Companion Animal Psychology Book Club June 2019

“How did wolves evolve into dogs? Persuasively."--Kirkus Reviews.

Animal Book Club banner for June's book: Once a Wolf


By Zazie Todd, PhD

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This month the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club is reading Once a Wolf: The Science Behind our Dogs Astonishing Genetic Evolution by Bryan Sykes.

From the back cover,
"The author of Seven Daughters of Eve returns with a lively account of how all dogs are descended from a mere handful of wolves. 
How did wolves evolve into dogs? When did this happen, and what role did humans play? Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes used the full array of modern technology to explore the canine genetic journey that likely began when a human child decided to adopt a wolf cub thousands of years ago. In the process, he discovered that only a handful of genes have created the huge range of shapes, sizes, and colors in modern dogs. Providing scientific insight into these adaptive stages, Sykes focuses attention on our own species, and how our own evolution from (perhaps equally aggressive) primates was enhanced by this most unlikely ally. Whether examining our obsession with canine purity, or delving into the prehistoric past to answer the most fundamental question of all, “Why do we love our dog so much?,” Once a Wolf is an engaging work no dog lover or ancestry aficionado should be without. 20 black and white photographs"

You can find this and all of the books read by the #AnimalBookClub in my Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub

Are you reading this month's book? If you want to join us, details are here, or if you prefer to just leave your thoughts on the book you can leave a comment.

In addition to the book club, there is also a general Animal Books Facebook group for general chit-chat about animal books, without the pressure to read a set number of books a year. Details on the above  link.

 
Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats. 

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