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3.0 out of 5 stars
A good laugh with interesting doggie/human insights, 19 May 2001
By A Customer
21st Century dog, is an all-American view of dogs in the future. And what dogs they are! Out of the 69 contributors, many foresee radical improvements where dog powers are concerned, dogs attain the power of speech, sprout thumbs, (in some cases attained by selective breeding for longer and more dextrous paws) learn to walk on two legs, predict the future (a Nose Stradumus speciality) and in due course outlive humans, prompting a business opportunity in geriatric dog homes. Many dogs take matters into their own hands and take charge of their own lives, and those of the poor humans they see around them...... Other contributors pray fervently that dogs will remain the steadfast human comforters that they always have been. No one imagined a world with out dogs as Vicki Hearne said 'Civilization began with dogs and, perhaps one day, will end with dogs'. Although talking about dogs, the contributors unconsciously give a view on what they want the future to be for humans, which splits between a sci-fi genetically modified world and a comfortable world with NO CHANGE, so an interesting peek into the human psyche. Some of this book made me laugh out loud, it has great cartoons, and many of the paintings really do express quintessential dogginess to those of us who know dogs. Some of the contributors could, however, have tried harder. The written pieces are all extremely short, so don't expect anything to get your teeth into, although some of the concepts may give you pause for thought. This is a great book to keep next to the loo or to while away a pleasant half hour. If you love dogs, it will have been money well spent.
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