The Great Cat & Dog Massacre

The Great Cat & Dog Massacre PDF Author: Hilda Kean
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022631846X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
The tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets? In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history, piecing together the compelling story of the life—and death—of Britain’s wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable patches, send their children away to the countryside—and kill the family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid. Kean’s narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional assistance and helping people to survive—a contribution for which the animals gained government recognition. Drawing extensively on new research from animal charities, state archives, diaries, and family stories, Kean does more than tell a virtually forgotten story. She complicates our understanding of World War II as a “good war” fought by a nation of “good” people. Accessibly written and generously illustrated, Kean’s account of this forgotten aspect of British history moves animals to center stage—forcing us to rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we share our homes.

The Great Cat & Dog Massacre

The Great Cat & Dog Massacre PDF Author: Hilda Kean
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022631846X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book Here

Book Description
The tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets? In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history, piecing together the compelling story of the life—and death—of Britain’s wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable patches, send their children away to the countryside—and kill the family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid. Kean’s narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional assistance and helping people to survive—a contribution for which the animals gained government recognition. Drawing extensively on new research from animal charities, state archives, diaries, and family stories, Kean does more than tell a virtually forgotten story. She complicates our understanding of World War II as a “good war” fought by a nation of “good” people. Accessibly written and generously illustrated, Kean’s account of this forgotten aspect of British history moves animals to center stage—forcing us to rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we share our homes.

The Great Cat Massacre

The Great Cat Massacre PDF Author: Robert Darnton
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465010482
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
The landmark history of France and French culture in the eighteenth-century, a winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize When the apprentices of a Paris printing shop in the 1730s held a series of mock trials and then hanged all the cats they could lay their hands on, why did they find it so hilariously funny that they choked with laughter when they reenacted it in pantomime some twenty times? Why in the eighteenth-century version of Little Red Riding Hood did the wolf eat the child at the end? What did the anonymous townsman of Montpelier have in mind when he kept an exhaustive dossier on all the activities of his native city? These are some of the provocative questions the distinguished Harvard historian Robert Darnton answers The Great Cat Massacre, a kaleidoscopic view of European culture during in what we like to call "The Age of Enlightenment." A classic of European history, it is an essential starting point for understanding Enlightenment France.

The Great Hamster Massacre

The Great Hamster Massacre PDF Author: Katie Davies
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0857077147
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
A very natural and honest version of life's events from the perspective of a young girl - from her suspicions about her neighbours, to her rocky friendship with the girl next door; from the sudden death of her beloved granny to her relentless quest for a pet hamster, only to then find it mysteriously slaughtered - which kickstarts a local investigation of 'suspects'.

The Great Cat Conspiracy

The Great Cat Conspiracy PDF Author: Katie Davies
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0857077163
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
The New Cat keeps bringing dead things into the house as presents for Tom. When he brings in the head of the vicar's very expensive Koi Carp and the Vicar makes Mum pay £200 for a replacement, Anna's Dad is so cross he locks the New Cat out of the cat-flap. Tom argues for the Cat to be let back in, but the flap is left shut overnight and when Dad finally concedes, the New Cat has disappeared altogether. Anna, Suzanne and Tom are convinced he has been kidnapped - but who is responsible? A new investigation begins…

The Great Dog Disaster

The Great Dog Disaster PDF Author: Katie Davies
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 144244519X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
An old dog learns new tricks in this entertaining tale from the creators of The Great Hamster Massacre. This is a story about Suzanne’s new dog, Beatrice—and how she saved us. (And how that helped save her, too…) Suzanne’s Great-Aunt Deidra has left her dog to Suzanne’s mom in her will. Suzanne is delighted they are getting a dog again, since her dad sent their last pup to live on a farm. But when Beatrice the Newfoundland arrives, she is a BIG disappointment. She’s slow, and she’s old, and she’s got serious stomach issues. Suzanne and Anna are determined to turn Beatrice into the dog of their dreams, but can their canine boot camp prevent Suzanne’s dad from sending Beatrice away too?

