2 comments about Box Turtles (Complete Herp Care).

1. I bought this book right after aquiring my turtles. What an informative book! I refer to this like a pet care manual. It sits on my nightstand for both pleasure reading and for admiring the photos. I even plan to leave it for my pet sitter as a reference while I'm gone. Thank you Tess for all you have done for box turtle lovers!



2. Tess Cook's new book is over 125 impressive pages of detailed information and professional photos on everything anyone could ever need to know about Box Turtles and their care. The book is absolutely fantastic! Cook covers all the bases from acquiring, housing (indoors and out), feeding (live food too), breeding, egg hatching (you must see the egg-laying and hatchling photos!), and all things in between. No topic has been missed or glossed over. Tess Cook's long history of keeping and raising turtles shines in this work as she includes little known facts and lessons that can only be learned through personal hands on experience. Tess Cook has also maintained a turtle care website for many years offering help, advise, and a forum for all interested to share their experiences. I have most books and encyclopedias written referencing Box Turtles and enthusiastically recommend this book as a must own book. It is a complete how-to guide encompassing all issues of concern for anyone, at any level of experience, interested in Box Turtles.

2 comments about The Ultimate Koi.

1. A good intro ductory book on the hobby. More information about building the pond than an established koi keeper might like and not enough detail on their dietary habits.
   Would recommend to anyone who needs koi help.



2. Helpful for understanding the types of koi and their origins; as well as care of koi. A good book for beginning koi keepers.

5 comments about Old Friends: Visits With My Favorite Thoroughbreds.

1. Old Friends sits right next to Hillebrand's Seabiscuit in my equine library. It is a modern day classic.
   
   These noble horses get loving and magnificent treatment from Livingston's prose and photographic talent.
   
   Old Friends is a joy; a treasure. No racing enthusiast should be without this incredible book.



2. Barbara D. Livingston, Old Friends: Visits with My Favorite Thorougbreds (Eclipse Press, 2002)
   
   Reviewing books of photography often makes me feel guilty. As brilliant as someone like Romain Slocombe or Joel-Peter Witkin (for example) is, and as good as his books are, it seems kind of cheating to put a big photography book on one's list of books read for a given year. After all, how long does it really take to get through a book of photography?
   
   Not so with Old Friends. While it is, in fact, packed with the gorgeous photographs of horses for which Barbara Livingston is so deservedly well-known, every horse in here also has a small essay from Ms. Livingston, making this more a trip down memory lane than a photography book. Some of the horses in here are some of the best-known horses on the continent (Spectacular Bid, for example), some are well-known in their region of the States (Zuppardo's Prince, the leading stallion in Louisiana most years), and some even the most hardcore horseplayer has long forgotten, or never heard of in the first place. Livingston treats them all with equal dignity, and by the end of the book, we feel like we know these horses, too.
   
   A number of the horses here, since (and in a few cases before) the book was published, have died, and any of the rest of them are going to succumb to the ravages of old age within the next few years. But while some of their names will live in the lore of horse racing forever, Livingston has here ensured that many of the others will also not be forgotten.
   
   A fantastic book, and well worth having. **** ½



3. This is a wonderful book! The photographs are beautiful and the text is honest and touching. Each vignette makes you feel as if you are at the farm with the author that day. This is a must have for every horse lover. I recommend a full box of tissues every time you read this book. It is not a sad book but very moving and full of love an drespect for the wonderful horses represented here. As many of us horse savvy folks know...these are the lucky ones. I Just love it!



4. I bought this book after hearing about the death of the great Ferdinand.
   This book shows many of the great ones that have come along, many that are still breeding and many that are living out the rest of their days in quiet comfort. Livingston is a fan of all of these horses, writing as if each one is her own. I read this book in one sitting, crying and laughing all at the same time.

   I can't help but think of all the horses that didn't make it, the horse that met the same end as Ferdinand. The one's that were bred for speed but couldn't quite turn it on at the right time. The horses in this book were and are all very, very lucky indeed.




5. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Gulfstream Park . She was doing a book-signing at the Florida Derby and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. She is a kind and gracious lady. She took her time with everyone who approached her. I was already planning to purchase book and was so happy to get an autographed copy! The pictures are incredible and the grace and dignity she conveys with them is perfect for such beautiful animals as thoroughbred horses. I recommend this book to anyone who loves horses or horse racing. As Ms Livingston signed in my book : Track fever is a good thing!"

2 comments about Caring for Your Aging Dog: A Quality-of-Life Guide for Your Dog's Senior Years.

