The Mythology of Dogs: Canine Legend and Lore Through the Ages

by Gerald Hausman, Loretta Hausman

A unique anthology organized in A-Z fashion describes every popular canine breed and relates tales about dogs from around the world, including writings from ancient Greek myths, African folktales, Old English legends, and biblical prophesies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Gerald Andrews Hausman is a storyteller and award-winning author of books about Native America, animals, mythology, and West Indian culture. Hausman comes from a long line of storytellers and educators, and has published over seventy books for both children and adults.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well put together anthology of dog tales; you don't usually hear dog-specific stories when exploring mythology, so it was nice to read a collection from a wide variety of cultures. Some of them are, admittedly, a bit strange, but that's to be expected when it comes to mythology!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite dog book as a child, so much so that I had to buy it again as an adult! It is hard to find dog specific tales and legends even though numerous exist, this mentions some that I have a hard time finding online to share with friends even now! If you have a dog loving child, I recommend this!

[Jaide · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a mixed bag. The stories that I did like, I *loved*. The rest kind of fell flat for me.
However, the watercolor illustrations were full of love for dogs:)

The best tales were:
-The Gift of Fire (Democratic Republic of Congo)
-The Seven Sleepers (Middle East)

[Cat90 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like myths and dogs? Well my friend, this book is for you! it's filled with beautiful illustration and lovely "tales" (haha pun get it tail?) of how each breed got its name.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book to easily reference if you’re looking for a story on a specific breed, not overly detailed.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of a neat dog folklore books. There were some good stories like why the rottweiler has such a ferocious growl and why the basenji doesn't bark and some that I didn't like so much, like the shar-pei that married the princess. On the whole a very interesting book.

[Gabriel Dubransky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about special dogs who have become loyal friends.