Pet Books

I bought this book because I will be bringing home a pug puppy soon. While I am two weeks from picking up my beloved pug, I have found this book to be a great book, so far. I'm almost finished reading it. I'm reading it cover to cover and have already found out that I want to go back through and take notes on a few things to help with training. It lists all sorts of health information on pugs, the basic commands for training, bathing/grooming, a section for 'senior pugs' and I dont even know what else! There's so much information in this book! I almost bought multiple pug books at the same time to read and now, i'm glad i didn't. There's no need for them. This one book pretty much covers a lot of the questions i've had so far.

As someone above mentioned, it does go in depth a little more with the training aspect to train your dog to get off something by saying "off" following with "good off" - or, to only say "no!" when it's something that you dont want them to try again - as opposed to saying no when the pug gets a training command wrong. This stuff makes perfect sense to use clear words and praise so they're not confused, it's just stuff that i probably wouldn't have thought about myself. Not only these few things, but there are more like them in the book. It's just a great general book to have for a pug owner (or soon-to-be owners, like me!)

We thought that this book was great. It has really helped us since we became new pug owners. It explained about health concerns and potty training, to what kind of toys pugs like the best. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone thinking about getting a pug!

I've read just about everything written about pugs and this is one of the better books. The tips are helpful and if you aren't aware of it, pugs have many health issues. The result of years of breeding makes for some common ailments. A good choice for pug lovers.

Wonderful book replete with information about pug care, i.e. grooming, cleaning their facial folds and finger curling their doubly curled tails when they are still puppies.

You also get to read about training and breeding your pug and overall good dog care specific to this breed. You learn what words and short commands tend to work best for pugs and you and your pug can share in the rewards - limitless pug cuddles. You even get some humorous "pug tales" as well. What is not to love about a pug? Pugs are so lovable!

Great book! Very practical information about what pugs need as far as bathing, skin fold wiping (beware of swamp face), and other general pug hygiene. Very practical training tips, such as belly rubbing to assure your pug that you are dominant (as well as providing a delightful belly rub) and choosing useful words for training, such as "off" instead of "no jumping," so that that your pug can be praised with the same word, for example, "Good Off," which then serves as a built-in reward (and doesn't exhaust the word "No"). Interesting and funny information on pug personalities. What's not to love about a pug?

This is an excellent book for the first time shihtzu owner. Has instructions on how to groom your own puppy, etc.

This book was a great introduction for me, who has never owned a dog before. It teaches you about Shih Tzus, but also about dogs in general.
The techniques work, and I feel that I am now smarter than my puppy. A dummy no more!

I ordered this book after bringing home my 6-week old puppy, and it has helped me tremendously. I have one other book which talks a lot about the history and temperament of the breed, but this book is a lot more useful for everyday knowledge. I love the suggestions for getting the dog used to daily grooming so that he get used to being handled. My puppy is already starting to nip at my hands and feet, and this book is helping me respond to this and other undesirable behavior.

This is my first dog, and I had not a clue about how to housebreak or socialize him. With this book, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to raise a friendly family pet.

Exellent book for people who know very little and who desire to know more about the Shih Tzu breed. It covers everything from puppyhood to senior citizen. I am very happy with this book.

Starts with many natural case histories for psychic pets, then describes his brilliantly simple experiment. I interviewed Dr. Sheldrake on my Skeptiko Podcast. He's extremely well-spoken and likeable.

In "Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" Rupert Sheldrake continues his quest for acknowledgement of phenomena neglected, forgotten or brushed aside by modern science. This time he focuses on the unexplained powers of animals.
Starting with the observations of pets, through behavior of wild animals, to humans, Sheldrake examines the connections and bonds between living creatures, which lead them to feel each other's emotional and physical state.

Probably all pet owners and people fond of animals have observed that some animals demonstrate behaviors that cannot be explained by genes or instinct (or, that would be too much simplified by such explanation). Wondering, how the pets know, when their owners are coming home, when some accident or death occurred, how to find a way home from an unfamiliar place even far away, when the owner intends to give them food or go for a walk, or how to recognize an attack of an illness such as diabetic coma or epileptic seizure, or even the natural disasters, like storm or earthquake, probably happened to all pet owners some time or another - and most of the time these thoughts were probably bagatelized and quickly forgotten in the face of more important everyday events.

