Pet Books

For a so-called "dog-lover" to write this rubbish and then try to profit off of it is simply unforgivable. What a selfish, arrogant man. I can only hope that karma catches up with Katz eventually. I sincerely believe that he, not Orson, should have been euthanized!

I so loved reading this book. This' my second book my Jon Katz. A Good Dog: The Story of Orson Who Changed My Life was a book that made me giggle and also weep. His love for the much loved Orson was so touching and real. Jon Katz has become my new favorite author.

I wish I could've met Orson.

This book is a review of the self indulgent actions by a self absorbed man. He has no clue what it means to be a true dog owner. He reminds me of a child who, tiring of a toy, throws it out and cries for a new toy to satisfy the need for the new. Orson , his "soulmate" border collie is really nothing more than a toy that doesn't work very well in Katz's eyes. Rather than learn about his dog, Katz destroys him, and buys a newer, better model.

Dog people love to read books about dogs. This book is not about a dog. It is about this guy Katz and his odd outlook on life. Don't buy the book. Don't fund this guy's way of life. There are enough copies being thrown away. Pick one up if you must, otherwise, there are so many great books out there... read one of those. (An example: Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote.)

This book is more about the self exploration and justification of tragic misdeeds by the egotistical and inconceivably selfish Jon Katz than it is about Orson... who was, by the way, a good dog that could have had a very happy, well adjusted, balanced life if he had not had the misfortune of crossing paths with this lazy, self-professing dog lover who obviously has no true love of anyone or anything but himself.

Please do not waste a dime on this book. You will spare yourself the displeasure of reading this tragic, preventable (and poorly written) story. And, more importantly, you will avoid the further pocket lining of this misguided man, who if given the opportunity will forsake and exploit another innocent soul, as he did Orson.

Having recent thoroughly enjoyed Marley and Me, I was keen on tackling another 'journalist with difficult dog' story. But Katz and his trials with a what seems to me - as a non dog owner - an unappealing and dangerous dog do not make entertaining reading. This is a rather sad tale about Katz and his search for a new life for himself, which he attributes to his problem dog. I am not a dog owner, but I was bothered about this book. So I decided to read another of Katz's books and was surprised at how much good sense there seemed to be, compared to his actions with A Good Dog. I would never pretend to know the answers to training a dog like Orson, but I found Katz's love for this Collie rather worrying. We get the story of the endless ways he tries to train Orson. All I can say is that I am glad I didn't live next door to Katz and Orson.

It's important to say this is a very well written book - Katz has an easy writing style and he takes you smoothly through the story. But there is something totally unsatisfactory about the relationship between Katz and Orson that leaves you feeling we never really got to the meat of this tale. If you need a 'man and difficult dog' story, read Marley and Me.

Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the best authors in the newly emerging field of cat behavior and this book is no exception. She offers no-nonsense, practical ways of understanding and dealing with your cat's quirks and problems. Her solutions are rarely the "QUICK AND EASY" variety (if you wanted that, I guess you should have gotten a pet rock). But this book goes a long way toward helping you understand your complex and mysterious little housemate. If you take the time to follow her instructions and do what she says, you will get results. Do it for your cat!

Some of her methods are fine for a cat behaviorist or someone who has plenty of time (and no job) to spend catering to their kitty. I am a busy person who needs to socialize a rather "psycho" kitty to my already established one cat household. It has not gone well and if I practiced what this lady preaches I would be at this for years. It's a bit frustrating. Also I do not have a local cat behaviorist in my area to consult and my vet is more of the mind of - well just let the cats figure it out. I am still looking for advice. She seems dead set against using drug therapy on high-strung cats but if you cannot even handle the cat how can you practice all of these great techniques?

For some time now, we have been pounded with the bad news about Darwin. Life was shaped by a war of all against all. Evolution is survival of the fittest. People are incurably violent "killer apes" because Darwin made us killing machines.

This is all alot of nonsense, and always has been. It is important for a number of reasons, however. Among other things, many of the opponents of Darwin in the academic world are motivated by an understandable distaste for the "killer ape" school of thought. If Darwin says that people are no damm good, and that is built into our genes, then we reject Darwin.

But Darwin never said any of that stuff. Evolution by natural selection favors whatever promotes survival, under the conditions a species finds itself. It promotes being big and heavy, for whales in the ocean; it promotes being light and thin, for hummingbirds. It does not promote any one thing, in all circumstances.

