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Throw away your desire to humanise your doggy friend and discover the real Canis familiaris. The Domestic Dog by James Serpell (Cambridge University Press, £14.95, ISBN 0 521 42537 9) is not just for dog-lovers but also for the curious. With enough detailed studies to interest specialists, this book is readable and stimulating. It ranges from the psychology of pets and their owners to the fascinating history of dogs’ domestication and diversification as a species. This is a thorough scientific overview of the animal that has held a special place in the human world for the past 14 000 years.