Pet Books

If you are just starting out in this business, you should read this book. Preston Burch gives you a simple, direct and enlightening understanding of thoroughbred horses. This book may have been published almost 50 years ago but in every advancement man has made we constantly find ourselves going back to old knowledge and wisdom.

If every owner had a trainer like Preston Burch, there would be a lot more owners.

This is a cornerstone book for a racing library. There is a large amount of fundamental training information in this simply written little book.

The sections on conditioning schedules are invaluable. The degree of conditioning Burch afforded his horses is probably unmatched today.

Read this book, and then end it to your trainer (if he can read).

Impossible that present day horses would beat any horse trained by Preston Burch. Just read the exercise prescriptions in this book and be blown away. I certainly was. Here is carefully controlled training by a trainer understanding that his horses are participating in an athletic event. This is a book about conditioning equine athletes and also contains every other aspect of training and caring for thoroughbred race horses in a well written book by an individual who apparently understood the great care required. I held off reading this fearing it was dated, but what a pleasant surprise to find the extreme if succinct comprehensiveness here, every aspect is covered by a fellow who tried to do everything correctly. This is Ivers before Ivers, and one does wonder whatever happened to trainers like Max Hirsch and Preston Burch.

The author writes from legendary experience as a thoroughbred trainer. Of course with any knowledge presented it can not possibly include every little detail regarding the subject but certain it can only enhance the experience one can acquire as a trainer.

Be that as it may, my motive behind purchasing this material was not that of becoming a trainer, but rather to become an outstanding horseplayer. To me, the more a horseplayer can learn about the horses including important details about how thoroughbreds are trained, the better.

This book offers exactly the information desired about training. I truly recommend others reviewing this material and also let me know what you think about the information, perhaps we can dialogue about the sport of training thoroughbreds. All the best! --- Stanley Pall

I bought this book pre-order and it arrived very quickly. The author knows his stuff. I am an x-ray tech by trade, so nearly everything I read was understandable to me. He wrote the book so everytone could understand it- medical terms were explained, and there was an extensive glossary of terms. I got the book because my husband suffers badly from back pain and is an avid rider. I occasionally suffer from back pain- usually from doing too much sitting trot. The author was very complete in his assessment of the rider and even the type of horse they should be riding. Fortunately my husband and his horse are a great match, me and my horse aren't so good, but with some work I think we will be OK. The author also went through a series of stretches and also treatment options from traditional to alternative. I found it a very interesting book with a lot of information for anyone who is interested in riding. I even loaned it to my chiropractor who said he would probably get a copy because he treats riders as well.

Happy reading,
Kathy

Dr Warson is a neurosurgeon and rider - yippee! Someone, who's first reaction is not to blame all your back problems on riding. This book provides an interesting look at your back's anatomy, function and problems (or potential problems). Stretching and strengthening exercises and practical advice on riding as you age (or with back aches).

I purchased this book sight unseen and really did not expect it to be as substantive as it is. The author is extremely knowledgeable about both riding and rider's back problems. I wish that I had been able to read it years ago.

I recommend this book to every rider, not just those with back problems, since it provides a lot of information on the aging rider's back, and none of us can turn back the clock! Prevention is worth a ton of cure.

I'm not normally a fan of books of tips and short stories. You'd think they'd work well for someone with my short attention span, but usually I flip through and put the book away forever.

That didn't happen with "The Ultimate Dog Lover," because this book has heart. Tons of it. While it's full of good advice, the single word that describes it is, as other reviews here have demonstrated, "heartwarming." Which means it will make you happy (even if it also makes you cry).

Yes, as others have said, this is a great gift book. But it's one you might want to give yourself, too.

Here are very helpful tips on caring for the family dog and a collection of heart-warming stories about our furry best friends. This librarian recommends "The Ultimate Dog Lover" for the bookshelf of all dog-lovers and public libraries.

Wow! Sums up this book. Working in the Veterinary field for many years, I have seen many books about pets, pet care, and pet photos. To have one that combines all three that is catchy and appealing, yet chock full of great information and stories is wonderful! Kudos on yet another great book definately worth adding to your collection!

