J.D. Powe - Best Friends Forever: The Greatest Collection of Taxidermy Dogs on Earth

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Table of Contents

Guide

BEST FRIENDS

FOREVER

BEST FRIENDS

FOREVER

THE GREATEST COLLECTION OF TAXIDERMY DOGS ON EARTH

BY

J.D. P

OWE

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

Z

ACH

I

SHMAEL

DEDICATION

To my rescue dogs Tyrone and Ruby, the latter of which formally endorsed

the contents of this book by barking twice in armation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

As a lifelong enthusiast of natural history, taxidermy has always held

a certain fascination for me. What I describe as a passion, the less

sympathetic among us might characterize as an aiction, perhaps

justifiably so. I got started early through regular trips to the American

Museum of Natural History on New York Citys Upper West Side.

Many hours of my formative years were spent collecting and orga-

nizing rocks, seashells, fossils, and insects. From there, I moved on

to raising and exhibiting ornamental poultry, including rare breeds

of chickens, pheasants, and peafowl. And, yes, I received my share of

impressive accolades, including county Grand Champion of Poultry

Showmanship three years in a row. These early experiences provided

essential fuel to an already smoldering curiosity about the natural

world and our place within it, and this propelled me to conduct

undergraduate studies at Harvard, where I studied the history of

science with luminaries such as Stephen Jay Gould.

Yet, despite my fascination with the natural world, I

came to the conclusion that a purely academic career

path was not for me. I conjured up a number of decid-

edly pragmatic rationalizations in support of this con-

clusion. To this day, Im not certain that I found any of

them especially compelling. But, they were enough to

convince me that I would surely struggle to support

myself financially as a zoologist or paleontologist.

Moreover, the pressure to publish arcane mono-

graphs on topics of dubious interest would most

certainly catch up with me before long. Perhaps most

importantly, the golden age of great scientific discov-

eries was over, or so I told myself. The vast expanse of

the unknown had long since yielded its dominion to

its insipid cousin, the verifiable fact; what was left to

speculation were just a few piteous scraps fallen from

the table of technological innovation.

So, what was a disillusioned would-be scientist to do?

Well, inspired largely by my parents, both of whom

are lifelong educators and entrepreneurs, I ultimately

choose to pursue a career at the nexus of educa-

tional publishing and technology. Despite this more

traditional career path, my interest in the natural

sciencesand, by extension, historical taxidermy

continued to percolate just below the surface.

But, this book really isnt about me or my life choices:

Its about dogs, taxidermy dogs, specifically. Its pub-

lication was the result of a number of unexpected

events, chance encounters, and other entirely unpre-

dictable circumstances. There is no convenient nar-

rative or logical thread that ties it all neatly together,

making sense of the irrefutably bizarre. Though

surely clich, it is fair to say that the pages that fol-

low do raise a great many questions, but provide few

definitive answers. One peculiar tidbit is that I do not

even consider myself a dog person, with obligatory

apologies proffered to Ruby and the late Tyrone, the

rescue dogs to whom this book is dedicated. To be

clear, I do love dogs, the two aforementioned canines

in particular, but Im not an individual that is so

dog-obsessed that I welcome the sensation created

by the prodigious slobber of an adoring pooch with

outstretched tongue pressed against my face. We all

have our limits, and any exchange of saliva involving

two or more species, one of them being human, is

where I draw the line.

But, to consider what this book is really about, I think

it may be most useful to start by clarifying what it is

not. Despite my occasional regrets about not pursuing

a career in academia, this is decidedly not a belated

attempt at scholarly redemption. It is not a research-

based treatise on the evolution of dog breed morphol-

ogy over the centuries, their temperament, or their

incredible phenotypic diversity. It is not an explana-

tion of taxidermy techniques nor a compendium on

historical taxidermists and their works. It is also not

an attempt to contextualize the Victorian psyche and

prevailing attitudes toward nature and animal hus-

bandry at the turn of the nineteenth century. These

themes have been explored in impressive detail by

many scholars and dedicated collectors, including

John Whitenight, Errol Fuller, and Dr. Pat Morris, all

of whom have served as inspiration for my journey

as a collector. So, what makes dead dogs preserved

through the art and science of taxidermy a worthy

choice of subject matter?

As an avid collector of antique taxidermy and natural

history, I have had the opportunity to appreciate

and even acquire exceedingly rare specimens,

including examples of extinct species, including the

leg bone of a Dodo and the feather of a Great Auk.

Many such items have provenances tying them to

historically significant collections and call to mind

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