It particularly does not promote unlimited aggressiveness, particularly among social animals. A very more useful strategy for survival is cooperation. De Waal makes the case that cooperation is built into us, by natural selection. He uses eminently Darwinian logic, and he knows the science.

Good Natured is a book focusing on morality in the animal kingdom, specifically primates. Overall, I thought this was definitely a fairy easy and engrossing read. The book deals with the structure of primate societies and how they enforce morality, how deeply it extends through the primate family (de Waal primarily researches chimpanzees), and instances of love, guilt, aggression, deception from his own research and those of other primatologists. He also describes other philosophies and research into moral systems.

I like de Waals style: the studies he talked about were fascinating and he really keeps your interest. I guess the only negative is that the book is a little disjointed in places. For example, in the chapter on sympathy there is a section on deception. In the end he makes his own speculation on morality stretching across human boundaries and what he makes of the implications for treatment of primates and other animals. It's definitely a great read for anyone interested in the evolution of morality and primatology.

I must say that this book has really helped me understand how monkeys, bonobos, and chimps live in both captivity and in the wild. In the same token it has also help understand how they all interact with each other, and sometimes I must admit that they seem to treat each other like humans treat one another.

Chapter Two in the book to me seemed to be the most interesting. De Waal with great detail writes about relationships within the species. How they accept handicap within the species and how they deal with an offspring's death.

Overall this book is outstanding and clearly understood. All chapters of this book even though this book is about primates, monkeys, etc., have a tie to human beings. I recommend this book to those individuals interested in learning the behavior and the nature of primates, monkeys, etc., but most of all those interested in learning the behavior and nature of humans, after all we did evolve from old world primates.

I found the book to be highly readable and subject matter to be fascinating. This subject is no where near my field (which is history) but found that De Waal presents the material in way that is very accessible to anyone. De Waal has an entertaining writing style that keeps you absorbed in the reading without the effort I have found in other books on the subject.

It's very important for us to really look at where we come from and why we are what we are, and taking a look at our closest relatives is a good window into our minds. I found the analysis and the conclusions to be well formed and fairly presented. The evidence he gives for his conclusions is well documented and explained.

While I did have a few problems here and there, these did not detract from the overall readability and the pure enjoyment of the book. This was just a very enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone, whether you have a deep interest in the topic or you're just looking for an interesting book to use up a few hours in the day.

De Waal is brilliant, objective, careful in reaching conclusions, ethical, a good writer, and has a lot to say. He is very much aware of research in related fields, such as developmental psychology. He and others place great store on observation of animals in natural settings, but also use controlled experimentation, analogous to the type of studies psychologists are always performing on college students. While I think this was an outstanding book, I would acknowledge that the beginning is slower reading than the end: more focused on the necessary vocabulary, some of the controversies, more argumentative, a little redundant.

De Waal contrasts "lower" primates and chimpanzees so that we can better understand the evolution of morality, and such distinctions as that between learned adjustment and true empathy. Chimps will mourn, console, deceive; the alpha male will intervene in disputes where the only objective can be restoration of harmony. As all animals, their adaptive potential exceeds the range of behavior observed in natural settings. For example, in the wild, females do not usually spend much time with other adult females, whereas in captivity they do. In captivity, they may use their friendships/alliances to control overly aggressive males, and even influence who becomes the alpha male. While morality has a genetic basis, even in monkeys there is a cultural component. In one experiment, aggressive rhesus adolescents learned to be more tolerant after living with more peaceful stump tailed macaques for 6 months.

The adaptive potential of morality is that it fosters group cohesion, which for many species is essential for defense against predators, or to find or protect resources. This is not to deny that one basis of morality is the selfish gene: by helping kin, you are helping some of your own genes to survive, so "altruistic genes" tend to perpetuate themselves.

A great book. If You're a Pet's Vet, this is a Must-to-Read and a Must-to-Have. This is not a final world in the matter, but every clinician should have this one for the practice.

For those who want to take advantage of all the means of getting information, in this case, cytology, this is a very good book. It has severall ilustrating images and describes perfectly on text, what you should see. This is a book I recomend every clinician to have.

It's easy to understand and has a worth to keep

I love this book. It does not go too deeply into any particular subject but covers horse care and riding in general very well. There are hundred of books out there for beginners to intermediate riders, but this is my best general reference book.

It even has snippets for the more advanced rider. I really think this book is a very valuable addition to any horse lovers Library.

