USA: Where Dogs Have More Rights Than You Do
A Hilarious and Eye-Opening Tour of America’s States — One Barking Mad, Bone- Laced, Paw-Approved Policy at a Time
What dogs and their people can expect in particular states is made clear in the lively travel guide USA: Where Dogs Have More Rights Than You Do.
USA: Where Dogs Have More Rights Than You Do, American immigrant Robert Okine’s humorous cultural survey, tracks dog culture across the United States.
This witty, informative book about dogs and their people includes information on leash laws, dog-centered events, and cultural attitudes toward dogs in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Canine-centered customs that blend into the background of people’s lives are given center stage throughout, and the book is flush with keen observations that are shared in an upbeat tone across its fifty-one chapters. Indeed, it noses out the state of American dogs well, from the hunting coonhounds of Alabama to the deputized dogs of Wyoming, emphasizing how dogs bring people of different persuasions together. In Washington, DC, for example, a protester and a staffer stopped their argument to bend down and fawn over a dachshund wearing a Ruth Bader Ginsburg collar. And at a Wisconsin fair, a dog ran off with a basket of cheese curds but was treated not so much as a thief as a spontaneous grand marshal.
Some section headings recur, including “What This Says About America” and “Leash Law Lowdown,” increasing the utility of the book for traveling dog owners. What dogs and their people can expect in particular states is made clear, and the book also imagines how each state could be improved if dogs ran the show. If dogs ran West Virginia, for example, “trail markers would be scratch and sniff.” And Virginia, marketed as “for Lovers” and held up as a wedding destination, has hidden opportunities for canine companions: “In moments of love, dogs are never just bystanders—they’re part of the story. The best stories, in fact.”
The humorous prose blends research into its witty, wordplay-laden observations, yielding information on regional events like the coonhound baying contest in Arkansas and California’s televised Surf Dog Surf-a-thon, which raises money for charity, in an effortless manner. Fun tips arise too, as on which states sell what kind of dog gear, including Ray-Bans, cowboy hats, and backpacks. The book’s consistent reverence for and delight in dogs is undercut only by the political implications in its title, which do not end up informing the bulk of its interior content.
Evincing an eye for cultural details, USA: Where Dogs Have More Rights Than You Do is a delightful, informative travel guide for dog lovers.
Reviewed by
Michele Sharpe
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
