“Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show” by Tommy Tomlinson; © 2024, Avid Reader Press; 231 pages.
The big blue ribbon is almost the size of your head.
It took serious yardage to make it, and the fancy circle in the middle couldn’t have been cheap, either. That’s not to mention the trophies, the loving cups and all the other accolades that came from a competition you couldn’t win, no matter how much you tried. No, those awards belong to the fuzziest member of the family, and in “Dogland” by Tommy Tomlinson, you’ll meet a superstar in a fur coat.
You can always tell when a pro athlete is happy. He smiles wide. She pumps her fists and low-fives with teammates. But Tommy Tomlinson thought of something else a few years ago while watching the Westminster Dog Show on television: “Are those dogs happy?”
Tomlinson likes dogs. He had a dog once himself, and he still thinks about Fred. But these show dogs, all fluffed up, trotting in circles — are they enjoying themselves? For that matter, do dogs love us or do they give us wags and wiggles just to get new squeaky toys?
Tomlinson had to know, and so he set out to spend time at dog shows — hundreds of them over the course of two years — and he met the handler of a superstar.
Laura King’s first thought every morning and last thought each night was for Striker, a medium-sized dazzling-white Samoyed who was destined for greatness. She fed him, gave him water, treats, pets, and became his everything.
In doing so, he became her everything, too.
How they got to that point is a story that goes back to 1876, when a few “white guys” in a bar named Westminster decided to form a kennel club for their hunting dogs. It escalated from that point and spread city to city and breed to breed as dogs and handlers became enmeshed in “the Fancy” to become bone-afide champions.
All this, even though we don’t speak their language and they don’t speak ours, we definitely communicate. And that, says Tomlinson, is “nature’s greatest magic trick.”
No matter what your dog’s pedigree, he’s a winner in your house and you don’t mind talking about him, either. In “Dogland,” Tomlinson will also tell you about Fred and Striker and Seaman and Charly and Lepshi and dozens of dogs whose names you should know, dogs that made a difference, and dogs that’ll make you cry.
Mostly, though, you’re going to laugh at the things Tomlinson dug up during his three years on the road and the show-dog intel he sniffed out. Readers who’ve wondered what show dogs act like in real life will enjoy his peeks, back-kennel, as he explains details about the show world and why handlers wear the outfits they do. Doggedly, Tomlinson also writes about the “Sammy smile,” dog history, dog lovers, famous dogs, mutts, mixed-breeds, and snuggle muffins.
Readers who share breakfast with a Basset, a mattress with a Maltese, or lunch with a Lab are absolutely going to want this book. For you, “Dogland” is blue-ribbon reading.