Georgia Museum of Natural History: Dogs Exhibit

The Georgia Museum of Natural History delves right into the heart of UGA with their current exhibition about the history of dogs:

It’s sort of like an old joke by Groucho Marx, who said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

But “How ‘Bout Them Dogs: A Brief Look into the Evolution and Domestication of Our Best Friend” takes viewers inside of a dog -- into the bare bones.

The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. To find the museum, just look for the tall smokestack at the UGA steam plant on East Campus Road at Cedar Street.

The “How ‘Bout Them Dogs” exhibit does include the skull of an English bulldog -- the same kind as the UGA sports mascot “Uga” -- alongside those of several other species.

The exhibit shows some of the extraordinary physical variability within dogs and the family Canidae, which includes dogs, wolves and foxes, among others.

It also shows some of the health issues that people have bred into dogs as they shaped their appearances, things like the breathing problems caused by the bulldogs’ mashed-in face, for example.

One of the truly great campus resources for the entire community, The Georgia Museum of Natural History is a treasure of artifacts and knowledge thropugh expertise of its staff. Its zooarcheological collection is well know throughout the country.

Image: Bud Freeman, director of the Georgia Museum of Natural History, speaks with visitors. Photo by Lee Shearer for the Athens Banner Herald.