I have a substantial library of equestrian-related books, and this one certainly deserves pride of place. It is the best and most complete general guide to horse riding I've yet come across. The photographs are gorgeous and the production values superb. William Micklem writes very well and his explanations are very clear and thorough without being dry or pedantic. This really is about how to get the most out of riding, pure and simple. It isn't one of those ordinary, "how-to-groom-your-horse-compendium-of-breeds" picture books, and it delves into dressage, show jumping and cross-country in three separate but interlinked sections. I actually learned quite a few things reading this book. Experienced and beginner riders alike will enjoy it. Read it cover-to-cover, and savour the beatiful layout and illustrations. Completely awesome and highly recommended!

I'm relatively new to riding because I have only a few years of experience without too intensive training. Up to now I have read the first 70 pages of the book only but my first impression is rather good. Its language is clear, the book is well organized into small chapters and contains good illustrations. I have already learnt several interesting things that were new to me e.g. how to learn jumping progressively or how to build strong relationship with horses. I will try to put these things into practice.

As it's not possible to 'see' a few pages of the inside of this book on Amazon, and I'm always sceptical about buying books online that I don't know and can't page through, after some searching, I found it at the DK website and looked through it there. I liked what I saw and then bought if from Amazon.

The photos are fantastic. Although the book is rather thick, it is very well organized and encapsulated with a new subject or further drill down every two pages. I covers everything from anatomy, to behavior, to harmony, to drills, to troubleshooting, and goals in building a solid relationship between horse and rider in all English riding disciplines.

If you're into jumping, especially, it's fantastic, because it covers, in great detail, distances between fences from trot and canter for training, gymnastics, and courses. It gives lots of exercises and drills. There are great overviews and tips for both competing and training. I have not come across any books that have this level of detail here.

The dressage explanations give you good basics but leave you hanging a bit for more.

It's like having great instruction from a master. The author's British, however, and Western riding is not covered at all as it's not as popular in Europe as English.

I give riding lessons. One of my students is moving back to the States, so I bought if for her as a going-away present. I liked it so much that I bought another copy for myself. It's a great reference tool and worth having on your shelf. I'm definitely going to use a lot of information in it during my own workouts and lessons.

This book would have gotten 5 stars if it were actually the "complete" riding manual. It covered no western events! I love riding english but i want to know more about the western events too. Anyway, this book covers almost everything you need to know about riding in general to riding in advanced shows. It seemed to me that the beginning of the book didnt really go into detail, it just sort of told the basics but didnt say why. Im going to re-read the whole thing again. The book itself was AMAZING and i reccomend it to EVERYONE!!! (but maybe, just maybe, they will change the title, PLEASE). go buy this book!

The book has a lot of good information. It has proved in a short time to be a valuable resource with us since we are raising and training dogs. It is easy to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who has dogs and wants to be a good dog-parent.

I checked this book out in a pet supply store once, and was rather disappointed to find that so many of the rare breeds were left out in the dog breeds section - including my personal favorite (Spanish Mastiff).

Basically,, this maybe be the ultimate guide for those wanting to read up more on dog care, training, health, and all that... but when it comes to covering info/pics on the MANY breeds of dogs there are out there (known and unknown) - one needs to look elsewhere.. I recommend "The Canine Lexicon" (by by Andrew De Prisco, James B. Johnson, and Isabelle Francais) and "The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World" (by Bonnie Wilcox and Chris Walkowicz) for that aspect.

This book is a excellent souce of information about our canine friends. If you love dogs, and need information regarding their health, and their care, then this a book for you. It has a wealth of "how to's" about everything for our pets.
I recommend this book highly!!

Whether you own a pure-bred dog, a designer breed, or a rescued pooch this book is for you.

An encyclopedic resource on all things dog; everything from training and behavior tips, over 50 fun activities to enjoy with your dog, grooming helps, over 100 health remedies, pages of emergency solutions, and 50 career profiles with dogs.

There are profiles of over 250 breeds from every place imaginable; from the USA to Burkina Faso. Big dogs, small dogs, hunting, herding, feral, lap, working, show, and companion dogs. They are all in this book.

I've spent hours just leafing through this book a page at a time marveling at the wonders of this creation of God; the diversity of breeds, and their characteristics.

The Dog Bible will bring hours of enjoyment and is highly recommended to the dog lover, and dog owner.