1. I have a 17-1/2 year old dog. My veterinarian recommended this book to me about six months ago. Since that time, as my four-legged friend continues to exhibit different and sometimes confusing signs of aging, I've found myself pulling it off the shelf and using it for reference. This book discusses the joys of seeing your pet live to an old age, sprinkled with good doses of the realities we, as caring owners face, because they are. A "must read" for anyone who wants to make their pet's senior years as carefree as possible.



2. I wish I'd had this book when my Old English Sheepdog was getting older, getting sick and, eventually, dying -- I would have been far better able to care for him, and myself. But don't think that it's a depressing book; actually, it's mostly about what you can do to ensure a happier life for you and your canine companion. The author's useful, up-to-date health information from top vets is interspersed with first-person mini-essays by dog owners who have been there, so it's a good read as well as a valuable reference. I never thought I'd contemplate having another dog: I was too afraid of another tragedy, another load of guilt. But CARING FOR YOUR AGING DOG has given me hope and confidence.

3 comments about A New Owner's Guide to Lovebirds (New Owners Guide).

1. Searching for information to take care of my newly acquired small flock of lovebirds I found this book. With 160 pages it contains sufficient information, although not extremely detailed. It is indeed an excellent guide for those who begin to raise and take care of these lovely birds. Beautiful pictures, a good layout and hard cover make it a very handy and useful book, well worth its modest price.



2. I do not own a lovebird and had never owned any pet bird at all, but I had received this book as a gift and had read it several times since then! Some of the pictures are beautiful and high in quality, and if I had a lovebird, this book would have all the information I would need, from where to buy a lovebird, to breeding and hand-feeding babies. The endearing traits of lovebirds described in the book, such as an "affectionate lovebird [hiding] in it's human's clothes or underneath long hair" has definitely made me want to own a lovebird as soon as it becomes possible for me.



3. I've had lovebirds for a few years, and I'm always looking for new information about them. This book is one of the best I've found. The text is clear and the advice is easy to put into practice. The photos are pretty as well. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about It's Not the Dogs, It's the People! A Dog Trainer's Guide to Training Humans.

1. This is an awesome book! If you have watched the Dog Whisperer at all, this book parallels Cesar's style and helps with the interview and talking to people one on one when figuring out what is really going on with the dog and human. If you truly want to help people and their dogs this a good book to get your confidence up and in their door.



2. Although I not a "clicker trainer" (I use those "mean methods"), I enjoyed this book. It has helped me to become a better group training instructor. The author and I might disagree on dog training methodology but we do agree on the people training methods. I have been able to manage the training groups better, with people and their dogs having better learning success. This is a good book for anyone who instructs the public in dog training no matter what method they use.



3. I have been working with dogs for over 30 years and a service dog trainer for the last nine. I have just started my own private training business and this book was a refreshing read. Having worked with many people and their dogs, I could relate to many of the personalities described in the book. Reading this book was positive reinforcement for me and helped me realize that I have many of the tools to get my business up and running. It gives lots of helpful suggestions on how to work "with" people, encouraging them to understand and hopefully agree with you even if your suggestion differs from what they originally thought; making them think it was their idea. Expect the unexpected when working with people and their dogs. Relax and get ready to smile and learn.



4. This is a good book to help teach those at the "other end of the leash." Information can be direct but most communication is by perception.



5. I've been a professional animal trainer for 20 years and I still found this book very helpful. I was a psychology major in college and knew much of the stuff in the book, but I was fascinated by the way Nicole applies many of the principles for dealing with people, to dog training. Everybody can learn something new from this book, and the tips on dealing with the individual personality types was described in detail and applied to a dog training setting. Even the concepts I already knew about were enforced in this book and it helped me to refresh my memory and once again work on my people training skills...because as they say...it really IS not the dogs, it's the people.

3 comments about The Complete Home Veterinary Guide.

1. I currently have a family of 1 Golden Retriever, 3 cats, 8 gerbils, and 1 mouse. I recommend this book to people like me who live with more than one kind of animal. It is a very good general guide and interesting reading. However, this book should in no way replace the care of a vet.
   
   This book offers a broad explaination of many topics and provides basic details and care instructions on many diseases and injuries. If you are looking for a very detailed book on one kind of animal only then this book is not for you. I am not sure I recommend this book as a primary source of information for people who care for small animals or exotic pets. I can only really say this about the chapter on hamsters and gerbils because I don't know as much about other kinds of small naimals, but I rescue gerbils and know that many important details are missing in that chapter. Gerbils and hamsters have very different needs and habbits and should not be lumped together because facts true about gerbils can be false about hamsters and vice versa.
   