The book is very well ordered and organized, very much like a scientific publication. After a short, introductory chapter, summarizing the history of animal domestication, Rupert Sheldrake presents the data gathered during his systematic studies, mostly through surveys in different parts of United States and Europe. The data consists of examples of pets, which exhibited behaviors described above, collected and analyzed in impressive amounts (even with statistics). Not only does he report accounts from the owners of dogs and cats, but also gives examples of horses, rabbits, birds and fish, and negative examples of pet reptiles and insects. He proceeds from these examples to the flocking and migratory behaviors of the wild animals (the linking behavior is the return home) and compares the findings to the human abilities, which, in the contemporary, civilized world, seem ridiculously meager.

The main body of the book consists of these examples and this is its strength (as a scientific argument) and weakness (as a popular book, because the lengthy lists of examples can be boring). The conclusions, however, are not very strong. Sheldrake applies here his famous hypothesis of morphic fields, which, in analogy to magnetic and electrical fields, are created by forces - yet undescribed -which are, in turn, created by social influence between individuals. The existence of morphic fields is an interesting hypothesis, but only a hypothesis. Luckily, Sheldrake admits it himself and does not push his hypothesis as a theory or as a universal truth, like some gurus of fashionable, popular "science" books. I have to give him great credit for being a scientist even though what he does is beyond the scope of contemporary science. The same goes for his explanations of animal behaviors by their ability to precognize certain events or by telepathy. Telepathy, or mind-to-mind-communication, seems especially plausible as an explanation of pets knowing their owners intentions before the owner can communicate them in any other way (body language, any sensory signal). Although telepathy is obviously his favorite explanation of communication between pets and owners, between animals in the group, and, almost lost, between humans, Sheldrake does not give it as the only explanation. He always tries to show other ones and, giving arguments for and against each one (sometimes, admittedly, not very strong) dismisses them or not. His approach reminds me very strongly of the approach of psychologists, which very often are vague as well. That is perhaps why I liked the chapters on the migratory birds most, maybe, because, as a biologist, I see most of the ecological and "harder science" in it?

At the end of the book, the methods for investigation of pet behavior are presented, so that the interested readers can try their own experiments, which are very simple and do not require much skill - only perseverance.

I like Sheldrake for pursuing his goal of presenting to the non-scientific crowd of readers the alternative or once studies, but today neglected, scientific questions, without cheap trick or want for fame. He is doing his job and I admire his work, even though I have my doubts about it. I don't think this book was supposed to convince anybody of anything (as some previous reviews suggest), it rather intends to puzzle and ask questions, making the reader realize they cannot be unequivocally answered with the current state of knowledge. This book is not his best (some are really great), mainly because of endless lists of examples, but it is good and solid.

Sheldrake makes scientific inquiry not just adventurous and rigorous, but also playful and friendly. His experiments are designed to involve many people in testing theory after theory to account for animal behavior. How do pets know when the vet is coming? How do animals anticipate earthquakes? How do they know to give up waiting by the door, when their owners change plans and postpone coming home?

Sheldrake's experiments, surveys and documentation always prove entertaining. With Sheldrake, science becomes a community experience, open to all who are curious and willing to put their minds together.

This book was well-written, engaging, and thought provoking. The research was very well done, and I am usually quite skeptical. But this opened up a whole line of thought of how our minds may work, for me. I definately recommend it.

Some dogs seem to know when their owners are coming home. No, not when they are walking up the front steps, but when they are still at the office DECIDING to come home. Some animals know when their owners are in distress or dying, far away. Some animals know when their owners are about to have a seizure, or attempt suicide.

Author Rupert Sheldrake has compiled a database of hundreds of fascinating anecdotal reports, supplemented by simple but clever research studies. He challenges us to consider these unusual but intriguing phenomena, that do not depend on physical distance or any known sensory pathways. He has a healthy respect for scientific method (and uses it when he can) but none at all for scientific dogmatism. To skeptics who discount these remarkable observations as mere "selective recall," he says, do the research and prove it.

