The Dog – Finding Your Forever Dog, is a unique breed reference book aimed at helping you find the perfect breed for you. The book features an abundance of breeds grouped by categories such as “Family Friendly” or “Guard Dog” or “Low-maintenance.”
The goal is to list them not by their AKC groups, but in a way that someone who wants a particular sort of dog might find them.
While I think the idea of the book is genius, I can’t say that it was perfectly researched. Chihuahuas for examples, are well known for dental problems, eye problems, heart problems, and slipping patellas. The only issues listed under “Common health issues” is hydrocephalus and retained milk teeth.
There aren’t any statistics on how common hydrocephalus is, other than small breeds like chihuahuas are more prone to it—but more common than slipping patellas? Heart problems? I strongly doubt it.
I also found it interesting that the “Shed until their dead” breeds don’t have warnings. The Alaskan Malamute mentions heavy shedding seasonally, but not that seasonally is for one month in the spring and 11 months thereafter.
Labs, another super heavy shedder, just mentions it needs “minimal” grooming. Honey, I can brush another dog off that dog most any day of the week. The fact that it doesn’t get a haircut doesn’t mean it doesn’t require a lot of grooming.
Sometimes, the grooming section doesn’t even talk about the grooming. The Siberian Husky’s grooming notes just say, “Thick and dense coat protects against the elements.”
Despite these flaws, I believe the book is still useful. All the family-friendly dogs are, in fact, family friendly. I checked on a few specific breeds I know to be difficult, and these have appropriate but not rude warnings. Akitas don’t always get along with other dogs—this is noted. Chows have a mind of their own. This is noted.
I think if you’ve never owned a dog before and want to do your research, this is a good start. I would not recommend taking this book as the gospel or leaving your research at that. If you think you’ve found the right breed, see if you can visit with someone who owns one and spend time with that breed to confirm it. This book alone isn’t good enough.
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