This is the worst dog book I have ever owned. I've been breeding and showing dogs for 20 years. I picked this book up and thought it might make a good general reference book. I was so disappointed when I got home. I felt like half of the material in it came directly from the Humane Society's web site. Much of the information in the book, which should be factual, is half-researched opinion. I can find better information than this on the Internet. The book hasn't been particularly well proofed or edited, either. Very disappointed.

We love this book! It is truly a necessary resource book for everything dog. It should be given to everyone who is a dog owner or is thinking of becoming one. Easy to read and understand, too. I gave a copy to my petsitter and she is recommending it to all of her clients as well. Great book!!!

This book does truly have answers to practically every conceivable question you could have about your dog. It has been a great help for us. We have two dogs, love both dearly, and so this book helps alleviate a lot of concern that we might have about what to do for or with our dogs under every circumstance immaginable. It is an indespensible tool for the dog lover/owner!

This is a wonderful book for dog owners. It is chockful of practical advice from nutrition, health, training...basically every aspect of dog owner ship.

And her radio show DOgtalkthe radio show on wliu and on podcast truly rocks.

As a child, I grew up in a household that always had dogs. However, growing up with dogs and having one of your own is a completely different story! After recently getting a puppy, I found I was calling home almost every day with questions for my parents about my pup's progression until I heard about this book. The Dog Bible is fantastic!! It has solutions or recommendations for almost any dog related question you can throw at it. I've been pleasantly surprised that whenever I've gone seeking an answer, the book has magically had it- it's like it reads my mind! While I was skeptical at first, as most dog books tend to be for the uber-beginner, this book is written with even an experienced handler in mind. It has great advice for both city and dogs that live in the suburbs. All in all, this is must-have for any one with a dog!

I LOVE the Dog Bible. It actually is a means to calm down, get control of our human emotions and realize that the stress we are feeling is normal; that our pets are our kids; that we need to love them & realize that WE must learn to communicate BETTER. Bless the author for this fabulous insight into man's best friend.

This book is really relatable for pet lovers. make sure you have a tissue handy, though. I bought this book for my mom after her dog passed away, and have also read it myself. I know the understanding she is able to get from these stories has helped her. there are some very memorable stories, and the short story format lets you read at your own pace. don't get me wrong- not all the stories are sad!

As both a dog and cat owner, and a would-be everything-else owner, too, I love this book! I have several "Chicken Soup" books, plan to add several more to my collection, but this one is probably my favorite so far. It keeps you between tears and laughter from beginning to end. All pet lovers will see themselves and their furry, feathered or finned friends somewhere in here, I'm sure!

Most of the series of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has the kind of warm and fuzzy story that many find endearing and sweet. They are not 'deep' most of the time, but do point to things beyond themselves; for my own use, I often find sermon illustrations and stories within the pages of volumes of Chicken Soup -- as chaplain at a retirement centre, many of the stories help people to recall happier times, and help them deal with their present situation.

This particular volume involves stories with animals. The relationship between animals and people of all ages can make for some of the funniest, most heart-warming, most sad, and most meaningful stories. There are contributing authors of some note (Barbara Bush, James Herriot, Jimmy Stewart, Gilda Radner, Art Linkletter) among other authors who had stories to tell and volunteered them. Much in the manner that Readers Digest accepts unsolicited stories from amateur authors, so does the Chicken Soup series. Often the most meaningful stories are those that happen to people who are not professional writers.

Few animals are left out here, as many animals have come to be companions with humans over the centuries. Dogs and cats feature prominently, as do horses and other farm animals, but there are also wolves, birds, dolphins, deer, wild turkeys, gorillas and even a Christmas mouse. The stories cover a wide range of topics, including pets as friends and healers, animals as rescuers and performers of other amazing feats, animals whose companionship meant a lot, and finally on the sadness and meaning of saying goodbye to an important family member.

Each of this stories can easily be read in a short time. This makes it a good source for 'falling-asleep reading', for use in public speaking and preaching opportunites, for shared reading-aloud times, and for simple enjoyment and entertainment. Many of the stories here are ones that stay with you; the story about the wild turkeys and the story of the Christmas mouse are stories I use again and again in my chaplaincy, and they are always appreciated.

The editors of the primary series 'Chicken Soup' are Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen; for purposes of this volume, they are joined by Marty Becker and Carol Kline, authors and animal-professionals in various capacities.

My cats give their paws-up to this!