This is a fascinating and well-written book. It was hard to put down, and in fact, I may read it again. To be sure, Sheldrake can't explain the phenomena he describes. He invokes the concept of morphic fields but can't really tell us what they are. Further research is needed, and, to his credit, Sheldrake is attempting to recruit people all over the world, to participate in just such research. Why, even you could participate. I recommend this book highly. Run out and buy it today. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

If you've ever seen your aquarium fish look hungry for more, then Michael R. Hellweg's Culturing Live Foods: A Step-by-Step Guide for Culturing One's Own Food for the Home Aquarium is for you. It tells how to make happier fish by cultivating live foods they like - plants, multi-celled organisms, crustaceans, mollusks and worms - over 80 such foods in all. Culture methods, materials needed, color sidebars of reference information and more make for discussions of species, care, and what kinds of aquarium fish they can feed. Libraries specializing in aquarium owner's guides will find this offers something different for the avid aquarium owner.

The information contained in this book will prove invaluable to anyone interested in maintaining or breeding just about any species of tropical fish,and it is written in a down to earth style that is very easy to understand.
You can't go wrong with this book.

Culturing Live Foods
By
Michael R. Hellweg

Since Mike Hellweg is an old and valued friend/colleague in the tropical fish hobby, my opinions about his new book "Culturing Live Foods" may be a little biased - although they really need not be. "Culturing Live Foods" is a much-needed, and excellently written book, and it is an important contribution to the aquarium hobby. Mike is well known throughout the hobby as not only an accomplished writer, but also a master breeder, and he shares with us the fact that much of his success in breeding fishes comes from giving live foods to both the breeders, and the offspring.
"Culturing Live Foods" starts with a very interesting discussion of the history of fish foods, and the reasons for feeding live foods today, even though we have a wide variety of excellent frozen and dry foods available to us. The book then discusses the tools and containers needed, and getting starter cultures, for live foods. The foods themselves start with the smallest ones that are used - phytoplankton, or "Green water". Protozoans, or "infusoria" are then discussed, and then somewhat larger foods such as copepods, rotifers and vinegar eels. Much space is devoted to brine shrimp, which is fitting as they are probably the most common live food in the hobby. Mike discusses hatching, enriching and growing live brine shrimps to adults, as well as decapsulating the cysts (eggs).
As the book progresses we move up in size for the live foods, from worms (whiteworms, tubifex, blackworms and earthworms) to snails and crustaceans such as daphnia, moina and mysis shrimps. Other shrimps such as glass or grass shrimps and various species of Neocaridina are covered. Insects are the next category, and they include flour beetles, fruit flies, mealworms and mosquito larvae - including the constant battle between hobbyists and spouses about whether the standing water that has been left out was left there on purpose or by mistake, the net effect being a nice population of mosquito larvae that the hobbyist finds terrific for feeding fish, and the spouse sees only as a source of biting insects. The final group of live foods are fish, and here Mike mentions the problems with buying feeder fish from the local fish store (or bait store), and he strongly suggests that hobbyists raise their own feeder fish if at all possible.
Mike's book is packed with a wealth of detailed information, and yet it is much more than a simple "How To" book. It is an interesting, well written and very informative book, and covers all aspects of live foods, from starting cultures to collecting foods from the wild. There is an excellent group of resources at the end of the book in terms of related books, magazines, Internet sites and suppliers of live foods and cultures. "Culturing Live Foods" should be in the library of any fish hobbyist who wants to keep, and breed, fish successfully.

This is a terrific, up-to-date resource by Mike Hellweg, a master fish breeder whose success with fish is built on his success in feeding his fish appropriate live foods.

I've been discussing the culture of various live foods with Mike for several years now, and studying a lot of what has been easily available on the internet, and even put together my own web page reviewing the techniques I've used with my own cultures. But this book has already given me new tips and tricks on creatures I thought I knew all about, and given me confidence to try some that I've failed with in the past. The details are just right to enable success with each organism, and there are good sources for more information if you want or need it.

This book is also an excellent primer on spawning fish, because several species are discussed as easily bred feeders for larger fish. Those are tips you can use to propagate those and related species for your own enjoyment even if you don't keep predatory fish.

I can't recommend this highly enough for the aquarist who wants to keep and spawn happy, healthy fish.

I'm really happy to see this book. It's been a long time since we have had updated comprehensive information. This is presented beautifully and very well written. Any serious Aquarist should plan on this book for their collection. You won't be disappointed.

This book is an absolute necessity for any cat (or dog) lover. This book was given to me over 4 years ago by my cousin who was studying Veterinarian Medicine. This book has helped me in many many ways. From first aid for one my cats to preparing them healthy snacks and treats. I still use this book today and would simply not live with out it. I would highly recommend this book. I love hoe detailed this book is, especially on important subjects like vaccinations. Although this book should be more of a guide than anything else really. This book is not meant to replace any veterinarian advice or care for your beloved animal.

This was the first book I purchased in the field of nutrition for my dog.
I am happy I did buy it, but it turned out that my dog was not doing well on grains. The recipes in the book (I am not sure if the newer edition contains more grainless recipes) all contained a lot of grains and ground meat. I found out later that a dog, as well as a cat, needs to use his teeth and jaws and that he needs to chew and tear. I still have the book and regularly consult it when I want to look up what to do in case of illness (I missed information on problems with the thyroid there).
So: diet-wise I can't give it a good review, but I like the list of ailments and cures, as well as the first aid part!

Many people swear by this book, but I don't find it that essential. Most of the information was not especially useful or was common knowledge. Mainly I disagree with Pitcairn's use of grains in a dogs diet. Instead, I recommend New Choices in Natural Healing Dogs & Cats and The Nature of Animal Healing.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a forum for questions that can be asked concerning Dr. Pitcairn's latest edition of his book, so I am
hesitating to purchase it. I own the 1982 edition and wonder if it has been updated as far as recommendations of diet- specifically foods that have been deemed dangerous to dogs and cats- as one reviewer mentioned, raisins. I have recently heard of onions and garlic included as dangerous foods for dogs and cats, and Dr. Pitcairn's earlier book is laced with encouragement for feeding them to our pets. As someone who is severely allergic to onions myself, I have learned that they lurk in MANY places and in various forms. Onion powder is just as detrimental for me as raw onion, and is found in chili powder and many other spice combinations, soy sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, chicken broth, vegetable broths, bouillon, tomato sauce, even canned beans, especially the organic varieties. I avoid feeding anything that might contain these to my dogs. I wonder if the revised edition of Dr. Pitcairn's book includes cautions about feeding onions and garlic to pets? Since I cannot find an answer to my question without purchasing the book, I will continue to hesitate to do so.

I can't praise this book enough. It has literally saved me hundreds of dollars in pet care costs and more importantly saved at least one of my pets' life. I've owned my copy for at least eight years. I have a Weimaraner with allergies which this book has kept her allergy free without the prescriptions recommended by the vet.
More recently I had a cat with a blocked urethra, common in male cats, which can also lead to a rapid and painful death if they are completely blocked. The emergency vet wanted $1500 to catheter and care for the cat for two days with antibiotics etc. I opted to have them do the catheter ($300) and took him home to care for him. I followed the books instructions. He did great right away by giving him the vitamins the book suggests and the prescription food the vet suggested. But after two weeks of being 100% well he started to have blood in his urine again, the first sign of the problem. Then I realized that I had slacked off on the vitamins the book suggests, (vitamin C, and some others). I had mistakenly assumed the "prescription" food would be good enough. I immediately gave him the books homeopathic remedy followed by the books recommended vitamins and their "Healthy Powder" (recipe in the book) and his problem cleared up the next day and he has had no signs of any problem since. He is in the best health he's ever known! And I'm being smarter about his needs.
If you care about your pets, believe in their own abilities to heal, and natural and holistic approaches to pet health, this book is the best; it's the one I go to first to find the answers to my pet's problems.

This is a great book for people who are just starting out to breed dogs of any type. This book is very informative and it has great pictures to show you how to: I would recommed this book for anyone thinking about breeding. There is so much to breeding dogs and this book tells you the pros and cons of dog breeding. Dog breeding is not for everyone and this book will certanily help you decide if this is something that you want to do.

This book is recommended to individuals who have some knowledge of pet breeding and delivery. The chapter on setting up necessary supplies was extremely pleasant. However, professional breeders may find this book a bit flat with only a modicum of additional information they could add to their repetoire.

This book was written 1n 1993.... even though the basics remain the same, there are other books on the subjet like the ones written by Myra Savant-Harris that are 100% more updated.

There are some great points and some lacking points made in the book. I appreciated the section where it lists the breeds of dogs and then corresponds the numbers that relate to the diseases and problems of that particular breed. It helps in determining whether the breed's problems are ones that you feel comfortable handling or trying to correct. The book needs more photos, drawings, or sketches as it assumes a higher degree of knowledge on the readers part. I would recommend the book but not as a sole source but only as an additional source as it is not complete and doesn't answer or address many other questions or problems.

