Pet Books

I read the book out of curiosity as a volunteer guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Aquarium's jelly collections are a favorite of many visitors and a favorite of mine. Visitors often ask about how we care for jellyfish and sometimes express interest in keeping them at home. I found the book to be very informative and entertaining. Technical details are organized in a way that helped me see the "big picture." Chad Widmar's accounts of the challenges in culturing and caring for various species will add a lot of color to stories I can tell. His description of the food chain (who eats whom) answers a very frequently asked question and will help young visitors see connections between exhibits in a meaningful way. If you have seen jellyfish displayed in an aquarium and are curious about how it is done, whether or not you wish to "try this a home," you will find the book a fun and worthwhile read.

This was a cute book, but not very helpful. I didn't find anything too dachsund specific on here that I hadn't already read on the internet. Most of the content could relate to any breed. Too bad.

I learnt alot about my puppy through reading this book. But I still feel there is a lot more to learn as she grows up and I don't think any book can do that .

This is an excellent choice for the first time Dachsy owner as well as a veteran owner. Lots of good information and tips on how to make life easier with your Dachshund. One of the best books I have read on the subject.

Not very helpful. Could be talking about any dog. Recipes in the back of the book are dangerous for dogs. Some of the ingredients are toxic to dogs and could make them sick or kill them. Not happy about that. This book should know helpful and healthy lifestyles for animals. This is the second dog for dummies book I've bought. Won't buy any more.

Bought for a friend with a new Dachyl - she loves both!

If I could only take one field guide with me on my California hikes, this would be it. It covers a very wide range of subjects with color pictures and a concise entry. The cover is tough enough to stand up to heavy use on the trail. Highly recommended.

These Audbon field guides are really great for lots information in a small book. I wish they would put one out for Minnesota/Upper Midwest.

This was my first field guide and it served us well on many a hike. The only problem I found was that I needed more detail on wildflowers, so I've augmented with a specific field guide to wild flowers. Other than that, this is perfectly shaped to fit into an outside pants pocket for easy access; pictures are fantastic, as are descriptions.

I don't use it much for birding, as again I've got a more extensive guide book to birds. It's primarily for the fauna.

Well worth the investment.

A great quick reference that covers everything from flora to fauna to star maps and parks.

I own numerous Audubon nature books. They are all wonderful to have for reference. Instead of taking many of my Audubon books with me on my outings, I wanted to have one general and all inclusive book when space was limited, so I purchased this one. It lives up to the Audubon reputation!
Just like all my other Audubon books, this one is first rate! My 7 year old will even go for these books and enjoys the colorful pictures!

This is a great book to have on hand. Especially for animal lovers. It has different chapters for the differant animals. This book is also easy to read.

My dogs, cats and my family are so happy about this book because it teaches using natural remedies to cure common ailments in pets. I mean, we don't want to use flea/tick repellents that can harm us... so using aromatherapy (in right doses) is so much safer. Besides, like lavender and ylang ylang aromatherapy--going natural smells so much better!

I was very impressed with the information and the format of the book. I don't necessarily totally agree with all the information presented, but it was very well done and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in using essential oils on their animals.

This was another great book on pet healing. Our pets can benefit from many of these healing methods used for people. This was put together very nice. I use it alot.

Very informative book with lots of practical information. Detailed recipies for making your own aromatherpay/essential oil blends for anxiety, skin problems, fleas, ticks and more. Has resource guide on where to find quality products and also advice on what to look for in a quality product if shopping elsewhere.

Understanding Equine Nutrition, Revised Edition (Horse Health Care Library)

I teach Equine Science and require this book for my students. It is easy to read but just as informative as a textbook. This book would be great for the long-time horse owner or someone just starting out. I highly recommend this book.

This is a great book, and is a very easy read & well organized. I would definitely suggest this book be on every horse owner's shelf.

This is a complete book on horse nutrition, including the newest trends. Covers the new debate over whether grain is best for your horse or not. Short discussions on nutritionally related diseases, such as polysaccharide storage myopathy and laminitis. Written by a nutritionist. Check it out, and check out Horse Illustrated magazine too!

This book is not a "new age" feel good book. It doesn't only tell you about why horses are good therapists for those of us who are hooked on horses. It talks about training issues that arise because Man is a Predator, and horses are Prey animals. Our "language" toward them is always naturally predatorial! We are SO rude!! It gives you a lot to think about.

