No comments about ECG Interpretation in the Critically Ill Dog and Cat.

5 comments about Bear, Heart of a Hero: The Story of a Man and His Ground Zero Search and Rescue Dog.

1. Poor bear! This man lead an 11 yr old golden retriever (if he was a true SAR dog, should have been retired by then) to ground zero. Scott as well as Bear was not a rescuer, Scott is not a Captain of anything other then his own private boat. He admitted to his fraud charges in March and should be sentenced shortly. Rescue workers during Katrina and WTC did not have time for photos and utube videos. They were there busy saving lives. Shame on you Scott!



2. I read this book and wept at the bravery and sacrifice of Scott Shields dog, Bear. But after hearing that the story was one of mostly made up facts, I can only justify giving this book this rating. Shame on you Scott Shields for sacrificing your "beloved" Bear for your own personal gain.



3. My husband and I purchased the book as a gift for our son to read on our vacation to Marthas Vineyard. It is a loving tribute to Mr. Shields golden retriver Bear and his mother Honeybear. It highlights the darkest days of September 11,2001 but it also speaks to the loving bond between a man and his dog. This is a story for the whole family. I have now purchased several more copies to donate to our school and our library.



4. It is obvious that Nancy West is a very clever and talented writer. Her ability to infuse Scott Shield's story with pathos and make a heart-rendering portrait of Bear is impressive. Too bad the character she chose to write about has turned out to be so much less than her words and book suggest. Her central character Shields has turned out to be a teller of tall talls in real life, and uses this book to misrepresent himself as a "great hero" of 911. Mr. Shields should stick to the facts of Ms. West's book and stop inventing stories such as "commanding" search teams at Ground Zero, calling himself a "Captain",saying that his dog made live finds and saved the most victims at 9/11.(Good grief even this book says he was only there for 3 days!) This guy even introduces his current untrained dog, Theodore, as Bear's son and parades him around in a search vest. Mr. Shields should try reading his author, Ms. West's, "notes to the reader" on this page so he can learn the facts of his own story. Please, Mr. Shields, stop trying to deceive the public with your tall tales. I give Ms. West's writing "2" stars. Shields character "0"



5. This is a great book about Bear (and Scott Shields) and how they happened to be at the WTC site shortly after the 9/11 attack. The work they did for some time. People that have their doubts about this book should first of all read it from cover to cover and than check the many references this books gives. I strongly doubt that any of the "nay sayers" have actually done so. Unfortunately there is a lot of "hash-wash" going around the Internet about 9/11. This book is a great account of somebody that has been at the sence and wrote about it. Confirmed by other people that were there and sacrified their time and as many of them have learned later, their health...

5 comments about How to Teach Your Old Dog New Tricks.

1. I'm a veterinarian, very involved in behavior training, because that's what keeps my canine patients alive. I've found that if I can get clients involved in teaching a dog who has found out that learning is fun, that dog stands a much better chance of staying alive of becoming an indispensable member of their family. I've checked out numerous trick training books, and this is hands down the best. It's focused, breaks the tricks down into easy, understandable steps, and is written by someone who knows and loves dogs. Bravo!



2. This is a very clearly written book that shows step by step how to make your dog impress people with how "smart" it is. The best thing about training your dog to do some of these tricks is that the basics sit, stand and stay also get transmitted. If you have a dog with behavior problems, once you start them out with this book everything else will follow. The book itself shows this with it's cross-reference at the end of each trick letting you know which tricks will be easy to teach in the future based on the foundation of just one trick!

   This book would be great for puppies as well.




3. I taught my field spaniel to shake, speak, rollover, beg, bow, crawl on her belly, climb ladders, open and close doors, etc. Also, using the techneques in the book, I made-up other tricks. Now she can slp-you-five and jump and twist in midair.



4. My Scottish Terrier, Sgt. Pepper, is currently working on the balance the milk-bone on your nose, and rollover trick.

   At this point we're having so much fun gazing into one another's eyes over the milk bone, that we don't much care whether he learns it or not.

   This is great fun!




5. This wonderful book is lavishly illustrated, and takes a step-by-step approach that results in a over-all well-trained dog. Easy to follow and a fun read.

2 comments about Clicker Dances with Dogs.

1. Dogs are natural dancers, Kay Laurence says, and she goes on to give 50 "recipes" for moves and patterns that can be used in canine freestyle performance but that also are just fun to do. She has great advice for handlers about body language and concentration. All this can be applied in real life as well as in freestyle and other dog sports.
   
   This is also a great book if you're put off by freestyle performances by ladies and gentlemen in matador outfits swirling around with their dogs. The people in the photographs look happy to be playing with their dogs. And the dogs are smiling and obviously having a blast.



2. I bought this book hoping to use it to teach my new Border Collie some fun tricks to music, but I was delighted to find how useful it is for providing more precise training for my older Border Collie who currently competes in Canine Musical Freestyle. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to help sharpen their dog's dancing skills for demonstration or competition.

No comments about Wing & shot, gun dog training,.

5 comments about Obligate Carnivore: Cats, Dogs, and What it Really Means to be Vegan.