This book gives step by step and detailed instructions on how to handle the many things that can go wrong in whelping a litter. I found it a comforting resource to have around so I know I am as well prepared as I can be for what may come. A must have for any breeder, hobby or professional.

This book was a little childish and choppy but it was good. It was a total speed-read and it only took me about an hour to read it. It was cool that it was about animals and the author used pretty good personification. The kids were really annoying though. Good book.

It was a very good book to read.I liked the book,eventhough i didn't finish the story.The story was about two dogs and one cat the cats name was Chester. The dogs name was Howie and Harold

As much as Harold would love to put mystery, horror, and suspense behind him, and spend his days lounging about the kitchen waiting for his next chocolate treat; with Chester the neurotic, hare-brained, paranoid kitty quickly dashes those dreams, and does the unthinkable - drags Harold into his next crazy scheme. While Harold, Howie, and Chester are accompanying the Monroe family on an impromptu camping trip, Chester announces to his canine comrades that May 5 - Saint George's Day - is upon them; thus, spirits will be hovering about the moment the clock strikes midnight. Harold instantly knows that this is the worst possible time to be camping in the creepy woods, especially with such inexperienced campers such as Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, and their budding Boy Scouts, Toby and Pete. But when the Monroe's run into two bumbling men - Bud and Spud - along with their scruffy dog, Dawg, the Monroe pets know that something fishy is surrounding them. Howie is instantly mesmerized by Dawg, and becomes his bosom buddy; Harold is trying to accept the stubby-legged pooch simply as a new friend; but Chester is convinced that Dawg is nothing but trouble, set-up to lure them away from the Monroe's so that Bud and Spud can do all sorts of evil things to the unsuspecting humans. When Dawg suggests a trip through the woods to show the Monroe pets something interesting, Howie, Harold, and Chester are only too eager to go. But when they discover that they seem to be lost in the woods, they begin to wonder whether Dawg intentionally lured them away from their owners, or if there was simply a glitch in his tracking. When they're unable to find their way back to the campsite, Chester is the first to freak out, and finds himself worrying about leaving the Monroe's overnight, in the hands of spirits run amok, not to mention the bizarre Bud and Spud. But the boys find it difficult to lose Dawg, and make their way back to camp before it's too late, and they never see the Monroe's again. Chester is convinced that the only possible way to escape from Dawg's clutches is to tell him a bedtime story that will, hopefully, lull him to sleep, and create the perfect escape plan for the Monroe pets. But as soon as Chester begins the tale, it turns into a horrific, hare-raising story about the origins of their bunny brother, Bunnicula, and his life as a vampire amongst human vampires in both Transylvania and England. The trouble with Chester's story, is that, while it is a spooky tale that many would love to hear around the campfire; it poses many frightening thoughts, and serves to give each of the four-legged creatures nightmares, as opposed to a peaceful doze. Now Chester and Harold have no idea whether Dawg will be able to get some shut-eye, or find himself on edge all night, all thanks to Chester's creepy creation. And without Dawg falling asleep, the end could be quite near for the Monroe's.

While I never read anything by James Howe when I was younger; over the past couple of years, I have found myself drawn to his BUNNICULA series, making me incapable of resisting any of his stories about the Monroe family pets. NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE proves the same. As with the previous books, Chester seems to be the most neurotic character in the tale - which isn't that unusual for a feline. His constant musings about horror stories, and creepy legends set the reader on edge; while his ability to cause paranoia in his canine brothers is humorous, and really lends a laugh to the story. Harold is his usual self, thinking about nothing more than tasty S'mores, long naps, and dinner. His narration is enjoyable; while his easy-going, laid-back attitude provides a more relaxed edge to the story. Howie, on the other hand, is as rambunctious as ever. The little pup seems to go a mile a minute with his rapid thoughts; and his trusting nature can sometimes make the reader worry about his safety, as he manages to get himself into all sorts of trouble. Howie truly embodies the spirit of a puppy, and I have to give Howe credit for managing to get inside a pup's head, and giving him a unique, playful, voice of a youngster. While Bunnicula is not really present throughout NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE - except for the role he plays during Chester's scary story - he is replaced by Dawg, a country dog with an attitude. Dawg is a fun addition to the story. His oft-times clueless nature, and ability to bring out the panic in Chester is humorous; while his kind treatment of Howie makes you instantly like him. While Dawg often comes off as shady, or being up-to-something, he easily redeems himself many times, so that the reader has mixed feelings about his character. Howe has woven another delightful tale from THE HOUSE OF BUNNICULA that will keep readers occupied long into the night. A word of advice, if you're headed on a camping trip, leave NIGHTY-NIGHTMARE at home.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Anyway!!,this novel is written by Howard the dog.(no really)and he tells of his scary adventure in the woods,with 2 strange fellas and their ugly dog with an attitude problem.
Cons..The story one of the dogs was telling was boring and took up too much space.

This one was just alright. It's the second sequel to the classic original BUNNICULA. It's not really bad but it's boring in part; like I found the whole first chapter to be a bore.

It does get sort of scary in parts, but nothing major. Read it if you want. It's fun. But, for really good BUNNICULA bookds, I recommend: BUNNICULA, THE CELERY STALKS AT MIDNIGHT, HOWLIDAY INN, RETURN TO HOWLIDAY INN, CREEPY CRAWLY BIRTHDAY, THE FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOT FUDGE, RABBIT-KADABRA, and BUNNICULA STRIKES AGAIN.

This book was very well written and had a lot of information about re-training aggressive dogs. I purchased the book because I have a leash reactive dog and wanted to try something different than what I know, and this book sounded promising. This is where the disapointment comes in. Well it does tell the reader a lot about aggression and how to re-condition your dog to realize other dogs equal good things not bad things, it says nothing about how to stop your dog from reacting in the first place. All it says is not to let your dog practice the behavior, basically by avoiding what sets them off which is very hard to do when you live in an apartment and can't AVOID the stimuli, i.e.: other dogs, as the author says to do. If it had more information on how to stop your dogs reaction, aside from turning and walking away, walking the other direction, which is not practical when you have a 100 pound German Shepherd mix on the leash, it would have been more help to me, but overall it wasn't much help. For readers who's dogs just get aggressive if a dog gets too close, this would be a good book, but if your dog is lungeing and barking at just the sight of another dog, it's just a waste of money and your money would be better spent on a trainer.

I liked this book and feel it will help. Some other resources for some specific types of aggression not mentioned in the other reviews are "Fight!" by Jean Donaldson, for dogs that aggress toward other dogs, "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson, for dogs that guard their food bowl or other items of value (to the dog), and "Feisty Fido! Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog" by Patricia B. McConnell and Karen B. London. The techniques in these practical, reasonably-priced pamphlets would mesh well with the other resources mentioned.

A useful book with straight forward explanations about "aggressive" emotions in dogs. A humane approach to management of these dogs and also helpful ideas to prevent people from making the situation worse and aggravating the anxious animal. A good book for new pet owners who find
dog handling to be more hazardous than anticipated.

It took the author 4 YEARS to rehabilitate her dog using her method, and its easy to understand why. Nowhere in this book are you taught how to nurture trust and respect from your dog. The advice on training specific commands is worth reading, but probably not what most people that buy this book are looking for. The books I bought after reading this one were so much better. I would highly recommend the books by Patricia McConnell instead. Her 'How to be a Pack Leader' booklet is awesome and sets the stage for success with her other books, Feisty Fido and the Cautious Canine.

This is a no nonsense concise guide for training and rehabilitating an agressive dog and also their owner. Pam Dennison gives precise step by step positive training techniques that will create a lasting bond between human and dog. It is a must read for the agressive dog owner, but is also common sense training for any dog owner. Her use of positive reinforcement of good behavior rather than punishment for bad will make many dogs' lives happier. Her suggestion to keep a daily log of training is a great tool and she supplies a template. I've already seen great results using her techniques with both my dogs. This is a must read for all dog lovers, easy to read, and full of valuable information and insight.

This book is the best book I have ever read!! It's emotional, exciting, terrifying, sad and devastating all at once. It made me laugh and it made me cry.

