purebred dog, a flatulent bulldog, Richard by name. Richard was entered in a local show. Richard savaged the judge's trouser cuff. So much for Richard's championship season. No matter, the Sterns retained their fascination with the show ring, and this book is the result. Attaching themselves to Mimi Einstein, breeder and shower of bullmastiffs, they sought maximum immersion in the dog show ``subculture with its own rules, lingo, and codes of behavior.'' The Sterns tour with Einstein from small venues to large, from the early season Eastern shows, then the grueling summer show in Texas, to the apex of the circuit at the Westminster Dog Show in New York City, with many a stop in between. They detail the competitive maneuverings of the owners and handlers, breed trends, the search for bodily perfection according to the American Kennel Club standard. They delve deep, exploring the ``original intent'' of the breed (bullmastiffs have no white in their coat, for they were bred to be guardians of the night at country estates, where a splash of white might give them away) and how show dogs ``express the soul of the culture at large,'' a Stern specialty for any topic they tackle. There are forays into poodleland (how about a Royal Dutch clip and high-teased topknot?) and Canary Island Gripping Dog turf (they'd as soon be at your throat as look at you), but mostly the Sterns lavish their attentions on Einstein's dogs. Readers will emerge with a real feeling of kinship with Sam and Rusty and Mugsy Malone. Droll, warm, and impeccably researched--another Stern treasure. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Following World War II, ownership of dogs in America?particularly purebreds?skyrocketed. The American Kennel Club (long established as the epitome of canine registries and events-licensing organizations), registers millions of dogs and sanctions thousands of championship and titling events each year. People involved in the sport of breeding and showing dogs often lead lives of total immersion in their canine activities. This book offers entertaining insight into that unique world. As casual participants, the Sterns (Jane & Michael Stern's Image of Pop Culture, LJ 10/15/92) enlisted the aid of longtime bullmastiff breeder Mimi Einstein and followed her through one year of activities, including the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show and the Bullmastiff National Specialty. We go on the roller coaster ride of breeding and handling decisions and longstanding rivalries. An enchanting romp through the dog show circuit that will entertain anyone who has even the most remote interest in show dogs.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Jane and Michael Stern have written 20 other books that chronicle American popular culture. Here they focus their attention on the joys and sorrows of professional dog breeding and dog shows by accompanying Mimi Einstein, owner of Allstar Kennel in Katonah, New York, as she exhibits her prizewinning bullmastiffs on the show circuit that culminates with the Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden. In the purebred competitive ring, "dogs are the soldiers in these battles, but tactics are planned and strategy is charted by human beings: breeders and breed loyalists, handlers and groomers." Between shows, readers will get to know Sam Kohl, director of the New York School of Dog Grooming, and Bill and Bonnie Wilson, whose passion for a Leonberger (a cross between a Newfoundland and a Saint Bernard) leads them into breeding with artificial insemination. Fans of bullmastiffs--the Sterns have two--as well as dog lovers in general will delight in this behind-the-scenes peek at canine contests and the people doggedly devoted to them. Jennifer Henderson