Product Description: The author of this enlightening and entertaining book for dog owners grants that "The way we treat dogs changes with the times, varies from one culture to the next, and even one neighbor to the next." In the past, dogs were valued by humans as workers, hunters, and guard animals. Today, the majority of dogs are kept as pets, and are sometimes treated like children by well-meaning owners who fail to understand the qualities that make dogs unique. Some owners neglect or abuse their dogs, while others coddle their pets in ways that mirror human society's own lapses into obesity and lack of exercise. Here is advice from a canine expert on how to strike that happy medium: how to treat a dog humanely, provide for all its physical and emotional needs, but never mistake your pooch for a fellow human being. Here too are fascinating facts about how dogs originally diverged from wolves on the evolutionary chain, as well as explanations of the specific traits and instincts that make dogs different, not only from humans, but from all other animals. In total, here are insights that will enable owners to understand and value canines for the wonderful friends and companions that they are. The text is complemented with cartoon-style line illustrations.