From the time she was five years old, author Lynn Stacy-Smith has lived side by side with dogs as her best friends and constant companions. Love, Laugh, Woof, a memoir and guide to being a compassionate forever dog owner, shares a collection of stories from the authors life with her dogs a tribute to how her dogs brought joy and adventure into her childhood and later life. It segues from her memories into a training manual and pet care book that helps potential pet owners decide if a dog is right for them, and the importance of training and teaching the dog the rules of living in a human world. Smith shares the responsibilities involved in bringing a pet into their lives, and she strives to help people become more compassionate and understanding dog owners. A combination of anecdotes and instructional materials, Love, Laugh, Woof offers a look at Smiths philosophy on dog ownership. Love Laugh, Woof is a way of life and a set of beliefs that she follows to be a loving, thoughtful and fair dog owner.
From bestselling author of She’s Not There, New York Times opinion columnist, and human rights activist Jennifer Finney Boylan, Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs, a memoir of the transformative power of loving dogs. This is a book about dogs: the love we have for them, and the way that love helps us understand the people we have been. It’s in the love of dogs, and my love for them, that I can best now take the measure of the child I once was, and the bottomless, unfathomable desires that once haunted me. There are times when it is hard for me to fully remember that love, which was once so fragile, and so fierce. Sometimes it seems to fade before me, like breath on a mirror. But I remember the dogs. In her New York Times opinion column, Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote about her relationship with her beloved dog Indigo, and her wise, funny, heartbreaking piece went viral. In Good Boy, Boylan explores what should be the simplest topic in the world, but never is: finding and giving love. Good Boy is a universal account of a remarkable story: showing how a young boy became a middle-aged woman—accompanied at seven crucial moments of growth and transformation by seven memorable dogs. “Everything I know about love,” she writes, “I learned from dogs.” Their love enables us to pull off what seem like impossible feats: to find our way home when we are lost, to live our lives with humor and courage, and above all, to best become our true selves.
In this original and provocative book, Colin Dayan tackles head-on the inexhaustible world, at once tender and fierce, of dogs and humans. We follow the tracks of dogs in the bayous of Louisiana, the streets of Istanbul, and the humane societies of the United States, and in the memories and myths of the humans who love them. Dayan reorients our ethical and political assumptions through a trans-species engagement that risks as much as it promises. She makes a powerful case for questioning what we think of as our deepest-held beliefs and, with dogs in the lead, unsettles the dubious promises of liberal humanism. Moving seamlessly between memoir, case law, and film, Dayan takes politics and animal studies in a new direction—one that gives us glimpses of how we can think beyond ourselves and with other beings. Her unconventional perspective raises hard questions and renews what it means for any animal or human to live in the twenty-first century. Nothing less than a challenge for us to confront violence and suffering even in the privileged precincts of modernity, this searing and lyrical book calls for another way to think the world. Theoretically sophisticated yet aimed at a broad readership, With Dogs at the Edge of Life illuminates how dogs—and their struggles—take us beyond sentimentality and into a form of thought that can make a difference to our lives.
Gary Paulsen has owned dozens of unforgettable and amazing dogs, and here are his favorites--one to a chapter. Among them are Snowball, the puppy he owned as a boy in the Philippines; Ike, his mysterious hunting companion; Electric Fred and his best friend, Pig; Dirk, the grim protector; and Josh, one of the remarkable border collies working on Paulsen's ranch today. My Life in Dog Years is a book for every dog lover and every Paulsen fan--a perfect combination that shows vividly the joy and wisdom that come from growing up with man's best friend.
Jordan Maries book, My Life With Dogs, is a personal story of one girls journey with dogs while facing lifes trials and triumphs. Its very refreshing to live in a community where parents are actively engaged in their childrens lives and promote a sense of stewardship and community service. Jordan Marie is a shining example of this community spirit and has the gift and willingness to help animals with care and love. In Germantown, we are proud of her efforts and wish her continued success as she encourages others through her writing and actions. Mike Palazzolo, Mayor, City of Germantown As the father of two daughters and owner of a rescue dog, My Life With Dogs is really inspiring. It speaks to the talent and compassion of a young girl and dog lover. Jordan Marie, my daughter, Lauren, considers it a great privilege to call you a friend. We cant wait to read the next one. Keep up the great work! Kevin Woods, Shelby County School Board
This book is the accounting of how I became involved with shelter dogs and rescued fifty-five of them from high-kill shelters or situations that could have led to death by cruel circumstances or euthanasia. This story is about not only of these fifty-five dogs but also of dogs that were in shelters but desperately needed help to cope with shelter life. It also describes how dogs with issues were handled so they could learn to deal with their issues and become family members and lead normal lives. It is also about abused dogs and how to get them to trust a human again. This book is dedicated to my own dog, Scrappy, whom I rescued hours before he was to be euthanized for biting people. He was a fearful, abused dog and didn’t trust people. We built his trust on his terms, and eight years later, he is very much loved and part of our family.
In a nation where our love of dogs keeps growing and dog ownership has reached an all-time high, confusion about dogs and their behavioral problems is skyrocketing. Many dogs are out of control, untrained, chewing up furniture, taking medication for anxiety, and biting millions of people a year. Now, in this groundbreaking new guide, Jon Katz, a leading authority on the human-canine bond, offers a powerful and practical philosophy for living with a dog, from the moment we decide to get one to the sad day when one dies. Conventional training methods often fail dog owners, but Katz argues that we know our dogs better than anyone else possibly could, and therefore we are well suited to train them. It is imperative, he says, that we think rationally and responsibly about how we choose, train, and live with the dogs we love, and the more we learn about ourselves, the better we can recognize their wonderful animal natures. Misinterpreting dogs is a profound obstacle to understanding them. Katz believes that both people and dogs are unique–a chow differs from a Lab just as a city dweller differs from a farmer–and he describes how such individuality isn’t addressed by even the best and most popular training methods. Not every training theory is for everyone, notes Katz, but almost anyone can train a dog and live with him comfortably. Katz on Dogs is filled with no-nonsense advice and answers to such key questions as: • What kind of dog should I have? Is there is a specific breed or kind of dog for my personality, family, or living situation? • What is the best way to train a dog? • Can I trust my vet? • How often (and for how long) can a dog be left alone? • Is it preferable to have only one dog, or are more better? • What are the secrets to successful housebreaking? • What are my dogs thinking, if anything? • How can I walk my dog instead of having her walk me? • Is it ever okay to give away a dog you love? • When is it time to put my dog down? Katz draws from his own experience, his interactions with thousands of dog owners, vets, breeders, dog rescue workers, trainers, and behaviorists, and he has tested his approach with volunteer dog owners around the country. Their helpful and often inspiring stories illustrate how all of us can live well with our dogs. You can do it, Katz contends. You can live a loving and harmonious life with your dog.
Jon Katz, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dogs of Bedlam Farm, takes a bracing look at the booming industry of dog training, which he dubs "a catastrophe in America." Listening to Dogs is not a training book; it is an empowerment book. In it, Katz asks dog owners to stop before reaching for the newest training manual or watching the latest TV show, and to invest that time designing their own personal training programs for their and their dog's individual needs. Why pay for a dog training guru when you can be your own for free?
