The Thumper. Lazy Man's Tetherball. Bobbing for Treats. The Hansel and Gretel: for an afternoon of fun, scamper about the house leaving a trail of plain popped popcorn in your wake. 97 Ways to Make a Dog Smile is a gift of pure pleasure for dogs and the owners who love them. Created by Jenny Langbehn, a veterinary nurse who really knows what makes dogs happy, it combines the creative gift of touch--unexpected ways to rub, massage, scratch, tickle, and knead--with imaginative play scenarios that are just loopy enough to ensure that your dog will be amused, whether he's laughing with you or at you. And to heighten the pleasure of both reader and dog, adorable full-color photographs of smiling dogs accompany each entry. Just look at those dogs (you might say), what a tail-wagging, chop-licking, howling good time they're having. And see if your dog doesn't agree. Try In a Nutshell, the classic sleight-of-hand game, by hiding a treat under one of three plastic cups. The Lawrence Welk--dogs love to chase soap bubbles even more than toddlers do. Get fit while playing. Or use Subliminal Advertising, which works by sneaking a favorite word like cookie into an otherwise boring rant. You'll be surprised by how closely your dog pays attention to what you say, and how broad the smile will be when he hears that special word. Just be sure to have said cookie on hand.

    I Did. Now What?! Now it's time for her to write about the real love of her life: Wendell. Her dog.*Do you talk about your dog non-stop? *Do you suspect your dog is a genius? *Do you name each of your dog's toys?*Does your dog get more heavy petting than your spouse? *Do all holidays revolve around your dog? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you probably have a healthy admiration for your dog. But if all of the scenarios in What Wendell Wants sound familiar, well, it's obvious that your appreciation of your pooch has truly crossed the line into true love--dysfunctional, sure, but who cares?! Jenny Lee knows this obsession inside and out, and her advice is not to fight it: there's simply no cure. Instead, she offers hysterical accounts of her own experiences--from fretting over her dog's haircut to getting his portrait painted a la Picasso to trying desperately to impress the Bed & Biscuit dog kennel--to give all kindred dog-loving spirits out there some consolation that they're not alone.From the Hardcover edition.

    He couldn't imagine starting a day without her tail wagging an energetic greeting, her body wiggling with sheer gratitude when her food dish was filled, and her unbridled enthusiasm for tennis balls. (How she fit three tennis balls in her mouth at once he'll never know.)So when Dave first learned of Hannah's cancer diagnosis, he decided to take whatever time he had left with Hannah to cherish the moments and capture his thoughts in a journal. As he wrote about his canine friend, he soon realized that Hannah was an able (and furry) mentor of faith, grace, kindness, and forgiveness. The lessons were invaluable: from "being present" to "trusting the master." When Hannah lived well past the expected time frame, Dave started to see that the insights he was gaining were more than just journal entries about a family pet. Through Hannah's antics, God was preparing Dave for life itself.You won't want to miss this heartwarming tale of a dog who knew how to live . . . and showed her owner how.

    What could he, an unarmed boy, do to stop the slaughter? — Lars hoped he could count on Thor to help. He never really liked his father's dog -- and just a few weeks before, Thor himself had savagely killed an innocent deer. Lars' rage had known no bounds, then. But now he had no choice: to catch the killers, Lars would have to trust a killer.

    The gorgeous golden retriever Ricochet seemed destined to be a service dog from the moment she was born. She approached her training with boundless energy and surpassed every other dog in her Puppy Prodigy training class. Unfortunately, her love for chasing birds could prove dangerous, for those she would assist. Fifteen months into her training, Ricochet was released, leaving a frustrated owner and a dog without a direction. Yet through a twist of fate, Judy realized that flunking out of school wasn't the end of the world--and in fact, could be the beginning of a new one. Once Judy learned to let go and let Ricochet be who she really was, they found her true calling as a SURFice dog.Ricochet's story is one of synchronicity, our interconnectedness, and opening ourselves to life's 'paws'ibilities. Embracing her true calling, Ricochet began to help others, including those with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, and physical disabilities, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes and inspiring people to believe in themselves. Ricochet does more than steady the board: she offers hope, comfort, healing, and a reason to keep fighting. What gives this story such extraordinary potential to become a publishing sensation? Ricochet is the only SURFice dog in the world, there is no other story quite like it!

    Injured and abandoned, he could have become another of the 7 million animals euthanized every year. Then Stephanie Williams entered the picture. A successful journalist, she had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at the age of 30. On medical leave and living alone, she wanted a warm four-legged companion. When she saw Gus's soulful eyes and goofy grin, it was love at first sight: she would rescue him, and he would return the favor.Just Gus is about how much one dog did to make a dying woman happy — giving tireless love, comfort, and support. This extraordinary story shows how one dog brought joy and hope to a woman's last days.

    Should you act like ‘top dog’ to maintain control? No, you’re better off displaying your friendliness – and not just to your dog. Which breed is the cleverest? That’s the wrong question to ask.These are just some of the extraordinary insights to be found in 'The Genius of Dogs' – the seminal book on how dogs evolved their unique intelligence by award-winning scientist Dr Brian Hare. He shares more than two decades of startling discoveries about the mysteries of the dog mind and how you can use his groundbreaking work to build a better relationship with your own dog.

    During the day, she worked with toddlers with significant delays in language development and used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to help them communicate. At night, she wondered: If dogs can understand words we say to them, shouldn't they be able to say words to us? Can dogs use AAC to communicate with humans?Christina decided to put her theory to the test with Stella and started using a paw-sized button programmed with her voice to say the word "outside" when clicked, whenever she took Stella out of the house. A few years later, Stella now has a bank of more than thirty word buttons, and uses them daily either individually or together to create near-complete sentences.How Stella Learned to Talk is part memoir and part how-to guide. It chronicles the journey Christina and Stella have taken together, from the day they met, to the day Stella "spoke" her first word, and the other breakthroughs they've had since. It also reveals the techniques Christina used to teach Stella, broken down into simple stages and actionable steps any dog owner can use to start communicating with their pets.Filled with conversations that Stella and Christina have had, as well as the attention to developmental detail that only a speech-language pathologist could know, How Stella Learned to Talk will be the indispensable dog book for the new decade.

    They only accept dogs from high kill, rural shelters. There are thousands of sad books about animal cruelty, abuse and abandonment culminating with an emphasis on blame, shame and guilt. This is not one of those books. Find out why. Read it today. “Dog lovers, this is a great book and one you will enjoy.” – Mile High Dog Magazine

    Like the dogs he loves, Masson's writing--drawn from myth and literature, scientific studies and true accounts--will capture readers with its playful, mysterious, and serious sides.

    BAT looks at the function of growling, lunging, or fleeing and helps dogs learn socially acceptable behaviors that serve that same function. In a nutshell, BAT builds confidence by giving dogs a chance to learn to control their environment through peaceful means. That makes BAT very empowering to your dog or puppy, in a good way. It's also empowering for you, as you learn how to understand your dog and help him learn to safely get along with people, dogs, and other "triggers."

    Belinda was in a heap on the floor of her vintage apartment, having been dumped by the man of her dreams. Two lost souls ready to find a new life.Together they embark on a 2,000-mile West Coast road trip taking in spectacular Big Sur, a pack run in the wilds of Oregon, afternoon tea at Doris Day’s dog-loving hotel in Carmel, a fragrant encounter with the creator of Kennel No.5 furfume and a bar stop in a small town near San Francisco where a dog was elected mayor, two years running…Join Belinda and Bodie on this soul-searching adventure along one of the most iconic highways in America and you too will feel the wind in your hair and a wag in your tail.