Kim Kavin > Quotes

“Hare and Woods, who is known for her research of bonobos, or great apes, joined a growing number of cognitive scientists and ethologists who, only since about the mid-1990s, have been shaping the modern study of dogs and trying to prove, or disprove, what most everyday dog lovers take for granted when talking about dogs and breeds. These experts are applying the scientific method to stereotypes, and they say they’ve learned more in the past decade about how dogs think than mankind learned in the entire previous century. Given the history of how most breeds came to be, perhaps there’s not much need for a spoiler alert here: The early science shows that, contrary to popular belief, modern dog breeds are almost exclusively about looks and hardly at all about temperament or what makes a dog a good addition to a family.”
― Kim Kavin, The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers

“If just half the Americans already getting a dog went the shelter route, then statistically speaking, every cage in US animal control facilities could be emptied. Right now.”
― Kim Kavin, The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers