Art meets cynology
Nerdlen/Daun. The FCI, the international umbrella organization for dog breeding based in Belgium, currently recognizes almost four hundred dog breeds from all over the world – and new ones are added every year. The “new ones” are by no means necessarily new breeds, but mostly centuries-old breeds such as the Kazakh Tazy, a greyhound from Kazakhstan, or the “Corb”, an impressive black livestock guard dog from Romania. If you like, the FCI “collects and catalogs” these breeds, records the existing animals, issues a breeding standard and, together with the respective national breed associations, monitors the further development of the breed: a mammoth project.
It is an equally big task to capture all these diverse breeds in images and text, as some of them are almost non-existent here, such as the Kintaman Bali Dog or the Cimarrón Uruguayo. Don't you know? Here you go, they are all represented in the new atlas of dog breeds, published by Kynos Verlag. The special thing about it: Each individual breed was carefully drawn by an artist and captured in its very special expression. This was achieved by none other than Heinz Grundel from Osnabrück, known for decades for his funny and accurate dog cartoons and the bestseller “Der Struwwelköter”. In years of work on this project, he has proven not only that he is an excellent artist, but also an equally good dog expert, because this is the only way to capture the typical character of each dog. And so, from the 776 pages of the large-format and elegantly linen-bound tome, we are not just looking at dogs, but at real individuals and personalities.
The texts were written by Gisela Rau, who has been the managing director of Kynos Verlag for many years and is experienced in research and knowledge of sources. The most important data and facts for each breed are clearly presented in the left side column; an excerpt from the FCI's original breed standard further summarizes the most important characteristics. Always in focus: the original purpose of the breed, which is crucial for the abilities and characteristics of today's offspring. So no one should be surprised if a terrier digs up the garden or if a sled dog has a hard time breaking the habit of pulling on the leash.
In general, the atlas provides a good overview and initial decision-making aid if you are planning to purchase a dog. Or you can simply use it to enjoy browsing and discovering the world of pedigree dogs.
In addition, an individually numbered and signed special edition limited to one hundred pieces with exclusive gold trim and other extras is available, which will certainly have a good chance of increasing collector value in the coming years.
Heinz Grundel and Gisela Rau
Atlas of dog breeds
All FCI breeds in words and pictures.
776 pages
Linen binding
Kynos Publishing
ISBN 978−3−95464−348−6
Price: 120.00 euros