Second-Hand Dog: How to Turn Yours Into a First-Rate Pet


Carol Lea Benjamin - 1988
    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

The Dog Guardian: Your Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Dog


Nigel Reed - 2017
    Through his many years of experience Nigel has found that there are four fundamental components for a content and well-behaved dog.In The Dog Guardian Nigel explains the philosophy and gives you practical, step-by-step advice. This new and vital information will empower you to address any of your dog's undesirable behaviors, no matter its age, breed or history. The Dog Guardian has already helped thousands of dogs and their owners address problem behaviors including anxiety, nervousness, aggression, hyperactivity, lead pulling, jumping up and much more. It's easier than you'd think.

Why Does My Dog Do That?: Comprehensive Answers To The 50 Questions That Every Dog Owner Asks


Sophie Collins - 2008
    This text will help readers to smooth out species clash, broaden their understanding and learn to see things from their pet's point of view.

Pound for Pound: A Story of One Woman's Recovery and the Shelter Dogs Who Loved Her Back to Life


Shannon Kopp - 2010
    They don’t rush me to heal or grow. They sit in my lap and lick my face and make me feel chosen. And sometimes, it hits me hard that I'm doing the exact thing I say I cannot do. Changing.”Pound for Pound is an inspirational tale about one woman’s journey back to herself, and a heartfelt homage to the four-legged heroes who unexpectedly saved her life.For seven years, Shannon Kopp battled the silent, horrific, and all-too-common disease of bulimia. Then, at twenty-four, she got a job working at the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, where in caring for shelter dogs, she found the inspiration to heal and the courage to forgive herself. With the help of some extraordinary homeless animals, Shannon realized that her suffering was the birthplace of something beautiful. Compassion.Shannon’s poignant memoir is a story of hope, resilience, and the spiritual healing animals bring to our lives. Pound for Pound vividly reminds us that animals are more than just friends and companions—they can teach us how to savor the present moment and reclaim our joy. Rich with emotion and inspiration it is essential reading for animal lovers and everyone who has struggled to change.

How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain


Gregory Berns - 2013
    Loyal, obedient, and affectionate, they are truly “man’s best friend.” But do dogs love us the way we love them? Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns had spent decades using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works, but a different question still nagged at him: What is my dog thinking?   After his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix, Berns decided that there was only one way to answer that question—use an MRI machine to scan the dog’s brain. His colleagues dismissed the idea. Everyone knew that dogs needed to be restrained or sedated for MRI scans. But if the military could train dogs to operate calmly in some of the most challenging environments, surely there must be a way to train dogs to sit in an MRI scanner.   With this radical conviction, Berns and his dog would embark on a remarkable journey and be the first to glimpse the inner workings of the canine brain. Painstakingly, the two worked together to overcome the many technical, legal, and behavioral hurdles. Berns’s research offers surprising results on how dogs empathize with human emotions, how they love us, and why dogs and humans share one of the most remarkable friendships in the animal kingdom.   How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.

Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over the Top to Under Control


Laura VanArendonk Baugh - 2013
     Some dogs are afraid, or excited, or reactive. Dogs that “don’t listen” and “go crazy” don’t live the lives we –- or they –- want. Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out can change that. Simple steps and an accessible, conversational tone from award-winning, internationally-known trainer Laura VanArendonk Baugh CPDT-KA KPACTP make calming the agitated dog not only possible, but pleasant. Inside you’ll learn how to Achieve change in short, simple training sessions of a minute or less Maximize the effects of natural brain chemistry Know when to call in medical help “Clean up” unreliable behaviors in both overexcited sport dogs and pets at home Recognize how fear, aggression, and excitement are variants of the same root problem The conversational tone is both informative and fun — very accessible, and it feels like the reader has a consulting trainer standing at her shoulder! Bring your dog from emotional to thoughtful, and enjoy a calmer, more enriched life with your best friend.

To the Rescue: Found Dogs with a Mission


Elise Lufkin - 2009
    Each dog (and one cat) profiled has had a rough past, suffering abuse or extreme neglect at the hands of humans.Some dogs featured here have become therapy dogs for hospitals and nursing homes; reading partners for children; friends to at risk teens and the injured in veterans affairs hospitals; service dogs for the deaf and blind; arson dogs; and even search-and-rescue dogs. Some of these special dogs are disabled, blind, deaf, missing limbs, but they don't seem to know it. These spunky, happy animals have repaid the kindness of their rescuers in spades, bringing the therapy of love to people in need, sometimes even saving lives.

Dog Medicine


Julie Barton - 2015
    She was one year out of college and severely depressed. Summoned by Julie's incoherent phone call, her mother raced from Ohio to New York and took her home.Psychiatrists, therapists and family tried to intervene, but nothing reached her until the day she decided to do one hopeful thing: adopt a Golden Retriever puppy she named Bunker.Dog Medicine captures in beautiful, elegiac language the anguish of depression, the slow path to recovery, and the astonishing way animals can heal even the most broken hearts and minds.

Original Dog Bible


Kristin Mehus-Roe - 2005
    Original.

Man Meets Dog


Konrad Lorenz - 1949
    Displaying Lorenz's customary humanity and expert knowledge of animals, Man Meets Dog is also a deeply personal and entertaining account of his relationships with his own four-legged friends. With charming sketches on almost every page, Man Meets Dog offers a delightful insight into animal and human thinking and feeling. An essential companion for all lovers of dogs (and cats!).

Dog Is My Copilot: Rescue Tales of Flying Dogs, Second Chances, and the Hero Who Might Live Next Door


Patrick Regan - 2012
    Since 2008, an unlikely alliance of volunteer pilots and animal rescue enthusiasts has worked together to save thousands of death-row dogs by flying them to safe havens and better lives. Through two dozen storiesa "some heartrending, a few hilariousa "Dog Is My Copilot tells the inspiring story of Pilots N Paws, Americaa (TM)s most unique and high-flying animal rescue organization.Dog Is My Copilot tells the story of Pilots N Paws, a high-flying animal-rescue operation founded "accidentally" in 2008 when a private pilot offered to fly a mission of mercy to save an abused dog for a friend. Once on the ground, the pilot asked his friend if there was a big need to transport shelter animals from one part of the country to another. She responded, "You have no idea." Since that time, Pilots N Paws has grown to include thousands of pilots who have transported tens of thousands of "death-row dogs" (and a fair amount of cats and other animals), sometimes more than 1,000 miles away to new homes or no-kill shelters, where they have a much higher chance of adoption.The true heart of Dog Is My Copilot are the 24 real-life rescue stories collected from pilots and their animal-rescue counterparts on the ground. The short, captivating stories are accompanied by more than 100 charming, poignant, color photos--most taken by the pilots themselves--of their canine passengers in flight.Unexpected things can happen when dogs reach cruising altitude, and the stories in Dog Is My Copilot run the emotional range from hilarious to heart rending--but the endings are always happy. These dogs are the lucky ones, and most of the pilots will tell you that when they get on the plane, they know it. After all, waiting for them on the ground hundreds of miles away is a second chance at a happy life with a loving forever family.Dog Is My Copilot--it's Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Marley and Me . . . with just a dash of The Right Stuff. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Pilots N Paws organization.

One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter


Diane Leigh - 2005
    Yet, each year, community shelters take in six to eight million unwanted dogs and cats who face an uncertain fate. With compelling photos and moving vignettes, this book chronicles the true stories of 75 animals who entered a typical U.S. animal shelter during one week witnessed and documented by the authors.

The Found Dogs: The Fates and Fortunes of Michael Vick's Pitbulls, 10 Years After Their Heroic Rescue


Jim Gorant - 2017
    Scarred and scared and initially bound to be euthanized, the dogs were saved by a fearless team of advocates who fought for their rights and futures. Now, on the tenth anniversary of the bust, The Lost Dogs author Jim Gorant picks up their stories where he left off, tracking the striving and thriving, trials and triumphs, and happiness and heartbreaks that have characterized their lives. The Found Dogs brings the story of The Lost Dogs full circle.

Just Gus: A Rescued Dog and the Woman He Loved


Laurie Williams - 2006
    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.

Irreconcilable Differences


Nathan J. Winograd - 2009
    Those who kill sheltered animals on the other. Can't we all just get along? Irreconcilable Differences says we can't because shelters act in ways which are the antithesis of the values most Americans hold dear. We are a nation of animal lovers. But the shelters we expect to save animals are instead needlessly killing about four million of them every year. Thankfully, animal lovers all over the U.S. are increasingly rejecting the excuses and blame shifting of shelter administrators used to justify that killing. And it is that rejection of the status quo, propelled by the American public's great love of companion animals, which is explored in this book's essays.