Collared: How We Made the Modern Dog

A Church Times Book of the Year 2024

'Essential reading' John Bradshaw, author of In Defence of Dogs

'Fascinating' Telegraph

'Funny, irreverent and enthusiastic, [Pearson] parades his love for all things canine' The Times

'Thought-provoking and often surprising' Country Life

The Week magazine 'Book of the Week'

Dogs are our constant companions: models of loyalty and unconditional love for millions around the world. But these beloved animals are much more than just our pets - and our shared history is far richer and more complex than you might assume.

Here, historian and dog lover Chris Pearson reveals how the shifting fortunes of dogs hold a mirror to our changing society, from the evolution of breeding standards to the fight for animal rights. Wherever humans have gone, dogs have followed, changing size, appearance and even jobs along the way - from the forests of medieval Europe, where greyhounds chased down game for royalty, to the frontlines of twentieth-century conflicts, where dogs carried messages and hauled gun carriages.

Despite vast social change, however, the power of the human-canine bond has never diminished. By turns charming, thought-provoking and surprising, Collared reveals the fascinating tale of how we made the modern dog.