Dogland

Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show

Tommy Tomlinson

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Simon & Schuster
17 July 2024

Dog obedience & training; Equestrian & animal sports

“Delightful.” —Town & Country • “Extraordinary...

Tomlinson’s book is a gem.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis) • “Moving...

Really broke me.” —The Washington Post • “This book wants to lick your face. Let it.” —Kirkus Reviews

Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Tomlinson explores the bond between dogs and their people in this irresistibly appealing, inside account of the Westminster Dog Show that follows one dog on his quest to become a champion.

Tommy Tomlinson was watching a dog show on television a few years ago when he had a sudden thought: Are those dogs happy? How about pet dogs—are they happy? Those questions sparked a quest to venture inside the dog-show world, in search of a deeper understanding of the longtime relationship between dogs and humans, and here, in Dogland he shares his surprising, entertaining, and moving adventures.

Spending three years on the road, Tomlinson goes behind the scenes at more than one hundred competitions across the country, from Midwestern fairgrounds to Madison Square Garden. Along the way he is licked, sniffed, and rubbed up against by dogs of nearly every size, shape, and breed. Like a real-life version of the classic mockumentary Best in Show, Dogland follows one champion show dog—a Samoyed named Striker—as well as his handler, Laura King, and his devoted entourage of breeders and owners as he competes in the 2022 Westminster Dog Show.

Striker’s whole career has been leading up to this moment. As Tomlinson writes, picking a top show dog is like drafting an NFL quarterback when they’re still in elementary school. Now Striker has made it to the Super Bowl. Tomlinson takes us on the long road to glory, bringing the dog-show circuit to life as teams scramble from town to town in search of championship ribbons. (Striker and his crew travel in a custom-built RV named after Betty White.)

Tomlinson’s limitless curiosity about people and dogs reaches far beyond the show tents and into the ordinary lives of dogs. We hear from experts who have discovered new insights into how dogs and humans formed their bond—and how that bond has changed over the centuries. We discover the fascinating origins of different dog breeds, learn about the elaborate breed standards that determine an ideal show dog, and consider the health issues that can arise in purebred dogs. We also meet dog lovers who applaud every dog, regardless of breed, simply for being themselves, such as WeRateDogs, the social media phenomenon with millions of followers, all for posts celebrating the day-to-day goofiness in most dog owners’ lives.

“A big ol’ slobbering smooch of optimism, laughter, and happiness” (Joe Posnanski) Dogland takes us on a rollicking tour through the rituals, tricks, and wonders of the dog-show world—and reveals what matters most for the happiness of dogs and dog lovers everywhere.

By: Tommy Tomlinson
Imprint: Simon & Schuster
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 213mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 345g
ISBN: 9781982149321
ISBN 10: 1982149329
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 17 July 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Tommy Tomlinson is the author of The Elephant in the Room, a memoir about being overweight in America. He’s the host of the podcast SouthBound in partnership with WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR station. He has written for publications including Esquire, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Garden & Gun, and many others. He spent twenty-three years as a reporter and local columnist for the Charlotte Observer, where he was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in commentary. His stories have been chosen twice for the Best American Sports Writing series (2012 and 2015) and he also appears in the anthology America’s Best Newspaper Writing. He teaches magazine writing at Wake Forest University and has taught at colleges, workshops, and conferences across the country. He also has a Substack called The Writing Shed. Tommy and his wife, Alix Felsing, live in Charlotte with Alix’s mom and a cat.

Reviews for Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show

"""Delightful . . . If you're a dog person, have a passing interest in the world of dog shows, or even just really enjoyed the cult classic film from 2000, Best in Show: You won't want to miss Dogland."" --Town & Country, ""Must-Read Books of Spring 2024"" ""The eccentricities of the dog show world . . . enthrall in Tomlinson's capable telling. Fans of Best in Show will want to add this to their shelf."" --Publishers Weekly ""As hilarious and heartwarming as a basket of puppies, the story of Dogland hangs on the competition for best-in-show perfection. There's plenty here on show dogs' breeding and training, the physical traits that judges demand, and the offbeat characters that populate this world. But, at its heart, Dogland is about our relationships with these loving, faithful animals, and how they change us as people. As Tomlinson puts it, 'the leash pulls on both ends.'"" --Ted Allen, host of Food Network's Chopped ""Disarming and humorous . . . This book wants to lick your face. Let it."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Those of us who have ever had our hearts and guts torn out from the loss of our dog like to say we'll never let that happen to us again. This great story, told with a kind of beauty, reminds us why it was worth it, every stinking second, to be in their company."" --Rick Bragg, author of All Over but the Shoutin' and The Speckled Beauty ""I love this book! I learned history and science I didn't know, laughed out loud every few pages, and came away even more grateful that we get to share this world with dogs."" --Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex & Money and author of Let's Talk About Hard Things ""I wanted to make a dog pun here, something clever to celebrate Tommy's accomplishment, but instead I'm left speechless from this tale of love, humor, obsession, loneliness and devotion."" --Wright Thompson, author of Pappyland ""You should only read Tommy Tomlinson's Dogland if you want to find joy. In a time when we are surrounded by so much stress and rage and unease, this book is a big ol' slobbering smooch of optimism, laughter, and happiness."" --Joe Posnanski, author of Why We Love Baseball PRAISE FOR THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: ""Inspirational . . . I loved this book. I found myself sneak-reading it from the moment it came in the door. As with a sack of White Castle burgers, I hated to reach the end. . . . [Tomlinson] writes exceedingly well. . . . His clean and witty and punchy sentences, his smarts and his middle-class sensibility made me yearn for the kind of down-to-earth columnist I often read in the 1980s and 1990s but barely seems to exist any longer."" --Dwight Garner, The New York Times ""Powerful . . . A funny and moving account of what life is like for someone who carries extra weight."" --Garden & Gun ""A beautiful book . . . The man can write . . . For anyone who has ever loved a person of not just a few extra pounds but 100 or more--and wondered, 'How the heck did that happen?'--it will make you understand in a way you didn't before."" --Judith Newman, The New York Times Book Review ""The Elephant in the Room . . . is for anyone who's struggled with their weight, who's struggled with addiction, or for the people who love them."" --Salisbury Post ""This book deserves all the rave reviews that are pouring in. It's funny and poignant and life-affirming. . . . An acclaimed journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tomlinson can write like nobody's business."" --Traverse City Record Eagle ""Add this to your reading list ASAP."" --Charlotte Magazine"