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This Museum Is for the Dogs
News: Animals in Action
There are museums dedicated to UFOs, toilet seats, and mustard. There are even museums devoted to potatoes and bananas. So why isn't there a museum that honors one of humankind's most beloved pets?
Actually, there is! The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog was unleashed in New York City in February 2019, and tongues are wagging with delight. Step right up and check out some of its 150 attractions.
To your left is the oldest object in the collection. It's a 30 million-year-old fossil of an ancient—and extinct—North American member of the canine family called a hesperocyon. Over here is a youngish 2,000-year-old paw print. Over there, under glass, is the skeleton of a 19th-century smooth fox terrier named Belgrave Joe. Joe's a pretty special guy. He's considered to be the father of his entire breed.
The museum also boasts one of the largest dog art collections in the world. And those paintings on the walls aren't portraits of just any old bowwows. Some are out-and-out royalty, like Caesar. He was the beloved fox terrier of Britain's King Edward VII. Caesar was even an honored guest at the king's funeral procession in 1910. Other paintings are presidential. President George W. Bush's Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, are there. So is Millie, one of President George H.W. Bush's English springer spaniels. And since it wouldn't be a dog museum without a few posters of Hollywood royalty, TV and movie superstars like Lassie and Beethoven are also represented.
Rounding off the fine arts collection are many elegant glass figurines and bronzes, two life-size statues of Great Danes, and a wire dog statue hanging overhead. Readers, be sure to visit the library, with its 15,000 dog-related books. (Could some of those pages be dog-eared?)
Although most of the artifacts are from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Museum of the Dog has one paw firmly planted in the 21st century, with exhibits like "Find Your Match." Walk up to the kiosk and say "woof" for the camera. Then bark with laughter when the computer matches your face with the dog breed you most resemble.
Speaking of dog breeds, are there any you'd like to know more about? Press the "Meet the Breeds" touchscreen. You can learn about the features, characteristics, and history of different kinds of dogs. And finally, don't miss Molly, the adorable digital Labrador puppy. By standing in front of a big screen and using your voice and body movements, you can pet, feed, train, and play with her.
The museum has many treasures. Still, some people have a bone to pick with it. The museum was founded by the American Kennel Club. The club and the museum focus only on purebreds. The club holds thousands of dog competitions each year without a single mixed breed in the pack.
Now wait a doggone minute. Aren't mutts dogs too?
Animal-safety groups don't like the idea of promoting purebreds. They argue that dog breeding is a kind of puppy factory. They say it produces animals whose only purpose is to be in beauty pageants. The club doesn't agree. It feels that breeding dogs is important because it develops traits such as adorableness and the ability to sniff out bombs.
"I think the best thing to take away [from the museum] is the fact that dogs were meant to have different jobs," said museum director Alan Fausel. He's hoping that the exhibits will teach visitors about why dogs were purposely bred for certain jobs, their activities, and their characteristics.
Let's face it: Whether purebred or pure mutt, dogs are pretty great. So if you're ever in New York, you might want to visit the Museum of the Dog. But please leave your pooches at home. This museum is for humans only.
Suppose Morgan wants to find out about the behavior of purebred Great Danes. She would find most of her information __________.
A. By browsing through a book on Great Danes from the museum's library
B. By visiting the museum's "Find Your Match" exhibit
C. By looking in a dictionary, under the term "great"
D. By looking at the museum's two life-size statues of Great Danes
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answered1 month ago