Oosthoek, Jan. “Podcast 47: Canine City: Dogs and Humans in Urban History.” Exploring Environmental History Podcast, 20 November 2012. MP3, 26.07. http://www.eh-resources.org/podcast/podcast2012.html.
In the modern urbanized world it is often forgotten that throughout history humans have been very dependent on animals for their survival and livelihoods. Until recently most humans in the developed world share their cities with animals, in particular those that provided transport or energy for all kinds of labor. Most obvious of these are horses and donkeys. But none of these animals has such a long, symbiotic history with humans as dogs do. Today, most dogs in the developed world are kept as pets. However, urban dogs have also been economically as well as culturally important. The history of urban dogs is a story that has hardly been told. This was noticed by Chris Pearson, who in this episode of the podcast talks about his research project and the role of dogs in modern urban history.
Canine City: Dogs and Humans in Urban History (20.96 MB)
Music Credits: “Where You Are Now” by Zapac, “Copy me in B minor” by My Free Mickey.
Exploring Environmental History podcasts are periodic programmes featuring interviews with people working in the field, reports on conferences and discussions about the use and methods of environmental history. They are posted on the Environmental History Resources website, which is maintained by Jan Oosthoek.