1. This is an absolutely fantastic book. At first I was turned off by his description of the logical thought process that leads to the conclusion that cats can and should be vegan, because it seemed like he was talking down to me. But then I grew to like his simple, lay-man's descriptions and explanations - the detail that he spells things out to proves irrefutably that he is right and has thoroughly taken everything into consideration.
   
   It's a short book, and is entertaining as well. I sometimes like to go back and read several pages again from time to time because I just love the comical yet convincing way in which he presents his arguments - it's Fantastic!!



2. I picked up this book originally simply because I don't just believe hearsay, I must be given and argument that I feel is worth my time. I was apprehensive, as would be expected. Why do people go about spewing information that they simply heard from somebody that is not an expert? While Gillen is not a DVM, he sells vegan cat food for a living and at this point in time probably has many cats living with him. Note: Living. They are vegans (or mostly, considering the story of his male cat with ailments unable to be treated at the time he wrote the book.) and ALIVE. Seems as though this guy might have some experience, rather than just one observation of a cat chasing a feather on a stick therefore leading one to the conclusion it is a vicious carnivore that can only be sated with meat.
   
   I once believed that cats were doomed to eat meat forever, and so I have been reluctant to adopt one myself. Yes, I would not have a cat simply because I cannot support even the smallest corners of the slaughterhouses. Now I'm convinced that I can save a kitten's life and farmed animals as well.
   
   I highly recommend this book to all vegans, all pet-lovers, and especially those vegan pet lovers that are still sitting on the fence. This book even sites PURINA for an argument pro-vegetarian cat food.
   
   Also, vegans, why isn't your dog a vegan yet? That's not even worth writing a book about. Dogs make better vegans than humans because they don't complain and their food is already balanced to be healthy. If you're a vegan, your dog can be too, it doesn't make sense otherwise. I don't have a vegan dog, but I know a couple, and they have better breath too. ;)



3. 
   There's a great deal of preaching but very little science in this book. Mr. Gillen cannot cite a single controlled study that conclusively demonstrates that a vegetarian (or vegan) diet supplemented with additives (taurine, in this case) is safe and healthy for cats. While it is possible with the correct knowledge and ingredients to formulate a diet for cats that excludes meat products, in the hands of a careless or uninformed person such an attempt will only lead to illness, blindness and an early death for a cat.
   
   Mr. Gillen makes quite an issue of the fact that his stand on vegetarianism is a moral decision. For a moral choice to be genuine, it must be voluntary, and it appears that Mr. Gillen has yet to find a cat that has made the same moral choice he has. Forcing an animal with over fifteen million years of carnivorous evolutionary behavior built into its system to accept a diet that is completely unnatural to its physiology is is no moral triumph; it's simply another instance of anthropocentric totalitarianism - of trying to make animals more like US because WE believe we're the inherently superior organism.
   
   Mr. Gillen would serve the ecosystem better if he would concentrate his efforts solely toward humans, and leave the smaller animals to make their own moral decisions.



4. 
   Overall, this is probably the best psychotherapy book around for Vegans who need to redirect their frustrations from humans (who have a choice in their eating ethics) to their pets (who don't). Jed has written a reasonably sound guide that enables any conscientious food-fascist to coerce his or her pet into accepting meals that they would never even SNIFF if they were given a choice.
   
   If you harbor a need to bully a helpless animal into accepting a completely unnatural diet in order to compensate for your feelings of inadequacy at being unable to convince anyone else in your life of the superiority of the Vegan lifestyle, this is the book you've been waiting for.



5. .. and he or she will tell you that cats are indeed obligate carnivores. I wholeheartedly agree with the reasoned points in the review titled "Well-intentioned but wrong-headed" (or something to that effect): while vegans (and vegetarians) may be conflicted about feeding meat to their cats, you are doing your cat/s a great disservice by depriving them of meat. Supplementing a cat's vegan diet with taurine will still not address their nutritional needs: cats need a very high-protein (animal protein), low carbohydrate diet, and a vegan diet cannot provide this, even when supplemented with taurine. I am no fan of factory-farming, and am a strict vegetarian, but compromising a cat's health is not an acceptable form of protest against the pet food- and meat-production industries. I'd recommend purchasing free-range organic meat and preparing your own cat food (see "The Natural Cat" for recipes), rather than depriving cats of the animal protein they must have in order to be healthy. That our cats need meat is an uncomfortable contradiction for vegetarian/vegan cat owners, but given the incredible problems with cat overpopulation, abuse, and neglect in this country, I believe taking in, and caring well for cats is the ethical choice, even if they need to eat meat.

5 comments about Woof.

1. Some of the photos are good but they put the majority of them on 2 pages which is difficult to look at.



2. Superly produced photo essay with momochromatic photos capturing those delightful fleeting moments in the daily relationship between a dog and his people.



3. A bunch of pictures about animals. No words...just pictures. No story, nothing. Is about as interesting as watching grass grow. Doesn't keep your attention for 5 minutes. A big waste of time. Save your money. That about sums it up.



4. This is a big disappointment! Pictures are not all on one page. The animals are split in half because of this. What a dumb idea!! Save your money. This book isn't worth half of what I paid.



