- Rex and Sparky [Garden, Joe et al.].
The Dangerous Book for Dogs.
New York: Villard, 2007.
ISBN 978-0-345-50370-1.
-
The Dangerous Book for Boys is all
well and good, but what about a boy's inseparable companion in
adventures great and small? This book comes to the rescue, with
essential tips for the pooch who wants to experience their canine
inheritance to the fullest. Packed cover to cover with practical
advice on begging, swimming, picking a pill out of a ball of peanut
butter, and treeing a raccoon; stories of heroic and resourceful
dogs in history, from Mikmik the sabre-toothed sled dog who led the
first humans to North America across the Bering Strait land bridge, to
Pepper, the celebrated two-year-old Corgi who with her wits, snout,
and stubby legs singlehandedly thwarted a vile conspiracy between the
Sun and a rogue toaster to interfere with her nap; tips on dealing with
tribulations of life such as cats, squirrels, baths, and dinner
parties; and formal rules for timeless games such as
“Fetch”. Given the proclivities of the species, there is a
great deal more about poop here than in the books for boys and
girls. I must take exception to the
remarks on canine auditory performance on p. 105; dogs
have superb hearing and perceive sounds well above the
frequency range to which humans respond, but I've yet to meet the
pooch able to hear “50,000 kHz”. Silent
dog whistles notwithstanding, even the sharpest-eared
cur doesn't pick up the six metre band!
Dogs who master the skills taught here will want to download
the merit badges from the book's
Web site and display them proudly on their collars.
Dog owners (or, for those living in the moonbat caves of western
North America, “guardians”) who find their pet
doesn't get as much out of this book as they'd hoped may wish
to consult my forthcoming monograph Why Rover Can't Read.
January 2008 