Dog #4
Dog is a modern lifestyle magazine that explores the presence and influence of dogs and their owners in society, looking at the meaningful interactions and love of individuals and their dogs through photographs, interviews, personal essays, and informative material.
For every issue, the magazine travels to the origin location of the breed it profiles, so issue four centres around Pomerania, the origin of the pomeranian, and Los Angeles, where the pomeranian is a common, glamorous companion. The cover star of this issue is none other than Sharon Osbourne’s very own jet-setting pomeranian Bella, and Osbourne herself is the subject of a feature in the magazine. At one point, the magazine also takes the reader to China, to the year of the dog.
Dog’s tone is playful, just like its subject matter. It makes use of illustration very well, and this issue is vibrantly adorned with drawings by Angela Deane and Kiki Ljung (both above), among others, all of whom incorporate dogs into their illustrations. A particularly fun feature in the magazine asks artists to depict famous pomeranian owners with their beloved pets. The result is a series of humorous illustrations of figures such as Harry Houdini, Isaac Newton, Marie Antoinette, and Kim Kardashian, each with their poms in tow.
Elsewhere, the issue divulges the colourful history of pomeranians; the royal love-affair with them, and their decreasing size - Queen Victoria, who is largely responsible for popularizing the breed throughout Europe, saw the size of pomeranians halve during her lifetime, as became the fashion for smaller dogs. One particularly good feature, more related to dog-kind than pomeranians specifically, considers all the reasons why Donald Trump does not have a First Dog - the first president in a century not to have a four-legged companion by his side. The piece adds a nice dose of political satire to the issue (above).
Dog is a must-buy for dog lovers. It’s upbeat, surprisingly informative and reflective, and it also has lots of cute doggy photo shoots to coo over. Some of the issue’s links do seem a bit tenuous; for example, a section of the magazine is devoted to water, as the name pomeranian comes from ‘po more’, meaning by the sea. At that point it feels a bit like they’re scraping the barrel for content, but then you turn the page and there are some adorable photos of dogs paddling through the water. Suddenly, all faith is restored!
Editor-in-chief and creative director: Julian Victoria
Editor: Emily Rogers
Twitter: @readdogmag