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Dogopolis: How Dogs and Humans Made Modern New York, London, and Paris
Dogopolis presents a surprising source for urban innovation in the history of three major human-canine relationships.
Stroll through any American or European city today and you probably won’t get far before seeing a dog being taken for a walk. It’s expected that these domesticated animals can easily navigate sidewalks, streets, and other foundational elements of our built environment. But what if our cities were actually shaped in response to dogs more than we ever realized?
Chris Pearson’s Dogopolis boldly and convincingly asserts that human-canine relations were a crucial factor in the formation of modern urban living. Focusing on New York, London, and Paris from the early nineteenth century into the 1930s, Pearson shows that human reactions to dogs significantly remolded them and other contemporary western cities. It’s an unalterable fact that dogs—often filthy, bellicose, and sometimes off-putting—run away, spread rabies, defecate, and breed wherever they like, so as dogs became a more and more common in nineteenth-century middle-class life, cities had to respond to people’s fear of them and revulsion at their least desirable traits. The gradual integration of dogs into city life centered on disgust at dirt, fear of crime and vagrancy, and the promotion of humanitarian sentiments. On the other hand, dogs are some people’s most beloved animal companions, and human compassion and affection for pets and strays were equally powerful forces in shaping urban modernity. Dogopolis details the complex interrelations among emotions, sentiment, and the ways we manifest our feelings toward what we love—showing that together they can actually reshape society.
Stroll through any American or European city today and you probably won’t get far before seeing a dog being taken for a walk. It’s expected that these domesticated animals can easily navigate sidewalks, streets, and other foundational elements of our built environment. But what if our cities were actually shaped in response to dogs more than we ever realized?
Chris Pearson’s Dogopolis boldly and convincingly asserts that human-canine relations were a crucial factor in the formation of modern urban living. Focusing on New York, London, and Paris from the early nineteenth century into the 1930s, Pearson shows that human reactions to dogs significantly remolded them and other contemporary western cities. It’s an unalterable fact that dogs—often filthy, bellicose, and sometimes off-putting—run away, spread rabies, defecate, and breed wherever they like, so as dogs became a more and more common in nineteenth-century middle-class life, cities had to respond to people’s fear of them and revulsion at their least desirable traits. The gradual integration of dogs into city life centered on disgust at dirt, fear of crime and vagrancy, and the promotion of humanitarian sentiments. On the other hand, dogs are some people’s most beloved animal companions, and human compassion and affection for pets and strays were equally powerful forces in shaping urban modernity. Dogopolis details the complex interrelations among emotions, sentiment, and the ways we manifest our feelings toward what we love—showing that together they can actually reshape society.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
265 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 20, 2023
Bleah. This book is not any fun. It is not about love of dogs or love of cities --rather a historical, factual-written criticism of both. Hats off to the marketing team for making this book seem appealing, but in reality it has chapters titled "Suffering" and "Defecation". Enough said. No charm.
October 21, 2022
Charting the timelines of dog « policy » in three of the world’s richest metropolises from the early 19th to early 20th centuries, the book is organized by logical themes, with “Straying” perhaps the most interesting. The growth of the middle class created a constituency that wanted to separate from poor people and evolve the city when it comes to dogs and I think the author nimbly jumps between concerns about one and the other and how they seemed intertwined politically. “Suffering” is a hard read, as it concerns the cities’ approach to killing stray dogs so those with soft hearts may want to steer clear.
Overall, an accessible history written without the burden of academic language but also not transcending the subject. If you’re interested in the topic go for it!
Overall, an accessible history written without the burden of academic language but also not transcending the subject. If you’re interested in the topic go for it!
March 8, 2022
titolo ingannevole
July 13, 2024
Fast read. Factual. Historical. Impersonal.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews