For more than 12,000 years the dog has coexisted with humans in the Americas, following pathways much different from those of dogs in Europe and Asia. New World dogs have been viewed as sacred and profane, as deities, as eaters of excrement, and as valued food. This entertaining and enlightening book examines the fluctuating status of dogs in Native America from prehistory to the present. Drawing on chronicles, ethnographies, archaeological reports, myths, biology, and a rich array of visual materials, Marion Schwartz investigates views about dogs in a wide range of native societies in North and South America. She discusses the early domestication of the dog and looks at how hunting and gathering peoples relied on dogs to help with the hunt and to transport food and goods. She provides details about the eating of dogs for ritual purposes or as a dietary staple. She describes how dogs were associated with the afterlife, where they functioned as guides or guards, and how dogs were buried in tombs or were sacrificed to the gods in many cultures. She examines pre-Columbian art to see how the dog was portrayed and the various meanings attributed to it. The book concludes with a description of the fierce war dogs brought by the Spanish to wreak havoc among the Indians--dogs unlike any the New World had ever seen--and how traditional societies reinvented their relationship with dogs after the arrival of the Europeans.

The New York Times best-selling account of how coyotes--long the target of an extermination policy--spread to every corner of the United States Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation." -Wall Street Journal Legends don't come close to capturing the incredible story of the coyote. In the face of centuries of campaigns of annihilation employing gases, helicopters, and engineered epidemics, coyotes didn't just survive, they thrived, expanding across the continent from Alaska to New York. In the war between humans and coyotes, coyotes have won, hands-down. Coyote America is the illuminating five-million-year biography of this extraordinary animal, from its origins to its apotheosis. It is one of the great epics of our time.

“A consummate and loving tribute to canines as well as a comprehensive history, seamlessly blending facts, anecdotes, and ideas.” —Kirkus Reviews In this revelatory book, Mark Derr looks at the ways in which we have used canines—as sled dogs and sheepdogs, hounds and Seeing Eye dogs, guard dogs, show dogs, and bomb-sniffing dogs—as he tracks changes in American culture and society. A Dog’s History of America weaves a remarkable tapestry of heroism, betrayal, tragedy, kindness, abuse, and unique companionship. The result is an enlightening perspective on American history through the eyes of humanity’s best friend. “Includes stories of heroic dogs like Satan, who in WWI dodged bullets to take a message that saved a garrison under fire; the Alaskan sled team whose 1920s ‘serum run’ saved a town from diphtheria; and dogs in the Pacific who detected hidden Japanese snipers in WWII . . . A humbling reminder of the dog’s remarkable spirit and intelligence in the face, even, of human cruelty.” —Kirkus Reviews “A history of the dog in the New World . . . fascinating.” —Booklist “Takes a dog’s-eye view of American history, beginning with speculations on the dog’s first appearance in the Americas tens of thousands of years ago.” —Publishers Weekly “Scrupulously researched, anecdotally rich, historically provocative and wide-ranging . . . Draw[s] on an impressive array of archival sources.” —Bruce Olds, author of Bucking the Tiger

Filled with illustrations reflecting the whimsy, the devotion, and the commerce that have shaped centuries of American pet keeping, a portrait of Americans' relationships with animals shows how the history of pets has evolved alongside changing ideas about human nature, child development, and community life. Reprint.

Discover the Historical Roots of All Dogs, History of the Hunt, Medieval Writings about Dogs, History of Field Trials, Dog Shows and Dog Associations, Spaniels Depicted in Artwork through the Ages, photographs of the English Springer Spaniels of today, and, Selected Pedigrees of Early English Springer Spaniels. Venture into the archeological evidence, modern DNA studies and the ancient descriptions of the masters, such as Plato, Aristotle and Pliny, as they wrote about ancient dogs. Settle back and enjoy the stories of dog heroism through the ages and meet some "real-life" working springers of today. Included is a guide to the early English and American pedigrees of the English Springer Spaniels during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Meet the ancestors of today's spaniels. Enjoy over 180 pictures of dogs and spaniels from cave etchings to show dogs. Come sit a bit and take the time to learn more about your most trusted family companion and best friend, the spaniel.

Howard M. Chapin's interesting and unusual study offers a look at dogs in the New England region during the 1600-1700s. He offers accounts derived from both Native Americans and incoming settlers, and includes archival evidence and photographs of artifacts. A dog fancier himself, Chapin sheds some light on a somewhat arcane and understudied aspect of animals in the early United States. This is one of the few studies of dogs in the colonial era and provides a foundation for further investigation. Howard Millar Chapin was a prolific writer who was especially fond of colonial American history. He was born in 1887 and attended Brown University, graduating in 1908, and then went into business, running his own jewelry store. Later he worked as a manager at the Providence Evening News, and in 1912, he became the Librarian of the Rhode Island Historical Society, until his passing in 1940.

This book retells American southern history from feral animals' perspective, examining social, cultural, and evolutionary consequences of domestication and feralization.