Doggy people : the Victorians who made the modern dog / Michael Worboys.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Worboys, Michael, 1948- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dogs--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Dogs.

Dogs--Breeding--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Dog owners--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Dog owners.

Dog specialists--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Dog specialists.

Great Britain--History--Victoria, 1837-1901.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 299 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2023.

Language Note:

In English.

Biography/History:

Michael Worboys is an Emeritus Professor in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) at the University of Manchester.

Summary:

Victorian Britain produced many inventions that created the modern world: textile factories, steam railways, iron and steel bridges, postage stamps, pedal bicycles, electric lights, photography, underground trains and many more. To this list must be added the modern dog. Domesticated dogs have lived with humans for over 20,000 years, with different types used in work and sport, and for companionship. Function dictated form. Beginning in Victorian Britain, new human-canine relationships turned this on its head, as form trumped function. This book explores how, over just six decades, dogs were reimagined and remodelled into the animal we know today. In twenty biographical chapters, it explores the lives and work of the Victorian Doggy People who led these changes - first, by encouraging through example and actions the spread of humane attitudes and greater emotional and economic investment in dogs; and second, by creating new roles for dogs, in homes, sports and shows. Dog shows led dogs' bodies to be remodelled into discrete, distinct and standardised breeds.

Contents:

Front Matter

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

High society, low society

1 Queen Victoria

Family pets

2 Bill George

King of the Canine Castle

3 Jemmy Shaw

The Fancy

4 Duchess of Newcastle

Borzois and Fox Terriers

Celebrities and millionaires

5 Jack Russell

Hunting

6 Edwin Landseer

Canine character

7 Harry Panmure Gordon and J. P. Morgan

Collies

8 Alice Stennard Robinson

Ladies Kennel Association

Sportsmen and showmen

9 John Henry Walsh ('Stonehenge')

Breed and breeds

10 Richard Lloyd Price

Sheepdog trials

11 John Henry Salter

Coursing and field trials

12 Charles Cruft

Dog shows

Doctors and scientists

13 Delabere Blaine and William Youatt

Dog doctors

14 Charles Darwin

Evolution and emotions

15 Gordon Stables

Canine care and dog tales

16 Everett Millais

Basset Hounds and breeding

Campaigners and politicians

17 Mary Tealby

Dogs' homes

18 Frances Power Cobbe

Sentient creatures

19 John Cumming Macdona

St Bernards

20 Sewallis Shirley

The Kennel Club

Afterword

Pedigree chums

List of plates

List of figures

Notes

Index

Plates

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 06 Mar 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781526167712

1526167719

9781526167736

1526167735

OCLC:

1425555442