Pleasant Animal Shelter"Benjamin writes with love and sensitivity about caring for pets 'adopted' from a shelter."--Publishers Weekly"...a solid training program...a great book."--Job Michael Evans, Dog Fancy"Why a book like this has never before been written is beyond me. It is an invaluable guide to rehabilitating those myriad unfortunate dogs which have either never had a home or have been shuttled from one owner to another, losing confidence, trust and self-esteem every step of the way. It is an absolute must for every owner who wants his second-hand dog to regain the ability to become the warm, loving companion every dog should be."--Kenneth A. Marden, President, The American Kennel Club"...Carol Lea Benjamin has written a witty, sound and thoroughly appropriate book on the extraordinary advantages that each of us who has second-hand pets knows first-hand. If you're thinking about sharing your life with a pet or with another pet, read this book first!"--John F. Kullberg, President, ASPCA

    They explore the West, visiting parks and vistas, rain forests and deserts, family, old friends and new. Accidents, adventures, sadness, joy, problems, and peace populate their journey of discovery. Ever patient and sensitive to her companion’s emotions Charlize remains close, attentive, and comforting, especially when needed most. And at every stop, she greets strangers with a loving heart and wagging tail, showing the way to embrace life.In Travels with Charlize: In Search of Living Alone, Dr. Gross tells a gentle and open story of recovery after the death of his wife of fifty-two plus years. He knows he must go forward and face a new future, but that road carries rough spots. Memories spring up to hold him back. Revisiting friends reminds him of who no longer accompanies him. And home, to which he must return, still stores a profusion of painful memories. But Charlize’s presence keeps Gross steady and willing to see a brighter tomorrow around the bend. In the end, that light shines strong for both.

    With pet disease and illness on the rise, a significant proportion of pet owners are turning to holistic health care to prevent disease and enhance their pet's well-being. The foundation of holistic care is optimal nutrition, Our own doctors extol the virtues of eating fewer processed foods and more fresh foods if we wish to enjoy good health. Certainly, our pets deserve the same consideration. This easy-to-read book will help pet-lovers enable their dogs and cats to enjoy an ideal quality of life through a species-appropriate diet of raw, natural foods. Readers learn how to easily prepare a healthy homemade meal so their pet can have a shiny coat, healthy skin and digestion, clean teeth, bright eyes, and no fleas or "doggy breath." Also included are the Holistic Animal Yellow Pages, an invaluable information resource.

    From tail wagging to growling, from play bowing to lip licking, this fascinating book explains why your dog behaves the way he does. What Is My Dog Thinking? covers six major aspects of dog behavior: the importance of hierarchy, food and fitness, staying safe, reproduction, social behavior, and people and dogs.

      Approaching dogs as a biological species rather than just as pets, Coppinger and Feinstein accessibly synthesize decades of research and field experiments to explain the evolutionary foundations underlying dog behaviors. They examine the central importance of the shape of dogs:  how their physical body (including the genes and the brain) affects behavior, how shape interacts with the environment as animals grow, and how all of this has developed over time. Shape, they tell us, is what makes a champion sled dog or a Border collie that can successfully herd sheep. Other chapters in How Dogs Work explore such mysteries as why dogs play; whether dogs have minds, and if so what kinds of things they might know; why dogs bark; how dogs feed and forage; and the influence of the early relationship between mother and pup. Going far beyond the cozy lap dog, Coppinger and Feinstein are equally fascinated by what we can learn from the adaptations of dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and even pumas in the wild, as well as the behavior of working animals like guarding and herding dogs.   We cherish dogs as family members and deeply value our lengthy companionship with them. But, isn’t it time we knew more about who Fido and Trixie really are? How Dogs Work will provide some keys to unlocking the origins of many of our dogs' most common, most puzzling, and most endearing behaviors.

