Perhaps it’s quite appropriate that I’m having a hard time writing this review because one of my dogs, Milo, is on the couch nudging me to pet him and not taking “no” for an answer, thus making it impossible to type on my computer. I believe he’s exhibiting what the author of “Think Like a Dog: How Positive Psychology Can Help your Dog Thrive” would consider the positive trait “persistence.”
Continue reading
We read books about dogs for the same reason we have dogs in our lives: we just can’t get enough of them. (At least I can’t.) And in this touching and memorable collection of dog essays, “The Best Dog in the World,” those of us with dogs might just think that our beloved dogs belong in there as well, because the best dog in the world is usually our own dog. The essays are expertly edited by Alice Hoffman, who in the Introduction, shares her touching story about Houdini, her beloved dog. And she writes what all dog parents know, “I still don’t think I was worthy of him.”
Continue reading
“What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird” is written by one of the world’s most famous writers of essays and books about animals. Sy Montgomery has written about hummingbirds, hawks, octopuses, pigs, moon bears, dolphins, tigers and more. She’s also written about Temple Grandin. Montgomery knows animals, and through her writing, we understand that she holds animals in high esteem. Her newest little book is about chickens; she raised them for decades.
Continue reading
Reading the title of this book, “Cowpuppy,” one might wonder what exactly Gregory Berns is writing about. To really understand this endeavor, you must read the fine print. “Cowpuppy: An Unexpected Friendship and a Scientist’s Journey into the Secret World of Cows” If you aren’t interested in animals, this is not a book for you. If you are worried that this is a book espousing veganism, Berns doesn’t do that, either. In fact, he admits to occasionally eating meat, and he feeds meat to his dogs. But he writes about his cattle from not just a scientist’s point of view, but as a behaviorist. His cows, we learn, are not just farm animals or tools, they are his friends.
Continue reading
It’s difficult to write nonfiction that is so engrossing and relatable that it reads like fiction, yet that is just what veterinarian Dr. Amy Attas manages to do in her book “Pets and the City: True Tales of a Manhattan House Call Veterinarian.” This collection of anecdotes and personal history ranges from the why—the reason Attas wanted to become a veterinarian and how she accomplished that—to the many famous people who were/are her clients. From Joan Rivers to Billy Joel, we read about the connections that the uber rich and famous have with their pets. But we also read about those not in that stratosphere of economic wealth, and how money doesn’t dictate how much we love our four-legged (and sometimes three-legged) pets.
Continue reading
Most of us who have dogs or cats know that animals play a lot; it’s a natural thing they do, and they do it with us, with other animals, or solely on their own. In “Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants reveal about Life Itself,” David Toomey explores how a multitude of animals play in nature, including, of course, dogs. This is not a light read, but rather a book that goes deep into the science of play, even the neuroscience and culture of play.
Continue reading
Dr. Ian Dunbar, author of “Barking Up the Right Tree,” isn’t just a veterinarian. In addition to his veterinary degree and a PhD in dog behavior, he was the first to create puppy training classes using positive reinforcement. Dunbar’s future as a dog behaviorist seemed ordained since childhood. He has been training animals since he was five years old on the family farm in England. Now, after decades in dog training and studying dog behavior, and a reputation as one of the foremost dog training experts in the world, he is sharing what he has learned and what research shows about training and understanding our dogs.
Continue reading
Please restore my accounts so I can continue to help dogs, cats, and authors.
Championing animals and books is my passion and purpose. I have used Facebook responsibly for almost 20 years, sharing my book reviews and my mission for rescuing animals with my audience. I actively support reputable animal rescues from coast to coast, including Placing Paws of Libertyville, Fat Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, and Dream Team Angels Rescue. Countless dogs and cats have found homes through my posts, and my husband and I have personally fostered hundreds of animals over the years. I have reviewed books from hundreds of authors and have also interviewed many authors including New York Times bestselling author CLAIRE COOK (Must Love Dogs, Bonus Time), New York Times bestselling author MICHAEL GRANT (the GONE series, the Animorph series), New York Times bestselling author KATHERINE APPLEGATE (The One and Only Ivan, Willodeen), BRIAN HARE (Scientist, professor, and author of The Genius of Dogs), New York Times bestselling author SPENCER QUINN (author of the Chet and Bernie series) and many more.
Continue reading
Addiction is an issue that directly or indirectly plagues all of society. It is the inability to escape a habit that haunts its victim, the “user,” the addict. It is an illness that carries a perfectly awful stigma, an illness which must be fought with the entire being of the sufferer if it is to be conquered. Dr. Michael Cowl Gordon, who has devoted his career and his life to the goal of leading addicts on the road to sobriety, has provided all of us with the knowledge, the guide, and a concrete plan to achieve that victory with his remarkable book, “The Twelve Step Pathway; A Heroic Journey of Recovery.”
Continue reading
There’s a new dog book in town and it’s written by two women who really know their dogs. In their nonfiction love story to dogs everywhere, “The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection,” the authors share all the wonderful benefits and reasons to bring a dog (or two or more) into your family.
Continue reading
Dog lovers need an easy reference book that can help with practical information about dog care, dog cognition, dog emotions (yes, they have emotions just as we do), and dog breeds, and “Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine” by Marc Bekoff is just that book. This is a book with important information that is helpful not just to the new dog owner, but even to seasoned dog people like me.
Continue reading
Those of us who are lucky enough to have animal companions know one tragic truth: With the exception of a few parrots, we will outlive all our companion animals. And as we experience the passing of each one, our hearts break. In “The Book of Pet Love & Loss,” Sara Bader manages to reassure us that we are not alone in our grief, that our sadness, our heartbreak, our sense of loss, is normal and equivalent to what is experienced by many others, include the noted writers of the quotes in this small treasure.
Continue reading