This book is a modern version of the firefighting lessons that the industry by culture refuses to learn. McClean gives us another well investigated and remarkable example of the consequences of not following the rules that were established by a multitude of past accidents and deaths, The book is an unbelievably accurate account of firefighting tactics, emotions, and culture within the industry that leads to problems every time. Having not been a professional firefighter himself the book is written with accuracy and no "over the top" explanations of the accident. It should be included in every fire school as mandatory reading.

I found the book compelling and I believe factual. I am sorry that this sacrefice did not stop another incident, the Thirty Mile Fire, where more were sacreficed. I was a fireman for a number of years and felt the power of an inferno that blistered my hands through my gloves but never faced anything like this. These are heros and special people who would trust and risk their lives to protect life and property of others. Circumstances through management decisions such as first not attempting to put the fire out when it was still not serious. I have climbed all over those mountains and it could have been done. Bad leadership decisions have taken thousands and thousands and continue to take more and more of our finest and brightest. When will they ever learn?

I found this book like so many others hard to put down. The author is very descriptive but very easy to read. I like this book because it is written so anyone can easily follow the events and description. I like books that are straight and to the point without all the fluff. This book has no fluff, just a good investigation into a difficult series of events.

Norman Maclean's son does an okay job of telling the tragic story. Many of the events described are fragmented making the story jagged in places, but overall he gets the point across. Dedicated, hard working folks making the ultimate sacrifice. There are so many names tossed in and out of this book that you'll find yourself flipping back and forth trying to piece it together. John could have done a better job transitioning between events and making a stronger connection to the people in the book.

You'd like to think that this should never happen to firefighters, but the sad reality is that it does because it is dangerous work. As a firefighter, I found that John painted a very vivid picture of the events: 'The blood pounding in your head as you race up the hill', the lack of sleep the jumpers endure from their overnight 'coyote' the first night, etc. draws the reader's senses into the story for a gripping journey.

It's unfortunate to learn in Maclean's book that the crosses on Mann Gulch were nearly replaced with obelisks. Looking at the recent pictures of the Mann Gulch crosses in other sources - they appear at least to me that they are still in good shape. Today, the obelisks stand right beside the Mann Gulch crosses. Obelisks? What does that even signify? The crosses placed on Mann Gulch were how the 13 jumpers were first honored - let the original memorials stay! If this is about religion and separation of church and state, then I am totally disheartened to learn that smokejumping, one of the last decent traditions in our American work history, has gone PC. I hope that's not the case.

Anyway, this book should be read by all firefighters and those considering the job, especially the overhead.

Excellent book! I have purchased several for visiting friends and family.

Central Park is just a national treasure, and this book does a wonderful job of capturing the park. It's easy to say that it impossible to take a bad picture this breath taking oasis, but as this book shows it does take skill to really capture the essence of the park. I believe even a native New Yorker, who had spent their whole life in the park, could appreciate this book and could get a who new feel for the space. I recommend this book to anyone with a love for things beautiful.

As enjoyable and informative as "Central Park, An American Masterpiece: A Comprehensive History of the Nation's First Urban Park" by Sara Cedar Miller, this book reveals why the great park was known as the "lungs" of New York City. "212 Views of Central Park: Experiencing New York City's Jewel From Every Angle" by D. Sandee and Hartman Brawarsky is gorgeous book, and each of the 212 views are nothing less than breathtaking. It's not only a great coffee table book, but also has very informative text. It is a true glorification of Vaux's and Olmstead's vision and realization of what true civic engineering is capable of, when supported by a responsive government. Of course, there is no substitute for experiencing the park first-hand, but this sure conveys that sense of relief from the city's frenzied pace, and of the park's true beauty. I recommend this book highly.

There are several books of photographs of Central Park on the store shelves. This one stands out. The photos in 212 Views are stunning. You feel as if you are standing right there, you imagine you will feel the fresh air on your face as you turn the page! The text is like a well-informed friend who accompanies you, the reader, through Central Park, sharing select details about the history and design of the Park and adding layers of depth to your immediate sensory appreciation of the Park. Whether you are a frequent user of Central Park, an occasional visitor, or an arm chair stroller, experiencing the park only through the pages of the book, I highly recommend 212 Views. It's a great gift for the holidays, too. (I bought copies for my exercise partner who loves fast-walking in the Park and for my mother!)

New York residents and visitors will treasure these vivid photos and charming essays infused by a love of the city and its showcase park. "Views" will entertain and educate readers, and encourage their explorations. Enjoy!