Why would anyone want a dog with a snout so deformed it can hardly breathe just because it vaguely resembles the ones who used to fight bulls in Old England? What’s so alluring about a retriever with a pedigree that its owner can overlook the fact it's so hobbled by hip dysplasia that it can't even play fetch? Why is a pooch whose provenance in an imperial palace deemed superior to one from the local pound? What force is so powerful that it can compel people to go against all rationality and morality when selecting a pet? Why, good old-fashioned snobbery!
In his social history A Matter of Breeding, Michael Brandow examines this peculiarly popular form of elitism. Equal parts amusing and horrifying, his biting critique shows what outrageous lengths humans have gone to, shaping dogs into almost unimaginable shapes and sizes, in order to increase their own social status. This obsession has had far-reaching consequences not only for our so-called best friend but also for us, as it preserves beliefs about racial purity and class that we're no longer supposed to have.
