Death, taxes and Country Life on dogs

If asked about the editorial pillars of the British institution that is Country Life, glorious country house architecture, fine art, gardens and aspirational properties trip off the tongue in an instant. However, just as popular and indeed, culturally relevant, is Man’s best friend — whether sporting, working, or simply cherished pets, dogs have enthralled both the editorial staff and the readers of Country Life since the magazine’s creation in 1897.

A nation of animal lovers with a tendency to anthropomorphise our pets — something I often jest stems from our inability to show affection to one another — dogs are central to the British identity. We were the first to take animal welfare seriously (the RSPCA, then SPCA, was founded in 1824) and the concept of the ‘modern dog’ was cemented by the inception of another eminent Victorian, The Kennel Club, in 1873 — just 24 years before Country Life — which aimed to become the ‘Jockey Club of the canine world’ and the ‘ruling authority in dog affairs.’

The magazine’s first issue (January 8, 1897) featured a photograph taken by Thomas Fall — widely acknowledged as the leading authority in dog photography — of the Princess of Wales with her borzoi, Alex. The second issue, published a week later, affirms the relationship between royalty, dogs and Country Life by visiting the Prince of Wales’s kennels at Sandringham — home to bassets (smooth and rough), spaniels, collies, dachshunds, fox terriers, deerhounds, Great Danes, two ‘sledge-dogs’ and the prince’s ‘particular pet, the Dandie Dinmont terrier, Venus’.

Over the next 128 years, the two institutions would become inextricably linked and dogs would feature regularly across the pages. Notes from the Kennel (later Kennel Notes) ran from 1897 to 1939 and Arthur Croxton Smith (1865–1952), a member of The Kennel Club from 1899 and its chairman from 1937 to 1948, was a prolific contributor to Country Life and author in his own right.

On the announcement of his death in 1952, the magazine lauded his unwavering contribution, stating that ‘he was for many years a regular contributor… and until the last continued to give the paper valuable advice on all matters concerning dogs. His knowledge and experience were alike remarkable and combined to make him a leading authority and certainly the leading writer in this country on dogs’.

As well as stand-alone features about a plethora of breeds, our vulnerable natives have always been a key issue for the magazine alongside the tireless work of rescue charities. In 2022, Beth and Bluebell, Queen Camilla’s two rescue Jack Russells from Battersea Cats & Dogs Home, stole the show on one of the most famous pages in publishing — the frontispiece.

When the Editor asked if I’d take this project on, I initially wondered how on earth I was going to research and produce nearly 350 pages on dogs (working like a dog was the only solution). I spent a lot of late nights, early mornings and weekends delving into our archive — teasing out amusing anecdotes, lyrical descriptions and titbits of trivia about our favourite breeds. I’m indebted to Country Life’s stable of great writers — who have brought the breeds to life across our pages for more than a century — and also to The Kennel Club, who have offered a wealth of information throughout this process. I’m also delighted to say that Tony Allcock OBE, chairman of The Kennel Club, agreed to write the foreword.

The visual material is a collection of archive imagery, artwork and contemporary photography, which I hope communicate our universal affection for our canine companions over the decades.

This book is by no means an encyclopedia of modern dog breeds — and I apologise to the owners of the specific breeds I have omitted — but I hope it offers a reflection of the breeds that have been relevant to and celebrated by Country Life to date, with an emphasis on British natives.

‘Country Life’s Book of Dogs’ (Rizzoli, £50) is published on September 16. The book is available now for pre-order.