Animal Rights

Animal Rights PDF Author: Hilda Kean
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1861894171
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
In the late twentieth century animals are news. Parliamentary debates, protests against fox hunting and television programs like AnimalHospital all focus on the way in which we treat animals and on what that says about our own humanity. As vegetarianism becomes ever more popular, and animal experimentation more controversial, it is time to trace the background to contemporary debates and to situate them in a broader historical context. Hilda Kean looks at the cultural and social role of animals from 1800 to the present – at the way in which visual images and myths captured the popular imagination and encouraged sympathy for animals and outrage at their exploitation. From early campaigns against the beating of cattle and ill-treatment of horses to concern for dogs in war and cats in laboratories, she explores the relationship between popular images and public debate and action. She also illustrates how interest in animal rights and welfare was closely aligned with campaigns for political and social reform by feminists, radicals and socialists. "A thoughtful, effective and well-written book"—The Scotsman "It could hardly be more timely, and its wonderful material is bound to provoke ... reflection"—The Independent "A work of great interest"—Sunday Telegraph "Lively, impressively researched, and well-written ... a book that is timely and valuable"—Times Literary Supplement "A pleasing balance of anecdote and analysis"—Times Higher Educational Supplement

The Great Rabbit Rescue

The Great Rabbit Rescue PDF Author: Katie Davies
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1442420642
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
When Joe goes to live with his father across town and must leave behind his beloved pet rabbit, his friends Anna and Suzanne try to take care of it for him, but when the rabbit becomes ill and then Joe follows suit, the girls are certain that both will die unless they are reunited. Illustrations.

Bonzo's War

Bonzo's War PDF Author: Clare Campbell
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1472106873
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
What was it like to be a dog or cat when the world was at war? When food was rationed and cities were bombed? Pets (on the whole) do not write memoirs, so to find the answer to that question, Clare Campbell went in search of voices of those people whose lives were entwined with animals. She found stories - inspiring and harrowing - of animals under fire, of evacuated and homeless pets, of brave animals who provided comfort to humans while the bombs fell. Of pets unwittingly entangled in war, like the Dunkirk pets and the camp followers who switched sides to stay alive; and the 6,000 dogs recruited by the British Army - loaned for duty by their families - many never to return. Meanwhile with food in short supply, government officials launched a ruthless campaigns against pets... Thoroughly researched and deeply moving, Bonzo's War gives a fascinating account of, and platform for, the forgotten stories as yet unheard, of the creatures big and small caught up in a human conflict far beyond understanding.

Home Front Girl

Home Front Girl PDF Author: Joan Wehlen Morrison
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613744609
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
Wednesday, December 10, 1941"Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first casualty lists over the radio. ... Lots of boys from Michigan and Illinois. Oh my God! ... Life goes on though. We read our books in the library and eat lunch, bridge, etc. Phy. Sci. and Calculus. Darn Descartes. Reading Walt Whitman now." This diary of a smart, astute, and funny teenager provides a fascinating record of what an everyday American girl felt and thought during the Depression and the lead-up to World War II. Young Chicagoan Joan Wehlen describes her daily life growing up in the city and

The Great Cat and Dog Massacre

The Great Cat and Dog Massacre PDF Author: Hilda Kean
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022631832X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
In 1939, 400,000 cats and dogs were massacred in Britain, their corpses heaped up outside veterinarians offices. Fear of the imminent German blitz led the government to urge pet owners to spare their animal companions so that they would not suffer in the bombing raids. Hilda Kean s gripping narrative of this little-known event includes tales of smuggling pets into bomb shelters, trading bits of cat food on the black market, and preemptively killing thousands of pets at the start of the war to save the food supplies in England. Kean is able to show vividly how pets were an important part of British wartime experience. She pays close attention to animals, both symbolic and actual, arguing that after the pet massacre, human-animal bonds became stronger and closer. In the process of telling this history, Kean necessary complicates the picture of World War II as the good war fought by a nation of good, animal-loving people. Her close use of primary materials (diaries, personal sources, contemporary newspapers, collective public reports on daily life, etc.) gives palpable reality to the animals and their fate at this time. This forgotten aspect of Britain s history makes us rethink accepted accounts of the War and shows the ways in which animal and human histories are inextricably linked. We are also constrained to rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we share our homes."