Savage explores the dark side of colonial modernity through canine eyes, showing the many ways that dogs involuntarily contributed to the modernization of twentieth-century Hong Kong. Catherine S. Chan follows the piecemeal transplantation of British animal humanitarianism as pedigree dogs accompanied hardening class differences, dogmeat became a contested racial issue, and dogs were roped into the long list of undesirables fabricated in the so-called golden era of reforms following the social disturbances of the 1960s.

Chan reveals a fragmented civilizing project that constructed dogs as dangerous, filthy, and unnecessary nuisances in a burgeoning city, rationalizing the slaughter of tens of thousands of dogs alongside paradoxical criticism of the native population for perpetrating animal cruelty and the promotion of British animal humanitarianism. Departing from anthropocentric perspectives in understanding the use of Britishness in the molding of modern cities, Savage restores the presence and agency of dogs to encourage a rethinking of the patchiness of British colonial governance and the long-lasting repercussions that modernity can have on our relationship with animals.

Savage analyzes how the urban modernization of Hong Kong shaped human-canine relations in Hong Kong. Written with confidence and verve, Catherine S. Chan's conclusions deal with issues well beyond this case study and eloquently speak to humans' wider relationships with animals and nature.

—Aaron Skabelund, author of Empire of Dogs

Savage is realistically yet beautifully and accessibly written. This groundbreaking book will become an essential reference in Hong Kong colonial history, British imperial history, and global animal history.

—Michael Ng, author of Political Censorship in British Hong Kong

Listen to an interview with the author on the New Books Network podcast!