   As I have already stated, THIS BOOK SHOULD IN NO WAY REPLACE YOUR VET. Neither should any other for that matter. If that is the reason you are buying this book, then I hate to say it and I'm sorry, but your animal would be better off with someone else. The symptoms of many diseases or impairments are often the same and animals are very good at masking pain because their survival instinct tells them that the weaker animals become the dead animals. Animals in pain can be very dangerous and often change their regular habbits for no reason. Your vet can provide medicines, run tests, do surgery, supply special diets and has had years of schooling, not minutes or hours of reading.
   
   Despite the last two paragraphs, I do still think this is a very good book if used properly. If your animal is sick, consult your vet and then read about the diagnosis in the book. This may not sound useful, but believe me when I say that sometimes it is; I have been through it enough times. There are also many chapters on other things besides disease and these are very interesting and useful to know. Understanding your animal will ensure it lives a happy and healthy life. I think the most valuable thing about this book are the chapters about emergency first aid for your dog or cat. That is valuable information that every good animal care book should have.
   
   In summary, it is a good book, but should not replace your vet. I recommend it only if you have a multi-species household. Because it covers so many topics, there are not as many details as one may want on any specific subject. This book has a lot of informationa about cats and dogs, but I know it is lacking in information when it comes to hamsters and gerbils, so it may also be lacking information on other small animal and exotic breeds as well. This book covers many other interesting things besides disease and injury and most importantly, it has a chapter on emergency first aid for your dog or cat.



2. Is an excellent book. It helps me to take better care of my pets. I like it so much. It's like I have a veterinary in my home.



3. When the first topic you look up isn't in the book at all, it's already disappointing. I was eager to get this book because one of my sugar gliders had incurred a tail injury. The word "tail" isn't in the indexes at all, except for bobbing dogs. Since most animals can easily substain tail injuries (caught in doors, stepped on, bitten by another animal), it seems quite an oversight not to cover the topic at all. Seems a lot of "vet" books are bantering the topic "sugar gliders" in their listed coverage since the resources are still scare. This book has only a couple pages of general info. If you're looking for complete glider care, better to go with MacPherson's 'Suger Gliders: Everything about (etc)' from Barrons. Complete Home Vet is OK as a general reference, but if you're serious, I'd go for a more expensive real emergency / veterinary care book. CHECK INSIDE THE BOOK CONTENTS/INDEXES to be sure your pet category is adequately covered. It'll save money and disappointment.

3 comments about Living with a Border Collie.

1. Basic book with nice little stories about particular Border Collies. Touches on broad topics without going into detail. I decided to return this book because I wanted more specific information.



2. If I were to write this book, I'd title it "Coping With a Border Collie", but the book was pretty much on target as I read the book at work. You have to know one or own one to understand. My Border Collie is more like a "borderline disorder" Collie, along with the herding and devotion to family, it has a mind of its own. This is a great book to read and own, really enjoyed stories from actual owners.



3. Not my favorite. To general of a book. Great pictures however.

5 comments about Every Living Thing.

1. I have just finished this book after having read the other books in the series many years ago. The magic is still there. I would not ordinarily be attracted to a book of animal stories but the animals in Dr. Herriot's practice are a stage for something more. The author gives the reader a slice of life from a different time and a different place (Yorkshire). I was quickly enamored with the characters and the telling. This book is really about gentle spirits, kind humor, unpretentious people, dedicated lives. Reading it makes the heart glad.



2. This is my fifth review of a James Herriot title, and if you've missed my first four reviews because you live in a cave, I presume you've heard of the TV series called All Creatures Great And Small. That was based on the first collection of wonderful tales from a Yorkshire veterinarian, or possibly the first few. More than a decade passed between this book and the one before it, and I believe this was his last original book. At first there is a dip in the quality we've come to expect, but once he gets back into his groove, it's every bit as entertaining as its predecessors, and I hated that it ended. It's well worth reading and I enjoyed it immensely.



3. I read his books as a teen and loved them. Bought the whole set for my grandsons, [teens]. They laughed until they cried. [so did I].



4. I read this book many years ago, I enjoy animal stories, I loved books by James Herriot, I read all of his books, the one perchased recently was a gift for my grandaughter who likes animal stories.



5. As usual, I enjoyed the stories written by James Herriot; maybe not quite as much as previous books but it still made very enjoyable reading!

No comments about The Wildlife of Southern Africa: The Larger Illustrated Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region.