When you find a dog without its master, the first place you look is at the dog’s collar — hoping to find its home. Whose Dog Are You? Antique Dog Collars, Canes and Collectibles, the first-of-its-kind book on antique dog collars and other collectibles that celebrate dogs, has been published by a Dallas author.
Ron Gard, one of the world’s foremost decoy collectors and owner of the Prairie Rose Ranch, in East Texas, which received the 2023 Land Steward Award, authored the book and, for the first time, collaborated with his daughter, Christie, who conducted much of the research regarding the collars.
“And yes, we did bicker back and forth like anyone else,” Gard said.
The collars and other items are featured on or with a variety of dog breeds in the photographs shot by professional photographer Jeff Moore, of Livingston, Montana. The dog pictured on the cover, Lady, is Gard’s.
“My first dog’s name, when I was 3 years old, was Lady,” Gard said. “This is the first dog I’ve had named Lady since.”
Most of the photographs were shot in Dallas, in Gard’s living room. The dogs, 16-20 different breeds, mostly came from friends. Many of the dogs photographed on these pages look proud, like they knew they are wearing something special, with Moore expertly capturing their poses and expressive eyes.
“I couldn’t find a mastiff breed, and one day I was driving and saw a lady walking down he street with one,” Gard said. “I asked her if we could photograph her dog and we did the shoot the next day.”
Gard said the photo shoots were fun and uneventful.
“There were no accidents on the set, thank goodness,” he said.
Whose Dog are You? is as much about Gard’s love of dogs as it is about his love of collecting. It primarily focuses on his extensive collection of dog collars that date from ancient to modern times, and also includes dog handle walking canes and other collectibles that celebrate dogs.
The 259-page book is a true coffee table book (10.75(w) x 11.75(h) x 1.31(d) ready for display, with heavy, thick pages and top-notch images. Many of the dogs sport the ancient collars. Inside, readers will find many surprises and interesting stories. The cost of the most expensive collar was a sterling silver collar, dated 1691 with the owner’s name and address, bought at a London auction for $3,000. Most of the metal collars had leather liners. The knives and walking canes have dogs engraved or carved onto them.
Gard has written three books on collecting American folk art and antique decoys, The Ward Brothers’ Decoys: A Collector’s Guide with Brian McGrath, The McCleery Auction with folk art consultant Robert Shaw, and Isaac’s Ark: The Art and Times of Isaac Smith. An active conservationist, he was a founding director of the Dallas Chapter of the Gulf Coast Conservation Association. In 2019, the Coastal Conservation Association named him Conservation Sportsman of the Year.
Whose Dog are You? is available just in time for the holidays, beginning Nov. 15 for a cost of $85. The printing is limited to 1,000 signed and numbered copies. Author Ron Gard will be at Interabang Books in Dallas on Sat., Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. to discuss the book. The book will be available for sale at the store.