As a horse person,riding instructor, and seeker, I was happy to see a man writing about his journey. Everything he spoke of, I have experienced with horses. It was good to have it in words.

I'm sure that the author is a great horse person. However, I never got the relationship between horse traits and our traits. Yes, horsses teach us patience, awareness and leadership. However, there are not a number of examples that demonstrate how that happens in the author's experience. The book rambles. The author speaks mostly in generaalites. Interwoven is the facts of Irwin's life with horses. I work with horses. I've read many "Horse" books. This is not one I'd recommend.

This book presented good insight into the horse/human bond and the understanding that can occur between the two. It was helpful especially in the presentation of the point of view of the horse as a prey animal. The author is particularly aware of this viewpoint as he deals with horses and is able to make it clear to the reader. He is amazed, as we are when we read his accounts, of the unusual trust that the horse has in humans, since we are predators. I found that this point of view stuck with me as I worked with my horses after I read the book. I found myself more aware and grateful to my horses for their trust.

A friend and fellow horse lover loaned me this book. I found that as I read it I learned more about my equine partners. Being a trainer, horsemanship instructor for people and certified in equine assisted psychotherapy, I am always trying to learn more about horses, people and the interactions between them. I found this book helpful especially in understanding some of the confidence and fear issues that my clients have when it comes to working with their horses. It is not always easy to empathize with them when you have never experienced these same issues. This book gave me a deeper perspective and awareness when it comes to working with both horses and their owners.

I think every new horse owner should read this book before they buy a horse, because there is a lot more to horse ownership than getting the horse to do things physically so that you can ride them. There are plenty of books about the physical and mechanical aspects of training, however many leave out the mental and emotional stablility of the horse and rider. This book is a nice bridge to fill that gap, because it helps us understand how the horse thinks, and why he does what he does.

Thank you Chris for sharing your experiences and insight about the psychology of horses and how they can make us more aware of our own issues. I have quoted from this book in the equine psychology classes that I teach my students.

This book provides a wealth of information that I have not seen elsewhere. It enables a very detailed assessment of every aspect of a horse's conformation.

This book is wonderful. It really goes into detail and there is more information here than I will ever need.

Thomas has written a fabulous book that digs deep into the mechanics of the equine. I enjoy understanding why/how things function. This book has helped me to understand why some activities came very easily to my Pony Club mount and why we had to work so hard on others.

By reading this you will understand how conformation impacts performance, soundness and longevity. It is well written and the diagrams make it easy to follow. This isn't a light read, be prepared to study.

If you are a casual rider that doesn't request a lot of your horse, then you may not need to know this depth of knowledge for conformation. I find something new to learn each time I pick it up.

Backyard breeders... PLEASE read this book. Bred-to-the-Nines doesn't do much for a horse that isn't built correctly to perform.

The Handbook is an exhaustive overview of equine conformation relative to athletic ability and stamina. It also appears to be a 'halter class' juding guide. There is an exhaustive amount of information which can make it difficult for the reader to maintain focus on what is an acceptable vs. unacceptable deviation from perfect conformation.

The text is well written and the examples well illustrated, however, in order to be absolutely useful, the reader needs the ability to summarize, overview, review, and focus.

It would be helpful if the author would re-state throughout that her text is written for the 'perfect' specimen and establish that a stated percentage of horses aren't perfect. Having done that, insert a summary on conformation points which are not acceptable under any circumstance; which confirmation points are relatively acceptable; and whether any combination of confirmation points will never be found all in one horse.

This book is one of the most excellent to have if you want to understand conformation, and there are only a handful on the subject even worth having. I am usually disappointed with the quality and quanity of information in books on this subject and only rarely do I find one that is actually worth buying and this is one of them. It rivals the quality of Dr. Deb Bennett's "Principles of Conformation", usually regarded as the industry's standard on this subject, and it touches on some things that Bennett's books do not. I recommend both equally as they compliment each other very well.

This author is a very experienced horse woman and author who has written several books on equines and many, many articles for various magazines. I've been familiar with her work for years and she is a thorough author.

This book hits on equine anatomy and it does a good job of it. You have to have a handle on anatomy before you can understand conformation and this books takes the pains to explain the skeleton, the muscles, and even equine teeth before it really delves into explaining faults, and it does really delve into faults and it explains and illustrates them well.

