The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell


Bruce R. Coston - 2012
    Coston continues to work at his own veterinary practice in Virginia, meeting adorable pets and their loving and quirky owners every day. These include Precious the parrot, remarkably friendly and unafraid for a bird, Dahmun, or “Mountain of Love,” the Bull Mastiff, named by his linguist owner in a language he created, and Greco the beagle shepherd mix, who likes to eat rocks because he is too macho to chew on toys, his Greek owner insists. In stories ranging from humorous to heartfelt to tragic, this book makes a lovely gift for any animal lover.

Peregrine Spring: A Master Falconer's Extraordinary Life with Birds of Prey


Nancy Cowan - 2016
    Cowan shares her experiences running a world-famous falconry school, and the lessons she's learned from her birds. From retrieving her falcon from the local police lock up, to finding her husband in bed with a gyrfalcon, to a heart-breaking race to save her young peregrine from attack by a wild hawk, Cowan's life is a constant, ever-changing adventure. Cowan's birds have immersed her so much into their world that she has found herself courted by a Goshawk and bossed about by a Harris Hawk. The book carries her readers along, so they, too, meet hawks and falcons in ways they never imagined possible.

Shelter Dogs in a Photo Booth


Guinnevere Shuster - 2016
    From talented photographer (and now public figure and adoption champion) Guinnivere Shuster comes Shelter Dogs in a Photo Booth, a guaranteed-to-make-you-smile photo book featuring shelter dogs in a brand-new light. Get ready to see the cutest canine portraits you’ve ever seen! Guinnevere’s fantastic photos went viral  and have been featured on websites, in magazines, and on television programs all over the world: Good Morning America, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, Time, The Daily Mail . . . even celebrities have gotten in on the action: Amy Poehler, Cesar Millan, and Zooey Deschanel have made statements and posts declaring their love of Guinnevere’s work. After the adorable and up-for-adoption photos of these furry friends were seen and enjoyed by millions, adoption rates at Utah's Humane Society skyrocketed. The book features 100 dog photo booth style photographs, each accompanied by a short story about the dog's personality, how the dog ended up in the shelter, and the adoption date. A follow-up will conclude the book, with photos of some of them with their new families. A portion of the proceeds of this book will benefit the Humane Society of Utah and Best Friends Animal Society.

Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild


Renée Askins - 2002
    As head of this grassroots organization, she made it her goal to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park, where they had been eradicated by man over seventy years before. In this intimate account, Askins recounts her courageous fifteen-year campaign, wrangling along the way with Western ranchers and their political allies in Washington, enduring death threats, and surviving the anguish of illegal wolf slayings to ensure that her dream of restoring Yellowstone's ecological balance would one day be realized. Told in powerful, first-person narrative, Shadow Mountain is the awe-inspiring story of her mission and her impassioned meditation on our connection to the wild.

Wildlife Wars: The Life and Times of a Fish and Game Warden


Terry Grosz - 1999
    The bad guys here are illegal deer hunters, law-breaking drag-boat fishermen who pilfer the ocean depths, poachers who kill elk, anglers who disrupt historic salmon spawning grounds and other miscreants who feed the flourishing illicit wildlife trade. Grosz has seen them all -- and arrested many -- in his 32 years as a special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a California state fish and game warden. A bear of a man -- six-foot-four, over 300 pounds -- Grosz relates his exploits in adventures full of slam-bang action and bravado tempered by a coolheaded sense of humor. Motivated by reverence for God's creation, he comes off as a mixture of guts and heart. In one episode, he sleeps overnight in a California rice field with a feeding flock of several thousand mallard ducks to protect them from commercial hunters. Full of gumption and guile, Grosz readily admits to failings that render him more likably human. He gets seasick and retches while making on-board boat inspections, and in one bust gone bad, a duck hunter sprays his backside with 189 shotgun pellets. Overall, these offbeat tales effectively dramatize the underfunded, underappreciated, dangerous and heroic activities of wildlife agents. (Oct.)

The Awareness


Gene Stone - 2014
    Among the ranks of these animals are a bear in the Canadian Rockies, an elephant in a circus traveling through Texas, a pig on a hog farm in North Carolina, and a dog living with his beloved owner in New York. As these four contend with the realities of who they were before the awareness, and who they must now become after it, they are each called to battle. The animals must then fight two wars: the one outside between mammals and humans, and the one inside each of their minds.

How to Dress: Secret Styling Tips from a Fashion Insider


Alexandra Fullerton - 2018
    Focusing on fashion essentials, personal style, shopping on the high street and online and investing in designer pieces, Alex reveals all the failsafe formulas involved in always looking your best. Alex encourages readers to get to know their style icons alongside streamlining their own style and outlines the central capsule wardrobe which can be edited to suit each individual personal preference.

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance


Dorothy Hinshaw Patent - 2011
    But their struggle was far from over. Most animal advocates believed the former fighting dogs were too damaged to save, but Audie and his kennel mates would prove them wrong when public outcry and the publicity surrounding Michael Vick's punishment won them a chance at a happy life. Teaming up once again with William Muñoz, photo-essay veteran Dorothy Hinshaw Patent gives an emotional account of one dog's heartwarming story, showing how Audie, who was only a puppy when he was rescued, was rehabilitated, adopted, and now enjoys the love he deserves.

