Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs by Stephanie Howard-Smith is a fascinating and amusing social history of small dogs, intersecting with themes of gender and socioeconomic status. The author moves from ancient times up to the chihuahua craze of the early 00s a la Paris Hilton.
Howard-Smith splits the book into chapters focusing on specific dogs or breeds of each era. For example, an early chapter explores ancient grave markers for dogs in which their owners had inscribed personalized poems. An amusing tidbit from this section was learning of an ancient “remedy” for a stomachache in which one would place a small dog on one’s stomach for a period of time. It was thought that the dog would absorb the ailment! Another story told of a medieval nun who kept riling feathers for having too many dogs–and allowing them into the chapel.
Later chapters explore the King Charles cavalier spaniel craze of the 17th century, made popular by the namesake monarch. In the 18th century, pugs were all the craze. The author includes an amusing anecdote about a wealthy woman having her footman walk her pugs, adorned in matching bonnets and cloaks, around Grosvenor Square. The themes of socioeconomic status and gender feature heavily in Yap! in that certain breeds often became popular from the wealthy class or royalty, more specifically from wealthy women and their “lap dogs” which acted as a type of accessory (which is not uncommon today for some people.) I loved the author’s inclusion of stories throughout history of owners creating custom clothing, rich meals, and special treatment for their dogs–including a specialized sedan chair, special cuts and dyes (people were dyeing their dogs green, pink, etc. in 1890s France?!?), earrings and other custom jewelry, etc. These examples of the social history of dog owning is one example of how we are not all that different when it comes to our pets, only that society now is more accepting and less judgemental than it was in some earlier periods. Yap! also explores the development and discovery of certain breeds, the beginnings of the pet service industry, as well as the start of the AKC and breed standards for showing.
Overall, I found the author’s arguments concerning dog breeds in the context of gender and socioeconomic status to be correct. Throughout history, certain breeds and sizes of dogs were associated with femininity, frivolity, and excess; a man with a “lap dog” would not have been considered “masculine” (an idea which still holds in mainstream social norms to some extent today,) or a woman focusing too much on the care of her dogs was an attack on the social structure and expectation of woman should only be focused on the home, her husband, and her children. Stephanie Howard-Smith’s work makes the case that small dog ownership, historically, was a statement of wealth and/or politics, as well as a diversion from certain social and gender norms.
Any dog or animal lover will no doubt enjoy this book. I often laughed out loud at some of the dog names (Tiny Tinkle Twinkle!) and stories the author found in her research!
Yap! will be released on October 13, 2026
