How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)

Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution

By: Lyudmila Trut, Lee Alan Dugatkin

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs - they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken - imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time in order to witness the process of domestication.

Most accounts of the natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15,000 years, but within a decade, Belyaev and Trut's fox breeding experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with floppy ears, piebald spots, and curly tails. Along with these physical changes came genetic and behavioral changes, as well. The foxes were bred using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation, they became increasingly interested in human companionship. Trut has been the lead scientist on this work since Belyaev's death in 1985, and with Lee Dugatkin, biologist and science writer, she tells the story of the adventure, science, politics, and love behind it all.

©2017 Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The science is profound, but the authors write accessibly and engagingly - and their vulpine subjects are awfully cute, too. Of compelling interest to any animal lover and especially to devotees of canids of all kinds." ( Kirkus

Much more than just cute

The story of the ongoing 50+ year experiment to tame foxes IS full of cuteness, but also global politics, scientific friendships, and insights into the evolution of numerous domesticated species – including man.

The narrator sometimes over-cutes his intonations, but it's a minor quibble.

Fascinating

A voyage of not only fascinating scientific discovery, but of dedication. Explains a lot about animal domestication and human evolution as well, both behavioral and physiological.

Simply a wonderful story for dog lovers

The story got me from the beginning, the science facts were an amazing addition to anyone that likes science as much as loves dogs.

Fascjbating

I was curious about this story but not sure what to expect. It was a great piece of writing about the foxes. Fascinating science about domestication. Are the foxes really domesticated? It seems some of the friendlier ones may be. I really enjoyed hearing about this 40+ year experiment and the lives of the people who carried it out.

Amazing

Anyone with a passing interest in Evolution, the story of Charles Darwin and his fateful voyage to the Galapagos, or the journey that Francis and Crick set out upon that led to the discovery of the Immortal Coil, will have heard of Belyaev and his foxes.

I had read about this man and his multi-decade study that has(the study is ongoing) shown the evolutionary effects that artificially selecting for “tameness” in foxes has caused. He is a hero in the arena of evolutionary biology, and less importantly, he is someone that I have looked up to as an intellectual role model since the first time I heard about his story.

Imagine my exuberance when I found that his partner, Lyudmila Trut, had collaborated with Lee Alan Dugatkin to tell the entire story of the foxes! Not second hand from Belyaev’s writings or journals, but from the “horse’s mouth” so to speak.

I knew I wanted to devour this book solely for it’s importance to my scientific understanding of evolution and the effects of artificial selection on future generations.

I didn’t expect for the emotional roller coaster ride that this story took me on. The obstacles that were overcome by this group of people in the face of such foreboding odds is nothing short of miraculous.

This story feels real. It felt like I was there, in “Pushinka’s House”, as the narrator takes us through the accomplishments of that, particularly special fox. The book is beautifully written in this regard, taking the reader on the journey as if they were there. I plan on rereading the book tonight and highly recommend that you make this your next literary choice!


review from 4dogsandalittlelady.com