    Expert authors Liz Palika, vet Deb Eldredge, and breeder Joanne Olivier 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 do to 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 bath your puppy, brush his coat, clip his nails, and brush his teeth.- How to know what requires a trip to the vet and what doesn't- What causes problem behaviors, when to expect them, and how to correct them

    It features a program of positive reinforcement and no-fail techniques that author Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz used to train the White House dog, Bo Obama, and each of Senator Ted Kennedy’s dogs, among countless others.Training the Best Dog Ever relies on trust and treats, not choke collars; on bonding, not leash-yanking or reprimanding. The five-week training program takes only 10 to 20 minutes of practice a day and works both for puppies and for adult dogs that need to be trained out of bad habits. Illustrated with step-by-step photographs, the book covers hand-feeding; crate and potty training; and basic cues—sit, stay, come here—as well as more complex goals, such as bite inhibition and water safety. It shows how to avoid or correct typical behavior problems, including jumping, barking, and leash-pulling. Plus: how to make your dog comfortable in the world—a dog that knows how to behave in a vet’s office, is at ease around strangers, and more. In other words, the best dog ever.

    But what exactly is enrichment? The concept is pretty straightforward: learn what your dog’s needs are, and then structure an environment and routine that allows them to engage in behaviors they find enriching. To truly enrich your dog’s life, you should offer them opportunities to engage in natural or instinctual behaviors. Aside from the limitations we have to place on a dog in today’s modern, busy world, the biggest constraint to enriching your dog’s life is your imagination!What the experts say about Canine Enrichment:Don’t let the word “enrichment” in the title fool you into thinking that the scope of this book is too narrow or not something you will find valuable. It focuses comprehensively on meeting your dog’s needs and is written in a holistic, science-based, practical, straightforward, and easy-to-understand way. I love this book!Ken Ramirez, author of Animal Training: Successful Animal Management Through Positive ReinforcementCanine Enrichment is a deep dive into what dogs really need and how we can provide it. It’s a great book for dog lovers who want to go beyond the standard superficialities of “dogs need exercise.” Just the chapter on agency is worth the price of the book!Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., CAAB Emeritus, author of The Other End of the Leash and The Education of WillThe scope of this book is ambitious and the authors deliver, navigating the subject of enrichment with depth and relevance. Caregivers will gain critically important perspectives and practical information to improve the lives of their animals.Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Utah State University, and founder of Behavior Works, LLCAllie Bender, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA, and Emily Strong, CDBC, CPBT-KA, SBA, are certified behavior consultants who work with all companion animal species. They co-founded and operate Pet Harmony, LLC, and First Train Home.

    Oz Show will give every dog owner the secrets to raising a healthy, well-behaved dog. For anyone who owns a dog or is thinking about getting one, Dr. Marty Becker's manual is a must-have guide to anything and everything canine. In Your Dog: The Owner's Manual, the "best-loved family doctor for pets" shares insider secrets on how to keep puppy problems from becoming doggy disasters and how to best bond with your dog through helpful, easily accessible tips and tricks on how to: Find the right dog for your family's lifestyle Solve the most annoying behavioral problems Make sure your dog gets the exercise he needs Use food puzzles to prevent weight gain Prevent dog health problems Save money on medication, both traditional and alternative For seasoned dog owners as well as those looking to adopt a new friend, Dr. Becker provides all the insight that makes for both happy owners and happy dogs.

    Through their relationship Dawn learned that dogs are intelligent and emotional beings that can sense human thoughts. From housebreaking to adolescent escapades and on through old age, Maggie's radiant spirit became interwoven with the fabric of Dawn's life. The depth of their bond opens a surprising door to intuition and dream communication about Maggie's fate. Through their journey, Dawn experiences the joys of sharing life with a dog that so touched people as well as the profound grief that comes with the loss of her beloved Maggie.

    Inside, you'll find easy to read discussion of the philosophy of positive training followed by training tips and exercises. This book is geared toward the dog owner who wants to develop a relationship with their dog based on friendship and positive reinforcement, not fear and punishment. You get 30 chapters with instructive illustrations, including an easy-to-follow, step-by-step, six-week basic training program (with diary) for any dog.

