Nature: Dogs That Changed the World
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: VariousDVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Questar
Movie Reviews of Nature: Dogs That Changed the World
Movie Review: This great documentary is for the dogs!
Summary: 5 Stars
Two of my long-term preferences collided when I saw this 108-minute video. I usually (read: almost always, before now) find documentaries boring. I love dogs. I am almost forty-eight years old, and there has been a dog in the house where I live, for over forty of those years. There is a red Miniature Pinscher, named Amber, sleeping in the living room right now. With that level of personal experience, I thought I knew a lot about dogs. Then, I saw this video, and probably doubled, if not tripled, my understanding of dogs.
F. Murray Abraham narrates this video, that documents the long and amazing history of humanity's relationship with dogs, most likely starting near the end of the Ice Age, when humans huddled around fires, and wolves hovered around the perimeter. Humans discovered that, if they treated the wolves okay (i.e., tossed them an occasional piece of meat), the wolves began treating the humans as pack-mates, including some protective behavior, plus they became great warning "devices" (i.e., they made a racket when other animals, or unfamiliar humans, approached). This video shows us how human and canine have affected each other, across history, between those early times, and the point where a direct descendant of those wolves, weighing much less and looking quite different, ends up sleeping in my living room.
What aspects of that history get covered? I cannot think of an aspect that is not covered. How did the general, relative homeomorphism of the wolf develop into a species that can now weigh anywhere from one pound to well over two hundred pounds? Dogs can be hairless, have very short hair (Amber walks into my room, and looks at me, making me wonder if she knows I am writing about her), or can be so hairy that it is hard to find the dog inside the fur. Dogs can be slim and run faster than men can dream, or be massive, stodgy, and lumbering. This video explains the process, with its origins in tasks dogs can do for humans, to the last Chinese Imperial Dynasty, to Queen Victoria of England, to dog-shows spawned by the Industrial Age.
The video shows how dogs fill different functions in human society in different locations. Sled-dogs in the Arctic? You see it. Lightning-fast hunting dogs, that can turn on a dime, in the deserts of Jordan? You see that, too. The astonishing array of almost bizarre canine entities in a modern dog show? Yup, you see that.
One aspect of the video that I liked was the emphasis on how humans have deliberately and methodically manipulated the species to create certain kinds of dogs to fill certain niches. Terriers were bred to be vermin-killers, and were just that for centuries. Those traits did not vanish when we began inviting dogs into our homes. Lesson: Do not blame your terrier when he hunts down and kills a varmint, even if you might think of that varmint as a pet guinea pig or hamster! It also explains why Amber has caught and killed three shrews in our front yard; she ate the last one, and the indigestion might have cured her of that hobby.
Another prime example of deliberate crafting of a species is the saluki, a Jordanian hunting dog, that mimics the cheetah in its build, thus allowing it to run incredibly fast and turn on a dime, when it hunts hares, but does not kill them. Computer modeling shows the anatomical features that make the saluki perfect at its trade.
Why are dogs able to smell things people cannot? When dealing with this video, such questions are answered very thoroughly, using computer modeling of nasal anatomy, and in-depth explanations.
The video also addresses some of the new tasks being given to dogs, including their role as assistance animals, searching through ruins to find the injured, and as medical testers. Yes, I did say "medical testers". Some dogs have been trained to pick which urine sample comes from a cancer patient, and they are sometimes better at it than our best conventional tests! That kind of gives a new meaning to "Lab work".
One aspect of the video that might not please some viewers is its view of modern dog shows. That section starts with a description of the origin of the dog show, giving its historical connections to the last Chinese Imperial Dynasty, Buddhist monks, Queen Victoria of England, and the rise of the middle class in England, spawned by the onset of the Industrial Age. It then details how some breeds have been rapidly and dramatically altered, to fit the tastes of dog fanciers, and not always to the benefit of the breed. The prime example is the English Bulldog which, in a few hundred years (i.e., the blink of an eye on the evolutionary time-scale), has morphed from a sleek, agile, athletic dog with a face like a hound, to a stocky, ponderous, stiff, endearing-looking dog with almost no snout, that is prone to breathing problems and joint ailments. I did not know this about the English Bulldog and, after seeing drawings of what they once were, I would quickly agree with the man in the video who would like to see them return to what they once were. The video even discusses how that could be accomplished. Even in this section, where objectivity could have been lost, the video strives to present a factual, balanced view of the situation.
If you like documentaries, this video will impress you with its professionalism, objectivity, and thoroughness. If you love dogs, this video will add a whole new depth to your understanding of Canis lupus familiaris, with emphases on his history, its role in our lives today, and even future directions for the human-dog relationship. I found the video to be fascinating and highly educational. I recommend it for anyone from about age six up, depending upon attention span.
Summary of Nature: Dogs That Changed the World
Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham narrates this NATURE miniseries about the remarkable and enduring relationship between dogs and humans, and why dogs have earned a unique and fundamental place in the human heart. More than 750 million of us share our lives with dogs. We love and cherish them. But this most adored of animal companions was once the wild and savage wolf. How did this astonishing transformation take place? In spectacular location footage, NATURE shows how indispensable certain breeds have been to their people, from the Arctic's native Inuit and their sled dogs to desert dwelling Jordanians and the speedy saluki.Documentary DVD Video
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