DEMOS

Chapters

Section 1: Bark

1.    Introduction: Paws for thought

Western dogma constructs dogs as passive recipients of mankind's generosity. But a bit of humility on our part might reveal huge opportunities for learning from Dogs. Dogs can be taken as "mood pioneers". They are loyal. They are great at fetching things. They are unembarrassed. And they are loyal.

2.    Dog days - pet depression

The rise of animal psychology tells us something is wrong. But how do we deal with mental illness in dogs when we are only starting to understand human depression?

3.    Bone Idle? Dogs, laziness and work-life balance:

Demos, Cameron, now the Dog. The canine 'juissance' has an enormous amount to contribute to the white-hot debate on 'work-life balance'. Their laissez-faire attitude hides a brutal workdoglike persistence and innate sense of solidarity, rendering them in many ways the Perfect Worker.

4.    Better than humans? - Dog 2020

Imagine if dogs could live to 150. In dog years that's 1050. And imagine if they could have robotic legs and enhanced smell and stuff. Imagine.

5.    Crufts - the last hypocrisy?

Miss world? Bad. But crufts? Good, apparently. What's going on there then?

6.    Lapdogs and Poodles - Canine foreign policy

Is the tail wagging the dog? How can we get more dog representation in institutions like the United Nations? Do we need a 'United Alsatians'? Could this help avoid some undognified disputes between former allies?

7.    Doggism - the next last prejudice

Unlike racism or sexism, you won't find the word 'doggism' in the dictionary. That's because it's not a word. Yet ask any dog whether it has resonance for them and their pants will speak volumes. For too long debates have started from the basis of what dogs can't do rather than what they can do. Why shouldn't dogs drive trains or go skiing?

8.    Thumb wars

Dogs don't have thumbs. We do. Through an antediluvian lens of disability, we would see this as a disadvantage. But is it not all of mankind's artefacts, from Playstations to Doors, Guns and Pianos, that "disable" dogs? Dog-centred design and dog-computer interaction are growing, if invisible, fields of endeavour.

9.    How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?

Dog abuse (physical, mental and sexual) is little talked about - ignored by the media and policy makers, and skirted around in polite circles. It's the dog in the room. But isn't it just the logical extension of our commodification of domestic animals? It's time to re-open our dog-eared sociology textbooks and critique consumerism from scratch.

Section 2: Bite

1.    Working Dogs

We take them for granted every day. They are the dogs who represent the invisible paw of service provision. Dogs are a rich source of talent and innovation in public services. From "bloodhound" nurse dogs to police dogs ("Greyfriars Bobbies"), dogs have the potential to change our lives. And Pete thinks we could ask them to drive trains.

2.    Bark, Choice and Exit - the future of guide dogs service provision

A workmanlike chapter by some expert in public services, using lots of words like "contestability."

3.    Puppy fat - co-producing health

Dogs run about a lot. And children don't so much these days. It would be good if children did more. Maybe dogs and children could run together. Maybe dogs could throw sticks for kids? And then give them healthy cereal bars as a reward.  Maybe.

4.    Red Kennels - Immigration, quarantine and identity

Dog passports and chips are imagined as a solution to the problem of quarantine. But whose rights are they designed to protect? There could well be an emerging problem of dog identity theft. And dogs could well bring rabies into the country, which leaves politicians foaming at the mouth. Dogs need to travel. But how? Is it time for a cohort of "Border Collies" to help customs officials?

5.    The other other glass ceiling - Top dogs and fat cats

Brands such as Pedigree Chum, Andrex, are all about the dogs. But do they really understand the dog's view? How can the companies behind these brands expect to make effective and legitimate decisions without hearing the dog's bark where it matters, in the boardroom?

6.    A dog's life and death

In Korea, they eat dogs. We know that. But can we pretend to know how differences in country, culture and culinary habits impact upon how a dog makes sense of its world? This chapter, based on a 23-month ethdography in Korea provides an impassioned, pleading and ultimately pointless critique of cultural relativism.

7.    A new breed of British culture

Can you imagine a world in which 4.9 million visitors see your image, engraved on an obelisk at the British Museum? Your brother is preserved in formaldehyde in a former Chelsea Barracks, and your ancestors skip gamefully at the feet of painted aritsocrats at Millbank. Yet you have no voice: at the door of every opera house, every gallery and every theatre in the land, one sign is constant: no dogs. As cat-loving Minister James Purr-nell, pledges to make Britain the World's creative hub, Chancellor Gordon Brown champions Britishness.   But what symbolises that Britishness?  The Bulldog.  From Hogarth's Pug to the Queen's Corgis and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, the dog has been the mascot of Britain, and yet it is his master's voice we hear. It is time to tell a tail long-forgotten.

8.    Network Dog-ic: from the blogosphere to the dogosphere

In an age of fragmentation, dogs lead the way.  From lamposts to bus-stops, they know what's what and who's who.  As we lead increasingly atomised lives, and we gather around interest rather than location, what can we learn from the canine approach to olfactory semiotics?  
 
9.    In Dog we trust - Conclusions and recommendations

You might expect us to propose a Minister for Dogs. That would be sensible. But why not a Dog Minister for Human Affairs? This would be a cabinet-level post designed to bring Dogs from the kennel back to where they belong, at the hearth of Government.