Show Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred

Josh Dean

Feb 2012 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

Show Dog is the story of a lovable Australian Shepherd, Jack, on his novice tour through the exciting world of professional dog showing.

Following Jack from his first competitions in local school gymnasiums all the way to the great granddaddy of them all, the Westminster Dog Show, veteran journalist Josh Dean shines a warm, steady light on the trials that Jack and his plucky, dedicated owners come to face, and uses their story to explore the larger histories of dog shows themselves—the fascinating and sometimes bizarre history of purebred dogs, and our complex, heartfelt relationships to the pets we grow to love.

“A wonderful, charming look at the sport of dogs and dog shows and an absolute must read for anyone looking to get involved.” —Pat Hastings, AKC Judge and author of Tricks of the Trade

“A hilarious chronicle of blow-dried poodles, diva trainers and egregious canine puns. Above all, though, this is an irresistible story about the wondrous bond between humans and animals.” —New York Times bestselling author Mark Adams

“Filled with heart and humor, bringing to life extravagant characters, pampered pooches, and over-the-top humans without falling prey to tired stereotypes. That’s because it’s not really about animal beauty pageants; it’s about the unyielding bond between people and dogs and what they’ll do to make each other happy.” —New York Times bestselling author Jim Gorant

“Fascinating and funny . . . as I was sucked into the story of Jack the show dog, I began to understand the subtleties of the sport, the amazing talents of these animals, and the affecting human-and canine-drama behind the show.” —New York Times bestselling author John Hodgman

Ratings and reviews

I just loved the book. For me we have just started with puppies and shows and already sometimes we're 3rd to 10th place on the list in our town. We're a little unorthodox in dog shows, we're lucky to have the female Malamute for a bad man did something that we would of had to race her to the vet.

For those who love dogs and wonder what it would be like to have a show dog, this book does a great job of describing the challenge and thrill of the show world. With a light touch of humor, Show Dog tells an engaging story of one dog's road to recognition. Some language and humor was not high class, thus the 4 stars.

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About the author

Josh Dean is a former deputy editor of Men's Journal and was one of the founding editors of PLAY, the New York Times sports magazine. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Outside, GQ, Popular Science, and many others. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.