Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs


Cara Sue Achterberg - 2019
    There were the nine puppies at once, which arrived with less than a day’s notice; a heart- worm positive dog; a deeply traumatized stray pup from Iraq; and countless others who just needed a gentle touch and a warm place to sleep. Operation Paws for Homes rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in the rural south and shuttles them north to foster homes like Cara’s on the way to their forever homes.What started as a search for a good dog, led to an epiphany that there wasn’t just one that could ll the hole left in her heart from her children gaining independence—she could save dozens along the way. The stories of these remarkable dogs— including an eighty-pound bloodhound who sang arias for the neighbors—and the joy they bring to Cara and her family (along with a few chewed sofa cushions) fill the pages of this touching and inspiring new book that reveals the wonderful rewards of fostering.When asked how she can possibly say goodbye to that many loveable pups, Cara says, “If I don’t give this one away, I can’t possibly save another.” Filled with humanity and hope, Another Good Dog will take the reader on an journey of smiles, laughs, and tears—and lead us to wonder how many other good dogs are out there and what we can do to help.

Your Golden Retriever Puppy Month By Month


Terry Albert - 2016
    A veterinarian, a trainer, and a breeder team up to cover all the questions new owners tend to have, and many they don't think to ask, including:* What to ask the breeder before bringing your puppy home* Which vaccinations your puppy needs and when to get them* How to make potty training as smooth (and quick) as possible* What to do when your puppy cries at night* Why and how to crate train your puppy* When socialization should happen and how to make sure it does* When your puppy is ready to learn basic commands--like Sit, Stay, and Come--and the best way to teach them* When and how to go about leash training* How much exercise your puppy needs to stay physically and mentally healthy* What, how much, and when to feed your puppy to give him the nutrition he needs without the extra weight he doesn't* When your puppy is ready for obedience training and how to make sure it works* How and how often to bathe your puppy, brush his coat, clip his nails, and brush his teeth* How to know when a trip to the vet is needed* What causes problem behaviors, when to expect them, and how to correct them

Well, Girl: An Inside-Out Journey to Wellness


Jami Amerine - 2020
    . .If you’ve ever thought that losing weight would lead to happiness. . .If you’ve ever avoided a mirror because you didn’t want to see your reflection. . .If you’ve found Jesus or you’re still searching. . .   Well, Girl, You’ve Come to the Right Place. ***   You’ll find a sassy, funny, authentic, and encouraging friend in master word weaver Jami Amerine, as she comes alongside you to share God’s overwhelming grace and patience in an inside-out journey to wellness. She’ll introduce you to a heavenly Father who adores you, right where you are. And she’ll let you have a peek into the insane ride of her life that led her to complete freedom after years of hating herself—while she was completely and utterly adored by Jesus.             This transformational read will set you free. Hilarious, raw, and somehow poetic, Well, Girl offers scriptural truths, honest and thought-provoking ideas about wellness, and an in-depth look at a life free from culture’s lies—with increased self-worth, better overall health, and more confidence in your physical appearance.

Fixing the Fates: An Adoptee's Story of Truth and Lies


Diane Dewey - 2019
    Living with her family in suburban Philadelphia, Diane had grown up knowing she was born in Stuttgart and adopted at age one from an orphanage. She'd been told her biological parents were dead. Then, in 2002, when she was forty-seven years old, Diane got a letter from Switzerland: her biological father, Otto, wanted to bring her into his life. With that, her world shifted on its axis. In the months that ensued, everybody had a different story to tell about Diane's origins, including Otto when they met in New York City. She struggled to understand what was at stake with the lies. Like a private eye, she sifted through competing versions of the truth only to find that, having traveled throughout Europe and back, identity is a state of mind. As more information surfaced, the myths gave way to a certain elusive peace; Diane discovered a tribe in her mother's family, found a Swiss husband, gained a voice, and, for the first time, began to trust in the intuition that had nudged her all along. One-part forensic investigation, one-part self-discovery, Fixing the Fates is a story about seeing behind artifice and living one's truth.

