Abstract

This thesis is an ethnographic study of registered dog breeding within the Montreal area. It takes as a departure point that dog breeding is a social process that is embedded in the everyday life of the breeders. The objective of the thesis is to understand and explain the origin and development of dog breeding as a social activity. Starting with a historical chapter that shows the links between humans and dogs in the Western hemisphere, the thesis continues with a description of the institutional organization of dog breeding in Canada. It moves to an analysis of the 'sport' of dog showing and of the criteria of definition of the 'standard'. The final focus is on the breeders themselves, their motivation and their goals. Using an interpretive and semiotic approach, the thesis aims at decoding dog breeding as a system of social signs that can be decoded, learned and transmitted.