Spirit of the Wild Dog: The World of Wolves, Coyotes, Foxes, Jackals and Dingoes

by Leslie J. Rogers, Gisela Kaplan

"From the gray wolf and the dingo to the South American bush dog and the whistling hunter, this book covers the wild dogs that have been free spirits on every continent except Antarctica and have thrived in all environments. Described are dogs that roam free over the planet, the hottest and driest parts of Africa and Australia, the wettest forests of New Guinea and South America, and the coldest parts of the Arctic Circle. This up-to-date account discusses the skills, personalities, and lifestyles of these dogs. It includes information on wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, and dingoes, as well as details about rare dogs such as the dhole and the South American bush dog. Also provided are insights into the extraordinary group coherence of wild dogs; their faithfulness and intelligence; their ability to learn, remember, and solve problems; and what they have in common with domesticated dogs."

Genres: Science, Nature, Nonfiction, Wolves, Biology

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[MoonMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spirit of the Wild Dog was an interesting read into the behavior and life of wild canines and their evolution over time. Lots of details throughout and summarized in an easy to process format.

I have no complaints. However, I do wish there was more information given about the canines, such as physiology and perhaps some diagrams or photos too. Additionally, there was a much larger focus, understandably, on the species that are still alive as of the time of publication, with only a brief mention that a species was not included in the list of scientific names in the back of the book due to being extinct. It would have been nice perhaps if there was a section dedicated to some species that were extinct, however it's understandable why this isn't the case.

Thank you for this satisfyingly good read.

[Liisa Kivimäe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful insight into the life of the wild dogs and their relationship with other species, including human. I really loved this book, it was enjoyable to read with lots of background information and interesting examples from life. Reading it was kind of a holistic experience as the authors did a great job at including different aspects and at the same time trying to see the bigger picture, how things are connected in nature.