What a great read - heartwarming stories full of smiles and laughs! Another 5 star hit for Dr. Becker! Plus that cover dog might be the cutest thing EVER!

After reading The Ultimate Dog Lover I ran outside to hug my dog, Rockey. Sometimes I forget just how special a dog's companionship can be. Reading these truly heartwarming stories just validates all I have felt for the many dogs I have had over the years. I love the addition of the great photos and clever captions. This book is a must read for any dog lover and would make a wonderful gift!

Chris Dinning

The Birds of Chile by Alvaro Jaramillo is of convenient size with excellent illustrations. The birds are named by common English name plus scientific name as well as the name by which they are known in Chile. Distribution and habitat maps are plentiful and well positioned.

I actually purchased this guide for a dear friend who was moving to Chile, but, I did have a chance to peruse it before presenting it & found it to be comprehensive & well written.

Basics: 2003, softcover, 240 pages, 96 color plates, 473 species, range map for each bird

In case I fail to make it clear in my review of the book, I'll state it now: This book is a necessity for your birding trip to anywhere in Chile. The illustrations are excellent and cover every bird - both resident and migrant - found in the country. It also covers 13 extra species found in the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

The illustrations are done superbly in detail, structure, and color. If I had to pick on something for criticism, it would only be the vaguely angled outline to some of the birds' nape/crown and the necks of the swans, but this is minor. The plates do a great job of displaying the many subspecies and seasonal plumages. The many in-flight views are definitely helpful.

The majority of the text consists of excellent notes on identification and of comparing similar species. The detailed notes proved to be very helpful when examining the the various cinclodes and miners in the field. An admiral effort is given to describing the vocalizations. These notes are effectively written and are more detailed than most other field guides of any country.

The range maps are unique due to the shape of Chile. To properly display the 2,500 miles of coastline, the country was broken into thirds: northern, central, and southern. These are placed adjacent to each other in one box. To help provide some orientation, the 12 regions (i.e., provinces) are outlined and Santiago is dotted. For birds with a small range, the map zooms in to that particular area. These maps use five different colors to denote seasons and sparseness.

There are a couple of other books you could use for Chile, but I found this one to be superior to all in terms of illustrations, text, and book size. It will definitely accompany me again. Any other book I bring will be only for back-up reference.

Other Related Books:
1) Las Aves de Chile: Nueva Guia de Campo by Martinez and Gonzalez (ISBN 9568426000)
2) Birds of Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego and Antarctic Peninsula by Couve
3) Birds of Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile by Couve
4) Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru -- Vol. I-II by Johnson
5) Birds of Chile: A Field Guide by Araya
6) Guia de campo de las aves de Chile by Araya

Being chilean and living in this country, I know many of the birds described here. It is really very good and images are perfect.
For future editions, may I suggest to include a CD with the sounds of some of the described birds.

A solid ornthilogical text that I found useful as an onsite field guide in Chile.

A great book which makes everyone aware that there is a lot more to life,

I sent this to my brother who was mourning after the death of his best buddy, Smokey. He said he read it all the same day it arrived and it was helpful.

Do animals have souls, and do they experience spirituality as humans do? THE SOULS OF ANIMALS offers stories backed with science to show that other creates are sentient beings who also have spiritual lives. From the music of birds to the nature of elephants, THE SOULS OF ANIMALS utilizes numerous examples from nature to reveal evidence of animal spirituality.

After reading all the Amazon reviews, I thought I'd purchase this book. I came away feeling a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong - it was quite an interesting book, however I had great expectations due to the other reviewers.

I think the thing that annoyed me, is that the author has not done his own researching for facts, but is constantly quoting other people's books/reports.

It did have some nice moments - my favourite being the elephants chapter. And I guess a positive thing was that it made up my mind to become a vegetarian, so that's a good thing too :)

So, it was OK....I was just slightly let down after reading all the previous glowing reviews.

This book is an easy read. At only 114 pages of large type it took only a short time to finish. Gary Kowalski is a Unitarian Universalist minister who tries to convince his audience of the existence of an "animal soul". Instead of animals being "biological machines", they have souls with the attendant feelings of love, grief, and awareness of self and others.

Admittedly, the existence of a soul (even a human soul) can only be from empirical evidence as opposed to "scientific" evidence. But Mr. Kowalski's arguments are shallow and emotional. He plays upon his readers' sense of emotion and "fairness", "altruism" and "love" of God's creatures.

Ok. I admit I agree with him. I DO believe all God's creatures have souls, are sentient, and experience emotion. It's just that Gary Kowalski's book disappointed me. I was expecting something a bit more compelling. Something more compelling than,"The eyes sometimes speak more eloquently (and more truthfully) than words". Phooey. That may be true but it's not much of an argument.

So that said, the book is a nice book and I hope whoever reads it enjoys it. Jonni

To me this book covered all aspects of the equine in an easily understood format; the pictures were informative; the written word simple.

This is a great book. Its packed with information to help you with basic horse care and to identify and treat numerous injuries and ailments. It has lots of pictures color pictures and it organizes the information in an easy to read format. I would recommend it.

I really liked the first 2 sections, Keeping your horse healthy and the Anatomical Index of Diseases. I wish the A-z sections describing different disease was a little more in-depth. Its a little more general than I wanted but still a very very knowledgable book.

This book is very detailed with diseases, illnesses, cut, fractures, snake bites and more. I like to take care of my horse when I can and not take her to the vet except after she foals. I like to give the shots and do what I can. This book is very detailed and very helpful.

This book, has a bit of everything, which is exactly what I needed. It has recipes, talks about common dog problems, and how to fix them, and it's entertaining! Highly recommended.

From the founder of "National Dog Day" comes a book which teaches us practical techniques for encouraging a well-behaved member of our family. Colleen's inspiring story of her own journey into "the whimsical world of dog" is sure to strike a chord with all dog owners! This book is straightforward, explaining concepts such as "alpha" and "positive reinforcement" in an unbiased manner. You'll find answers to many of your most common dog behavior issues in here, as well as tips on nutrition, exercise, and travel. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I am a proud parent of a little dog baby named Henry. Unfortunately, he liked to mark in our home and also would run out the door of our house if it was ajar and would not come when called. He is small enough to pick up but I worried about him getting hit by a car or getting lost. Well, Colleen's book had wonderful training advice on how to handle these problems with love and firmness. Now my baby comes when called and he does it happily not grudgingly. He also has stopped marking in our home. What a godsend! I am so excited about the results and how easy it was to correct my dog's behavior. I love the little recipes and tidbits of advice. This is a really easy read. I highly recommend it.

Between the amazing nutrition information, the variety of topics and Colleen's sense of humor, it's just simply the best dog training book I've ever read! Plus, the cover looks just like my Beagle, Charlee!

One minute I was crying, reading the intro and then I got into the book and was crying from laughter at times. I don't remember the last time a dog training book brought out so many emotions in me. My husband thought I was losing my mind! I couldn't put it down because I never knew what would come next! I am so obsessed with dogs so I read everything that comes out, but truly never felt compelled to write a review before this.

The advice is easy and practical to implement and she really keeps in mind that not ALL techniques work for ALL dogs, so she gives you choices most of the time about the approach. This book stopped my dog from chasing his tail in three days. It's been a week and no more tail chasing. He's done it for 3 years. I'm blown away at how quickly this happened. Unfortunately he is so good in all other areas I don't have the opportunity to test ou anything else except the recipes.

I like the fact that the author is also an avid animal rescuer very much about gentle techniques, always seeming to look at the world from the dog's perspective. She makes you think in a loving, common sense kinda way and really lets you off the hook from the stress and guilt of your past mistakes with your dog. It's also fun to look at. I've never seen a dog training book that also posed as a coffee table book. It's filled with tons of full color photos and even has recipes for dog treats and entertaining trivia. It looks like this publisher puts a lot of $$ into their books. This is a wonderful book as a gift for yourself or a friend. I also think it's kinda cool that the original kid from Lassie writes a review on the back cover. If you ever read this, thanks Colleen for your great book!

My favorite book is Christopher Mouse. It is a book about a mouse who gets in trouble. Kids who are 12 or13 will like this book. Both girls and boys will like it because it is funny. The author is a good writer. I laughed a lot while I read this book.

There is a bad guy in this book. He makes troubles for Christopher. You'll have to read the book to find out the ending!