Seriously Mum, How Many Cats?


Alan Parks - 2014
    When Lily the alpaca falls pregnant, they are in for an anxious few months as they battle against the odds to keep themselves afloat. 'In Seriously Mum, How Many Cats?' there is concern that the cats are going to take over the farm. There are cats in the barn, cats in the garden and even a cat invasion in the bedroom one night. Exploding tyres, flamenco dancing, religious parades and, of course, all your favourite animals return once again to entertain you in the latest story about these much-loved expats.

Adventures in Veterinary Medicine: What Working in Veterinary Hospitals Taught Me About Life, Love and Myself


Ingrid King - 2013
    The book provides insight into what makes veterinary medicine such a rewarding profession through a series of heartwarming stories.Praise for Adventures in Veterinary Medicine:“As a ‘veteran veterinarian’ with more than 30 years in practice, I found myself nodding in recognition throughout Ingrid King’s heartwarming book. Take a look behind the scenes at my beloved profession, and the people and pets who make veterinary medicine a rewarding adventure. You won’t regret it, I promise.” - Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian” and resident veterinarian for “Good Morning America“Ingrid King offers a unique glimpse beyond the waiting-room door into the inner workings of a veterinary hospital. This collection of essays–each spotlighting a special animal friend from her past–shares smiles and poignant lessons learned from her years working in the profession. From the emergency vet care “dance” to respectfully performed “poop-duty,” this purr-fectly charming book will make you appreciate your pets’ clinic caretakers even more. Highly recommended!” - Amy Shojai, award winning author of 26 pet care and behavior books

Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion


Deborah Wood - 2004
    Colorful sidebars and numerous photographs highlight key information and provide extra training tips that every owner will appreciate.

I, Mammal: Why Your Brain Links Status and Happiness


Loretta Graziano Breuning - 2011
    An appetite for status develops as naturally as the appetite for food and sex. Status hierarchies emerge spontaneously as each individual strives to meet their needs and avoid harm. You would never think this way in words, but your mammal brain uses neurochemicals instead of words. When you understand the private lives of animals, your neurochemical ups and downs make sense. You have inherited the operating system that helped mammals thrive for millions of years. Nothing is wrong with us. We are mammals. You may say you're "against status." But if you filled a room with people who said they were anti-status, a hierarchy would soon form based on how anti-status they are. That's what mammals do. Our neurochemical ups and downs make sense when you look at the private lives of animals. The field notes of a primatologist are eerily similar to the lyrics of a country western song. A biology textbook resembles a soap opera script. The mammal brain cannot put its reactions into words, so the human cortex struggles to make sense of the limbic system it's attached to. We can finally make sense of our hybrid brain thanks to an accumulation of research in animal science and neuroscience. The frustrations of social hierarchies are not caused by "our society." We are simply heirs to the brain that helped mammals thrive for two hundred million years. It's not easy being human with a mammalian operating system. But when you understand the neurochemistry of mammals, you can stop focusing on our flaws and simply celebrate how well we do with the mental equipment we've got. Mammals live in groups for protection from predators, but group life can be frustrating. Some herd mates always seem to get the best mating opportunities and foraging spots. Fortunately, the mammal brain evolved to handle this. It releases stress chemicals when a mammal needs to hold back to avoid conflict. And it emits happy chemicals- serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, when a mammal sees a way to forge ahead and meet its needs.

Creature


Andrew Zuckerman - 2007
    This collection of astonishing studio portraits of 175 wild creaturesfrom baby leopards to parrots, bears, mandrills, and many moreare stunningly foregrounded against white backgrounds, depicting their subjects with rare sensitivity,insight, humor, and wonder. Zuckermanalso an up-and-coming filmmaker, whose first short film, High Falls, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007has created a volume perfect for animal lovers, photography fans, and anyone fascinated by the world around us. Creature is a beautiful and thought-provoking look at the fragile wonders of the natural world.

Secrets of the Cat


Barbara Holland - 1988
    Meet cats in high places such as Winston Churchill's ginger tom, who attended cabinet meetings, and Teddy Roosevelt's cat, Slippers, who came to dinner. Filled with warm, vivid speculations on their lives and times, their social psychic, mythological legacy, and their impenetrable mysteries, this charming book offers a delightful and loving cat's-eye view of the world to be read and cherished by all their human friends.

Bite Me: Tell-All Tales of an Emergency Veterinarian


Laura C. Lefkowitz - 2015
    Follow one veterinarian's story through the course of her career and experience the dramas, the traumas and the comedies that regularly take place in a veterinary emergency room. Become privy to some of the authors most humorous, shocking and hackle-raising encounters with animals and overhear some of the more memorable conversations that she has had with owners throughout her years of practice. Follow her through her foreign travels and learn how modern veterinary medicine far exceeds the medical care that is available in these third world countries.Bite Me gives a rare insider's view of the frustrations, the joys and the heartbreak that veterinarians experience on a daily basis and exposes the reasons why the veterinary profession is currently facing some dire and frightening challenges. From page to page you will find yourself laughing, crying, angry, shocked, laughing again, and then eager to know more.Bite Me is a must-read for any pet owner, any person aspiring to be a veterinarian, any veterinary student, and any person who has an interest in the welfare of both animals and people.