Most of the series of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has the kind of warm and fuzzy story that many find endearing and sweet. They are not 'deep' most of the time, but do point to things beyond themselves; for my own use, I often find sermon illustrations and stories within the pages of volumes of Chicken Soup -- as chaplain at a retirement centre, many of the stories help people to recall happier times, and help them deal with their present situation.

This particular volume involves stories with animals. The relationship between animals and people of all ages can make for some of the funniest, most heart-warming, most sad, and most meaningful stories. There are contributing authors of some note (Barbara Bush, James Herriot, Jimmy Stewart, Gilda Radner, Art Linkletter) among other authors who had stories to tell and volunteered them. Much in the manner that Readers Digest accepts unsolicited stories from amateur authors, so does the Chicken Soup series. Often the most meaningful stories are those that happen to people who are not professional writers.

Few animals are left out here, as many animals have come to be companions with humans over the centuries. Dogs and cats feature prominently, as do horses and other farm animals, but there are also wolves, birds, dolphins, deer, wild turkeys, gorillas and even a Christmas mouse. The stories cover a wide range of topics, including pets as friends and healers, animals as rescuers and performers of other amazing feats, animals whose companionship meant a lot, and finally on the sadness and meaning of saying goodbye to an important family member.

Each of this stories can easily be read in a short time. This makes it a good source for 'falling-asleep reading', for use in public speaking and preaching opportunites, for shared reading-aloud times, and for simple enjoyment and entertainment. Many of the stories here are ones that stay with you; the story about the wild turkeys and the story of the Christmas mouse are stories I use again and again in my chaplaincy, and they are always appreciated.

The editors of the primary series 'Chicken Soup' are Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen; for purposes of this volume, they are joined by Marty Becker and Carol Kline, authors and animal-professionals in various capacities.

My cats give their paws-up to this!

I didn't quite know if I was going to make it through this book. Through about the first 8-9 stories, I kept on crying. I was thinking "This is ridiculous. I can't read one doggone story without crying after I read it." I kept thinking of my dog, Shep, who died a couple years ago at the age of 91 and how badly I want another dog. There is a dog beach by my house so usually everytime I see a dog, Shep pops up to mind. I pretty much had sunglasses on when I read this book in public so people wouldn't think I was completely crazy. Somewhere towards the middle, I hardened up and was ready to read this book without blinking a thousand times.
These were wonderful stories about everything from cats, dogs, snakes, bears, gorillas, and birds. I enjoyed every last one of them except for the one about Bush's dog. It was very impersonal and told the whole story like it was some sort of nursery rhyme. That was the only reason the book got four stars. I don't even understand how that story made it past submissions.

Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, are just as nice as nice can be. Certainly, they are the best of neighbors for Mrs. Teaberry when the poor lady injures her foot. Since she can't walk, somebody has to walk Zeke, her beloved bulldog.

Of course, Zeke seems to be the perfect little angel, but sometimes first impressions are not correct. When Mr. Putter and Tabby become his temporary custodians, the truth all comes out, and it's time for Mr. Putter and Tabby to go on one wile ride with Zeke!

Mr. Putter offers all kinds of bribes to the out-of-control Zeke, including ice cream, a carnival and a trip to the zoo! Certainly, those treats would have tamed the wildest child, but not this bull-headed bulldog!

The fabulous laughs here are reinforced by humorous illustrations, every bit as wonderful as the writing!

Mr Putter & his cat companion, Tabby, do the right thing by volunteering to walk the neighbor's dog when the neighbor is injured. The dog takes total advantage of novices & runs them ragged the 1st few days. Mr Putter stoops to bribery to get the dog to behave better the rest of the time. The neighbor never knows the whole story. My guess is Mr Putter & Tabby think twice before offering to help that way again! My 7 1/2 yr old daughter & I have been reading together for yrs & are devotees of Cynthia Rylant's work. We have only been reading the early reader Mr Putter & Tabby series for the last yr. It has the wonderful ability to appeal not only to the new reader mastering the skill, but also to the experienced reader, overseeing the learning process, or continuing to read to the child. This is a feat as many "early readers" captivate the early reader but put to sleep the overseeing adult!

Simple language and a hilarious storyline make this book perfect for the voracious or the reluctant reader. Mr. Putter and his cat tabby are a delightful pair, and their encounter with the neighbor's nightmare pooch will have kids laughing aloud. The accompanying illustrations only add to the text.

Perfect for children to read on their own, or with the help of a parent (because parents will find these stories equally charming).