Read Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs Cats Cows and Horses Gavin Ehringer 9781643130361 Books
Download As PDF : Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs Cats Cows and Horses Gavin Ehringer 9781643130361 Books
A thought-provoking and surprising book that explores the ever-evolving relationship between humans and domesticated animals.
The domestication of animals changed the course of human history. But what about the animals who abandoned their wild existence in exchange for our care and protection? Domestication has proven to be a wildly successful survival strategy. But this success has not been without its drawbacks. A modern dairy cow’s daily energy output equals that of a Tour de France rider. Feral cats overpopulate urban areas. And our methods of breeding horses and dogs have resulted in debilitating and sometimes lethal genetic diseases. But these problems and more can be addressed, if we have the will and the compassion.Human values and choices determine an animal’s lot in life even before he or she is born. Just as a sculptor’s hands shape clay, so human values shape our animals―for good and or ill. The little-examined, yet omnipresent act of breeding lies at the core of Gavin Ehringer's eye-opening book. You’ll meet cows cloned from steaks, a Quarter horse stallion valued at $7.5 million, Chinese dogs that glow in the dark, and visit a Denver cat show featuring naked cats and other cuddly mutants. Is this what the animals bargained for all those millennia ago, when they first joined us by the fire? 16 pages of color photographs
Read Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs Cats Cows and Horses Gavin Ehringer 9781643130361 Books
"Great book! I enjoyed it a lot!"
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Tags : Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows, and Horses [Gavin Ehringer] on . <strong>A thought-provoking and surprising book that explores the ever-evolving relationship between humans and domesticated animals.</strong> The domestication of animals changed the course of human history. But what about the animals who abandoned their wild existence in exchange for our care and protection? Domestication has proven to be a wildly successful survival strategy. But this success has not been without its drawbacks. A modern dairy cow’s daily energy output equals that of a Tour de France rider. Feral cats overpopulate urban areas. And our methods of breeding horses and dogs have resulted in debilitating and sometimes lethal genetic diseases. But these problems and more can be addressed,Gavin Ehringer,Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows, and Horses,Pegasus Books,1643130366,Animal breeding,Cats - Breeding,Cattle - Breeding,Dogs - Breeding,Domestic animals - History,Horses - Breeding,Human-animal relationships,ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (ETHOLOGY),GENERAL,General Adult,NATURE / Animals / General,Nature/Ecology,Non-Fiction,PETS,PETS / Cats / General,PETS / Dogs / General,PETS / Horses,Pets/Cats - General,Pets/Dogs - General,Pets/Horses,Technology Engineering/Agriculture - Animal Husbandry,United States
Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs Cats Cows and Horses Gavin Ehringer 9781643130361 Books Reviews :
Leaving the Wild The Unnatural History of Dogs Cats Cows and Horses Gavin Ehringer 9781643130361 Books Reviews
- My entire life I have either owned or worked with all of the domesticated animals Gavin writes about. I never stopped to think about the transformation from wild to mild. I assumed like everyone else, they were domesticated intentionally but Gavin delves into the process of leaving the wild in ways I never considered.
Each section deals not only with a detailed explanation of why animals chose to align themselves with man but goes deeply into the complicated ramifications of that partnership. What did the animals give up and what did they gain by coming to the fire (Gavin’s words, not mine)?
Gavin writes with authority and clarity of a well-researched subject he has first-hand knowledge of. His experience as a working cowboy, horseman and dog trainer flows into his writing and no matter how technical the topic, he delivers an interesting and fascinating read.
I particularly enjoyed his subtle humor that keeps the reader engaged on every level. His section on dogs is categorized as going from wolf to woof.
Most of us have been exposed to household pets but few ever learned how a particular breed came to be and it’s not what you imagine. His in depth research of intentional breeding practices across the globe shines a light on the successes and failures of cross breeding and selective breeding in a way I never considered.
There is so much more to this book than anecdotes about domesticated animals. I am amazed at the depth Gavin went to in order to document the Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows and Horses. - From every Cat, Dog, Horse and Cow who cannot speak, I would like to extend a heartfelt THANKS to Gavin! He has brought to light all the many ways humans have MESSED US UP, all for profit while completely ignoring our best interests. This is an amazing book for anybody who cares about animals.
- Excellent book for all animal owners and enthusiasts. Extremely well written and informative. An easy fun read.
- Great book! I enjoyed it a lot!
- Great book love how there is actually interviews in the book.
- Insanely boring. In my mind, I call this book "Hogs, Dogs, and Cows." I mean, seriously, who cares? This is the type of writer who will never write about anything important.
- Author Gavin Ehringer was a long-time contributor to stock horse-centric publications like Western Horseman, so it’s likely he won’t win any popularity contests for calling out the American Quarter Horse industry and competitive ranching disciplines (among others) for such gross injustices to modern equine domestication as flooding gene pools with “popular sire†effects and ravaging young horse potential before it can reach maturity through the allure of futurity systems. Nope, he’s not going to win friends. But his new book, ‘Leaving the Wild,’ published by Pegasus Books, Ltd., is nonetheless correct in calling out the domestication of horses, as well as cats, dogs and cattle, as all too often “unnatural.†As well as selfish and short-sighted. If you enjoyed ‘The Horse The Epic History of Our Noble Companion’ by Wendy Williams, who calls Ehringer’s effort a “powerful entreaty to animal lovers,†then ‘Leaving the Wild’ will also resonate with you. Like Williams, he weaves his own autobiographical accounts into his chapters so that we more clearly understand that these are not the judgments of a detached observer but the heartfelt connecting of the dots by one of our own tribe. ‘Leaving the Wild’ is an intelligent investment to the library of anyone who shares their life with -- and thus shoulders the responsibility for – the four-legged souls whose ancestors chose to accept and trust our domestication and who become the first to pay the high price for our mistakes.