    I love stories that support the underdog, and Jolene's tale of her beloved pit bull terrier is exactly that. It is also a delight to read, and a worthy story to ponder. And you will fall in love with Rumer, I'll promise you that." -Susan Knilans McElroy, author of "Animals As Teachers" and "Healers and Animals as Guides for the Soul""Jolene has truly captured the ways animals enrich and bless our lives in profound ways. Not only is "Angel On My Shoulder" a story of an exceptional, loving pit bull named Rumer, it is on a larger scale the defense of a gentle, loyal breed that has been much maligned and misunderstood. May it help everyone understand both the true nature of the American Pit Bull as well as the true nature of love." -Katrina Kittle, author of "The Kindness of strangers" and "The Blessings of the Animals""Far more than any other breed, the American pit bull represents different things to different people. Badly managed dogs grab headlines because their behavior is atypical; Jolene's experience represents the far less shocking though no less fascinating reality of life with a peaceful, loving, comedic pit bull as 'best friend'. If you enjoy tales of true love, you will value this story." -Diane Jessup, author of "The Working Pit Bull" and "The Dog Who Spoke With Gods"On a bitterly cold February day in 1992, a woman named Jolene found herself with a choice to make: the brindle puppy in a kindly stranger's left palm-or the red puppy in his right?For Jolene Mercadante, a librarian and lifelong animal advocate, this was the first tentative step on a journey that would impact the way she lived the rest of her life. She had no way of knowing how Rumer, a single little soul the size of a sausage, was about to change her life.Through all of life's great adventures-the perfect five-week-old baby; the lanky, rebellious teenager; the extraordinary, splendid adult-Rumer was a creature of humor and love. She joyfully shattered the unjust "pit bull" stereotypes. She might not have been a heroic rescue dog, a therapy dog, or a war hero; there are other pit bulls who can claim this fame. But Rumer did touch the lives of everyone who knew her, and that made her heroic in her own way.""She did save us, she did rescue us, and she was our hero in so many ways.""Rumer was an ordinary dog who lived an ordinary life, but that's what made her extraordinary. This memoir is an unforgettable love story and an uplifting journey brought about by the life of a truly pure and beautiful soul.

    Rescued from a street gutter, she had the good fortune to be adopted by author Brian L. Porter and his family.Despite suffering from a catalogue of injuries, including two broken legs and skin allergies, and eventually being diagnosed as a serious epileptic at just two years old, Sasha's story is one of triumph over adversity; of love, happiness and inspiration. Her love of life and capacity for enjoying every day to the fullest is nothing short of miraculous, and her story is told here by the person who shares every moment of her life on a daily basis, and how a disabled author and his dog have become dependent on each other.It is a story that has already touched many who have come into contact with her, from vets to nurses and a whole host of followers on her own Facebook page. Read her story and join them in sharing in the life of an amazing and very special dog!PUBLISHER'S NOTENow available in a new, updated second edition, with a new chapter and additional photographs.

    Discriminated against because of his breed, he is greeted with cruelty from nearly every avenue. Though all he desires is a loving home, he finds himself in the clutches of abusive villains. Despite being broken by hunger and abuse, he takes a second chance at joining a family when a kind musician offers him a helping hand. In a struggle for acceptance, Lucky the pit bull is confronted with his greatest fear and is threatened with losing what he loves the most.Will his heroic efforts secure him the life of simplicity and happiness he’s always wanted? Or will he be turned out of the house because of social bias? Discover what fate lies ahead of our canine narrator in this emotional story filled with struggles and triumphs.

    Acclaimed blogger Zazie Todd distills the latest canine science and shares recommendations from leading veterinarians, researchers, and trainers to cultivate a rewarding and respectful relationship with your dog—which offers many benefits for you, your family, and your four-legged friend.