If you've ever owned a dog, you've likely experienced the joy of complete and unconditional love from your four-legged companion. Dogs make life fun, interesting and, as animal rights activist Roger Caras so eloquently put it, "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
Why have we formed such close relationships with dogs, and when did this bond begin? These and numerous other questions are answered when Florida International Museum unveils Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs, a comprehensive traveling exhibit that examines the history, biology and development of dogs and the role of dogs in human societies.
The four themed sections consist of multimedia and interactive displays, photo murals, artifacts and dioramas of taxidermied wild canines and sculpted modern dog breeds. Each section covers a different subject. The first emphasizes the adaptability of dogs and how their appearance has changed over time, as well as the geographical origins and history of domestic dog breeds, wild canines and extinct canine relatives. The second section investigates the behavior of dogs and wolves, how and when they behave in similar or different ways, and why we find this behavior so intriguing. The third shows how dogs have made the lives of humans much easier throughout history, while the fourth explores what problems the world poses for dogs today and what scientists, volunteers and everyday people are doing to solve these problems.
For this exhibit, FIM partners with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)-Tampa Bay. A portion of proceeds benefit the 67-year-old nonprofit animal shelter, and SPCA-Tampa Bay also assists with Wolf to Woof programs, including a "Putting on the Dog" cocktail reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Fri., Jan. 19, at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club (501 Fifth Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg, $25 per person, 727-341-7901) and a live demonstration, "Practical Canine Behavior Solutions," with master dog trainer Brian Kilcommons and adoptable dogs from the SPCA (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat., Jan. 20).
Wolf to Woof, Jan. 19-May 13, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun., FIM-St. Pete College Downtown Center, 244 Second Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $17 adults/$15 seniors and military/$5 students (free admission to children 7 and younger), 727-341-7900, floridamuseum.org.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.