The Book is divided into 3 parts:

Part 1. Anatomy and Principles of Conformation
2. Basic Anatomy
3. Head and Neck Conformation
4. The Teeth
5. Chest Conformation
6. Back Conformation
7. Foreleg Conformation
8. Hindquarter Conformation
9. Foot Conformation

Part II. Evaluating a Horse
10. Body Proportions
11. Body Angles
12. Height
13. How a Horse Moves
14. Athletic Ability
15 Type
16. Soundness
17. The Senior Horse

Part III. Appendixes
A. Applying What You've Learned
B. Training Your Eye: Six Case Studies

This book takes you over anatomy, into faults and their pathology and then it has a section devoted to illustrated critiques of 6 different horses. This is a book to have if you want to know what Equine Conformation is all about. It is concise, VERY well-illustrated, and very thorough.

I know that the book is for dummies. I kept saying "Duh, teach me something new and effective." The book was heavy on the traits. I now know about the breed but I need solutions

Guess it does say "for dummies" but I still thought this book as a little too elementary. Also, tired of hearing what bad qualities JRTs have -- a little too heavy on the negative side, I felt. Frankly, I didn't get a lot out of this book that was useful to me, a first-time JRT owner.

We have two Jack Russell Terrorizors, and this book helped with the basics. I read it cover to cover a few times, and it had some good hints. It would be best to get this book before you ever get a dog, but I am sure that if you buy this book it is because you are already getting a Jack, not because you went out and bought every book of every type of dog. That is the only downside to this book. It spends way too much time talking about the decision to get a Jack. I guess this is because a lot of people got Jack's thinking they were apartment dogs and realized they had bought a Rambo when they should have bought a Fifi. This book should have said that Jack's are way more resilient than any other dog you can probably get (read: way more stubborn, so you can't always be the Dog Whisperer, you sometimes have to be the Dog Shouter). You will have to be very consistent and strict (I am a softie, so some of the hints were not good for me, because it should say "Get ready to be a Drill Sargent"). Jacks are very smart, tough, territorial (especially if female and with puppies, or male and there is a female in heat nearby, or just in general), (they can be aggressive, my 14 lb jack attached a 150 lb Rottweiler and had kicked his butt before we could get them apart) and you have to be prepared to keep them busy. Also be prepared for them to take forever to be potty trained (up to a year). Mine are now happy, so loving, and I am glad I had this book. We live in a Townhouse, and our dogs are loving it. They do get walked every morning, get busy games to play with and have a two hour play group every day so they get lots of diversion, which they absolutely require.

I have previously owned a Collie, Golden Retriever, and a pound mutt - but no dog has been more fun than the Jack Russell we just got. He's 3 months old and this book explained his personality perfectly. It also went over all the neat little tricks required to get them to follow orders and act right! Well written book, easy to read & very useful.

This is a very good book. A lifeline in a troubled sea of dog woes.

I enjoyed this book enough to order the second in the series. The main character, Raine Stockton, was well-developed and interesting. I agree with another reviewer that the romance side of the book was confusing. It was hard to understand what Raine's relationship was with her ex-husband. But, perhaps the author is intending to elaborate in her next book. Overall, a good choice for dog lovers.

I am a addicted to dog stories. One can tell That Ms. Ball is an expert in dogs, and specifically in rescue dogs. The mystery story is average at best, but the dog part is great. 3.5 stars.
P.S. This is The FIRST book in the series, NOT the SECOND!

As the first in a new series, this is very good and very interesting. It is very similar to Virginia Lanier's Bloodhound series. The same type of main character although this takes place in the Smokey Mountains rather than Georgia. This isn't a bad thing since Lanier's books were probably the best in the genre. Like Lanier, the characterization takes second place to the mystery, which I happen to enjoy. Bad mysteries and not enough characterization as in Susan Conant's dog mysteries are too boring.

Ms. Ball will grab your attention with the first line of the book, and you won't be able to put it down til you have finished the last page. This is the 1st of a great new series. How can we not love a book with such a wonderful dog featured.

A solid mystery with good characters, good pacing, interesting backstory (more revealed in next book) a likeable protagonist and wonderful overlay of information about search and rescue dogs.