My favorite book is Christopher Mouse Tale of The Small Traveler. The author is William Wise, and the genre is fiction. The book theme is that a mouse is learning how to live on his own. My favorite character is Christopher!

Christopher is brave, cute, and inspiring! I love how he handles things, and he handles them in a calm way. The book is funny and cute!

The author made the book understandable, its not hard to read, and I never wanted to put the book down! This book is different form others!

I like all the characters in this book. It had some poetry that Christopher would write, and I loved them! I like Christopher's family and the new friends he meets!

This book is funny, cute, understanding, and is fun to read! I think every kid should read this one- of- a- kind book!

This review is for the Grades 3-5 Sunshine State Young Readers Award:
After a lot of research I have found that there are only 4 books on the list that are appropriate for the younger 3rd grade reader. They are Say What?, Drita My Homegirl, Christopher Mouse and Wildfire. The rest of the list is simply to difficult for the younger readers. My daughter reads at a 3.7 level and even these books have higher vocabulary and more mature subject content then what she usually reads.

Like many four-legged furballs, young Christopher Mouse's life begins in a fairly "commonplace way." Born to a loving mother in a wire cage, Christopher spends his days romping with his two brothers and sister, Anna. Thought of as a common white mouse, Christopher knows from day one that he is anything but common. The moment his eyes open, he begins exploring, attempting to quench his thirst for adventure. But there is little to explore in a tiny cage littered with paper shavings. Christopher's mother wants to protect her young, but knows that they will be sold to one of two places in the very near future - the pet shop or a medical laboratory. That doesn't stop her from working to educate them to the best of her ability. She begins with teaching her offspring to read, and moves on to tell them stories about her relatives who - unsuccessfully - escaped from torturous owners. From his mother's talks, Christopher begins contemplating the life ahead of him. The one thing he can not bear to think about, however, is the possibility that he may be separated from his sister, Anna. Together, he and Anna have shared many moments, and have clung to each other from when they were very young. But there is no telling what the future will hold for the two of them. As he grows up, Christopher experiences many bizarre encounters - from a terrifyingly large cat residing in the Egyptian room of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, to a group of women who attack him with umbrellas. These encounters only work to seal the deal of Christopher's bravery, and illustrate that exploration is in his blood. As his encounters become more and more terrifying, however, Christopher turns to poetry, and begins composing lyrical works of writing that he can recite whenever the going gets tough. And, if he's lucky, his bright outlook on life will someday lead him to a cozy home of his own, where he doesn't have to worry about escaping from the clutches of evil, or searching for his next meal.

When I was much younger, I used to devour the tales of Dick King-Smith and Avi - both authors who gave animals the run of the story, and featured their narrative on each page. So when I stumbled upon William Wise's CHRISTOPHER MOUSE: THE TALE OF A SMALL TRAVELER, I instantly knew that I would adore it. And I did! Wise does a magical job of weaving Christopher's tumultuous story together. His descriptions of cage-living, and the fear that goes through an animal's mind as they contemplate what the future holds for them is both interesting, yet gut-wrenching at the same time; while the delightful poetry scattered throughout the pages truly helps to put the reader in Christopher's shoes, and gives them the chance to see the world through his shiny eyes. Christopher is a remarkable character. His positive outlook on life - no matter how much trouble he finds himself in - gives hope to his tale; while the various adventures he finds himself thrust upon provide a mix of tragic and triumphant twists and turns that work to make the story even more interesting. Wise does an amazing job of describing the various people Christopher meets up with - both the good and the bad - and illustrates the ups and downs of the life of a small white mouse, as he attempts to find his way in the world. Adorable from start to finish!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

The novel Christopher Mouse was an enjoyable book and it held my attention till the last word. William Wise created a spectacular story that was fun and also an amazing read.

My favorite scene in the book in the book was when the cat somehow managed to sneak into the room. The cat had the cage in the clutches of is paw and almost had Christopher for a snack.

I felt the author took way to much time on the introduction and the rising action. I would have stated the main problem earlier in the narrative.

I would recommend this book to my friends. This book was fun but also had a good moral: always go for want you want and never give up.


Summer Tauscher