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World


Matt Kracht - 2021
    Featuring birds from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, author Matt Kracht identifies the dumb birds that manage to live all over the freaking place with snarky, yet accurate, names and humorous, anger-filled drawings.This guide book details exactly how much these morons suck with facts about each bird's (annoying) call, its (stupid) migratory pattern, and its (downright tacky) markings. Complete with a matching game, bird descriptor checklist, tips on how to identify a bird (you can tell a lot by looking into a bird's eyes, for example), this profanity-laden book offers a balance of fact and wit that will appeal to hardcore birders and casual bird lovers (and haters) alike.A MUST-HAVE: A must-have sequel to the bestselling parody book The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America.UNIQUE & LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY: This is a great coffee table or bar top conversation-starting book. And a bonus, while the content is humorous, it is practical and useful!A GREAT PRESENT: This is the perfect gift for the bird lovers and haters in your life. It also makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday, retirement, or gag gift.Perfect for:• Birdwatching and nature enthusiasts• Armchair birders (or nonbirders)• Someone who needs a quirky gift for an animal lover friend• People with serious birders in their lives who want something lighthearted

Walking with Sausage Dogs


Matt Whyman - 2012
    When building a family, they complement the kids. But what happens when things get out of hand? For writer and house husband, Matt Whyman, it's a case of catastrophe management in coping with four children and all the ill-advised animals amassed by his career wife, Emma.

The Courier


Holly Down - 2021
    . .Five years ago, Laurel Lovejoy had it all. The high-powered city job, the loving husband, the perfect daughter. Now, she is forty and alone, and working for a courier service. But she has discovered that being a delivery driver comes with a superpower: it makes her invisible. People accept her presence without question. They go about their lives, unaware of just how much she sees - how much she knows.Laurel is particularly fascinated by the residents of Paradise Found, an exclusive gated cul-de-sac. She sometimes even finds her way there when she's not working, using her days off to soak up as much information about the inhabitants and their lives as she can. Everyone needs a hobby.Then one day Laurel sees something in one of the houses - something that blows her whole world apart, and will have devastating consequences for everyone involved . . .Perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Adele Parks, Lisa Jewell and The Girl on the Train, THE COURIER will keep you up all night with your eyes glued to the page!

A Reason for Hope


Kristin von Kreisler - 2021
    On San Julian Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle, Tessa Jordan works as a bookmobile librarian, recommending books and poems to her patrons. In her spare time, she cares for a colony of feral cats. But Tessa’s simple, satisfying life is shockingly upended after she meets Nick Payne, a respected community leader, and he invites her to dinner. Far from a pleasant first date, Tessa’s evening with Nick leaves her feeling confused and upset. After deep soul-searching, she decides to step forward and accuse him of assault. Her distress grows when local prosecutor Will Armstrong declines to pursue her case, citing lack of evidence. Her main solace is Hope, a courthouse dog, trained to comfort victims through the difficult judicial process. As she lays her head in Tessa’s lap, her gentle brown eyes seem to say, Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. Will, who is Hope’s primary handler, longs to get justice for Tessa, yet knows how rocky the path will be. It’s Hope who, true to her name, shines a bright ray through the darkness. With Hope by their side, Will and Tessa find surprising strength in each other as they learn just how resilient a heart—whether human or canine—can be.

The Puppy Training Handbook: How To Raise The Dog Of Your Dreams


Kaelin Munkelwitz - 2017
     Kaelin Munkelwitz is the dog trainer of the new age. Emmy award-winning actors, Forbes list business moguls, and local families all trust her for the same reason: Kaelin knows dogs. Kaelin’s individualized approach will help you tailor time-tested positive reinforcement training techniques to your dog’s unique character, behaviors, and makeup to achieve long-term results. Kaelin has compiled her thousands of hours of experience into this comprehensive guide to teach you everything you need to know about how to raise and train a happier, healthier, and more well-behaved pup, including: • Housetraining, Crate Training, And Basic Obedience Training • How To Teach Your Pup To Listen To Your Commands • Solving The 20 Toughest Dog Behavioral Problems • Kaelin’s 5 Golden Rules Of Dog Training • Necessary Health Care Knowledge For The Most Dedicated Dog Owners

World Wild Vet: Encounters in the Animal Kingdom


Evan Antin - 2020
    Evan Antin, America’s most popular veterinarian, comes a wild look at our natural world. Perfect for fans of Steve Irwin, James Herriot and Bear Grylls.Star of Animal Planet’s Evan Goes Wild, Dr. Evan Antin takes readers beyond his viral Instagram posts right into the wild world with him.Millions follow Dr. Evan Antin and his wildlife adventures through social media, and in his popular Animal Planet television show Evan Goes Wild. Now in his first book, World Wild Vet, Evan takes us to the deep blue seas swimming with forty foot whale sharks with “puppy dog eyes”, to jungles filled with venomous snakes (who are more afraid of you than you are of them), and a race across the savannah and against the clock to save rhinos from the clutches of poachers, all in the name of adventure and a deep love for the wild around us. Part memoir, travelogue, and conservation wake up call, World Wild Vet is an unforgettable exploration of the world we all call home, and a love letter to the creatures we share it with.