5. Elliott Erwitt loves to take photos of dogs - all kinds of dogs doing all kinds of things - and Woof is a reflection of his passion for the animal, providing black and white shots of dogs in or near water, on land, on display, at play, and more. An outstanding, artistic celebration of the canine which dog and art lovers will find a satisfying blend of diverse images.

No comments about The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog.

5 comments about The Wolves of Isle Royale: A Broken Balance.

1. The book was sent in a timely manner and in the condition that was promised.



2. This book is very good lots of great images and information. It is good for anyone interested in wolves or Isle Royale lots of very interesting information on the wildlife and what is driving the ever changing isle royale system.



3. This book provides an introduction to the wolves of Isle Royale. Peterson certainly knows the material, since he has led the island's wolf-moose study for decades. The book presents a mix of scientific findings, stories from the wolf-moose study, and Peterson's personal experiences and the island. It's well-written, though the mixture of these materials sometimes seems a bit random.
   
   If your primary interest lies in the science of wolves, I'd read Durward Allen's Wolves of Minong instead. But for everyone else, this should be your first book on Isle Royale and the wolves.
   
   The greatest strength of this book is its photographs. These include wildlife shots, pictures of study staff dissecting carcasses, landscapes of Isle Royale, and a few shots of Peterson and his family. The photographs, the color, and the paper the book is printed on are all top-notch.
   
   Peterson argues that the wolf population may be in crisis. Fortunately, wolf numbers have turned around since he wrote this book. His concluding chapter, about whether we should reintroduce "non-native" wolves to Isle Royale if they died out naturally, is very thoughtful and thought-provoking.



4. If you've been to Isle Royale and want to know more about the wolves, then I highly recommend this book. Most visitors to Isle Royale hope to see a wolf, and most visitors leave the island disappointed. Isle Royale is the closest thing to a closed system to study a predator-prey relationship, and is the site of one of the longest running field studies. The book has some good stories about conducting research on Isle Royale, including the winter study when the research team are the only people in the park. It also provides some insight into how theories about the wolf-moose relationship are still evolving after years of research. It also discusses the challenges the researchers faced when the wolf population took a nosedive in the late 1980's, and ponders the question of what should be done if the wolves die out on IR. This book is several years old now, so if you're interested in more recent data, contact the IR Natural History Association [URL] to get the latest report.



5. I've been interested in the moose and wolves of Isle Royale since visiting the island in the early 1990s. While I spotted plenty of moose (swimming in the lakes, jumping out of the bushes in front of us on the trail, etc.), the wolves remained hidden--a mystery.

   Fortunately, Rolf Peterson writes brilliantly of the side of Isle Royale that many of us will never glimpse. Peterson's work switches easily between the science and the 'experience' of studying wolves in a remote setting. The book is chock full of interesting anectodes collected from Peterson's many seasons studying the island's flora and fauna. From landing a bush plane in a white-out to dragging moose carcasses through the woods, Peterson gives us an interesting look at the what being a field scientist might be like.

   It's important to note that this book is not just about wolves. Indeed, so many environmental factors shape life on Isle Royale outside of its 'headlining' mammals (moose and wolves): from beaver to fox, from spruce to elder. Peterson does a great job of explaining how the changing environment (some human-induced, some not) has impacted the island's populations.

   The book also has some excellent photographs, which illustrate not only the science, but also the beauty that is Isle Royale! Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Adoption Option: Choosing and Raising the Shelter Dog for You.

1. Among the several books that we got just before and after we recently adopted a rescue dog, this was truly the stand-out. It covers virtually everthing you should consider in finding the right dog, to good advice on basic training.

   We highly recommned it (and adopting a rescue dog vs. buying one).




2. This book saved my life! My owners are nice people, but they probably wouldn't have figured out that they were right for me if they hadn't found this book first. The shelter labeled me as "HYPER" and "aggressive with other dogs" - but thanks to the tips and tests in this book, my owners could tell the difference between a hyper dog and one that simply had been cooped up too long and needed some time to play. We've now been a very happy pack for five years - and I recommend this book to all my human friends!



3. Anyone who thinks that they want to bring a dog into their home should read this book first. I volunteer for Labrador Retriever Rescue, and constantly am amazed at how many people assume responsibility for a dog without knowing what they're getting into. This book is clearly written and offers excellent advice on all aspects of choosing and raising a dog from a shelter. The advice applies to other "used" dogs as well, whether they're from rescue organizations or your neighbor. Not only can it help you decide if you SHOULD be sharing a home with a dog, it will help you find the right dog and it will save a life. Giving a dog a second chance by adopting from a shelter or a rescue organization is very rewarding. I know--one of my dogs was a stray, one was from a shelter via a neighbor (who shouldn't have had a dog), and two are from Lab Rescue. All have been fabulous creatures!



4. This would be a great book to give to adopters at shelters. All of the behavior-dealing techniques I've tried have worked very well. It's an honest, yet mostly upbeat look at gaining a new family member! Time and patience are the keys in having a successful shelter adoption.



5. this book convinced me to adopt a dog and save a lif