Secrets on Saulter Road: Discovering Hope and Forgiveness in the Wake of My Toxic Upbringing


Joan Kendall - 2019
    With remarkable honesty and wit, author Joan Kendall nimbly explores her upbringing in the prim and proper segregated South during the 1950s with an outrageously unpredictable and destructive alcoholic mother.Joan and her two sisters--Linda, the perplexing spendthrift, and Susan, the practical optimist--never knew which mother would appear on the scene: the charming Mary Poppins or the spiteful Cruella de Vil. Their loving father did his best, but behind closed doors, his criticism of their mother's drinking fueled her bizarre and neglectful behaviors and further withdrawal into an ocean of whiskey.The sisters often had each other's backs, and the family maid and daytime buffer, Jadie Bell, provided a fortress in their domestic war. Although Jadie Bell loved them as her own, she could not rid their home of gloom and shame.In Joan's adulthood, a lamentable family secret is divulged, and the pain and trauma of the past becomes clear. In this beautifully written memoir, Joan reveals her own brokenness, and shares her path to redemption, healing, and joy.

The Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs: Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nation's Top Holistic Veterinarians


Martin Zucker - 2000
    People are realizing that if alternative medicine is better for them, it's better for their pets, too. Dogs are visiting acupuncturists, chiropractic doctors, and homeopaths. Still, many dog owners are unaware that such simple measures as changing their pet's diet and using vitamins, herbs, and other natural cures can help prevent or heal ailments ranging from excessive scratching to depression to a host of serious diseases. The Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs is both an introduction and a guide to the vast world of natural healing methods, treatments, and foods now available for dogs. Author Martin Zucker offers advice from dozens of holistic practitioners and licensed veterinarians, who share their recipes, insights, and "prescriptions." Here dog owners will find information on everything from nutritional supplements to massage therapy, as well as how these treatments can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional medications and surgical techniques.

The Mindset


Ace Bowers - 2019
    He was forced to choose which path he was going to take: continue the cycle of family poverty or break it. The Mindset is an inspirational memoir of Ace Bowers’ personal transformation from janitor to millionaire. Bowers began his journey uneducated, overweight, addicted to cigarettes, in debt, and depressed. Revealing the skeletons in his closet for the first time set the scene for how he got to the point of cleaning a motel for $6 an hour. Bowers’ detailed accounts of his turbulent and traumatizing childhood illustrated what it is like growing up in a poor, alcoholic, and abusive family. The metamorphosis began as soon as he changed his mindset. Within five years, Bowers was able to completely turn his life around, going from trash to technology. This memoir illuminates step by step his unconventional path to wealth, health, and happiness.

The Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting


Sally Donovan - 2014
    This is the real stuff: dynamic, messy, baffling adoptive parenting, rooted in domestic life.Award-winning columnist and adoptive parent Sally Donovan offers savvy, compassionate advice on how to be 'good enough' in the face of both day-to-day and more bewildering challenges – how to respond to 'red mist' meltdowns, crippling anxieties about new routines and, most importantly, how to meet the intimidating challenge of being strong enough to protect and nurture your child.Full of affecting and hilarious stories drawn from life in the Donovan household, The Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting offers parents a refreshing counterblast to stuffy parenting manuals -- read it, weep, laugh and learn.

Austen Years: A Memoir in Five Novels


Rachel Cohen - 2020
    For Cohen, simultaneously grief-stricken and buoyed by the birth of her daughter, reading Austen became her refuge and her ballast. She was able to reckon with difficult questions about mourning, memorializing, living in a household, paying attention to the world, reading, writing, and imagining through Austen's novels.Austen Years is a deeply felt and sensitive examination of a writer's relationship to reading, and to her own family, winding together memoir, criticism, and biographical and historical material about Austen herself. And like the sequence of Austen's novels, the scope of Austen Years widens successively, with each chapter following one of Austen's novels. We begin with Cohen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she raises her small children and contemplates her father's last letter, a moment paired with the grief of Sense and Sensibility and the social bonds of Pride and Prejudice. Later, moving with her family to Chicago, Cohen grapples with her growing children, teaching, and her father's legacy, all refracted through the denser, more complex Mansfield Park and Emma.With unusual depth and fresh insight into Austen's life and literature, and guided by Austen's mournful and hopeful final novel, Persuasion, Rachel Cohen's Austen Years is a rare memoir of mourning and transcendence, a love letter to a literary master, and a powerful consideration of the odd process that merges our interior experiences with the world at large.