1 comments about AZ of Horse Behavior & Training.

1. This book has a short 20 page introduction to horse behavior and language, and from there it continues in encyclopedia style, with lots of horse related items described in alphabetical order. Usually I don't like this type of book at all and avoid it, but this one was an exception. First, it is down to the point, no word is wasted! Yet it is very easy to read and understand. The other thing I liked very much is WHAT it says is very horsefriendly ("natural horsemanship" oriented), sounds very sensible and logical. There is a wealth of information for a very broad range of horse topics.
   Of course, due to the nature (i.e. the form) of the book no one subject is treated very extensively. This means it is good only to get an overview over horsemanship related topics - but at this it is REALLY good!

2 comments about Building an Ark: 101 Solutions to Animal Suffering (The Solutions Series).

1. Building an Ark: 101 Solutions to Animal Suffering (The Solutions Series)
   
   Building an Ark; 101 Solutions to Animal Suffering, is a one-of-a-kind tool to help stop animal suffering around the world, by offering practical, easy to follow solutions that everyone can apply in their every day lives.
   
   Our planet IS in peril, and animals play a key role in our ecology, evolution and the very fabric of our society. It is our fundamental responsibility to protect them and treat them as sentient beings, capable of emotions and feelings of pain. It is our fundamental responsibility as parents, teachers, business owners, and community leaders to inform ourselves and instill in our children, employees, colleagues and communities the very prime, most precious and vital understanding that ALL life is precious and must be treated as such.
   
   It would be so simple to contemplate a chapter of Building an Ark at a time in a classroom, or to read it in the quietude of your own home and to commit, a step at a time, to changing our world to be a better place for all its inhabitants. This is one book no caring home or educational facility should be without.



2. This is an excellent book! It is the most comprehensive guide I have ever read on animal suffering, and serves as a great book for those who are new and interested to the topic, as well as seasoned animal rights activists and vegans.
   
   The best part about this book is that after covering all the ways in which animals suffer everyday, it offers helpful solutions in the second half of the book to these problems that all of us can help participate in.
   
   
   Truly a great book and a must-read!!! I highly reccommend this book to everyone.

2 comments about Puppy Care & Training (Terra-Nova Series).

1. This book seems to hit on every aspect of raising a puppy. The information is presented in interesting ways and the pictures are cute. I learned a lot and will continue to use it as a reference as we train and care for our puppy. I thought it was a very good buy and would recommend it. I spent a while at Borders looking through puppy books and just bought this one on a whim, but am very happy with it.



2. Teoti Anderson, with help from veterinary consulting editor Wayne Hunthausen D.V.M., has written a delightful book that will introduce you to the wonderful and exciting world of puppies.
   
   Beautifully illustrated and informative, Puppy Care & Training has a free care and training DVD, sections on how to train your canine using positive training methods, up-to-date health care information, convenient diet options, as well as easy-to-follow grooming instructions.
   
   Owning a dog is a source of great joy; but it also carries with it a sense of responsibility. This book will help you keep your four legged family member healthy and safe for years to come.

3 comments about The Dog Rules: (Damn Near Everything).

1. Was disappointed in content. I'd been anticipating more "meat". In hindsight, would not spend my money here again.



2. I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH THIS BOOK AND HAVE HAD ONLY GREAT QUALITY OF ITEMS PURCHASED AND QUICK SHIPPING AND RESPONSE FROM AMAZON.COM
   THANKS FOR THE EASY WAY TO PURCHASE ITEMS
   B



3. William Thomas captures the true nature of the Dog/Man relationship. Most espically that relationship between a Border Collie and his human. These animals give unrestricted love and only ask that they be allowed to do anything they please.

   And that comes across in this very funny book, it on many occasion made me laugh out loud; and I am sure many of the other guests in my hotel must of thought me insane.

   But there is a warning, if like me you used to own a Border Collie (mine died at the age of 16 from a stroke) and have managed to keep the age old promise of the pet owner of never again, then at the end of the book (or even during) you may well be reduced to tears as you reminded of the antics of own beloved and now departed best friend.

4 comments about Lab Fever: Living, Loving and Laughing With America's #1 Pet.

1. Do you own a Lab, or know someone that does? If so than you have to read this little book! The little cartoons Bruce Cockran comes up with for lab behavior are so typical that it it is just plain funny. From shedding to stealing your spot on the couch, there is a cartoon for every Labrador trait!
   
   This book is the perfect gift for a Lab owner, it will bring a laugh to anyone who has one of these funny dogs!



2. How did Mr. Cochran know my lab? This book is PERFECT for any dog lover, but especially lab lovers. I highly recommend it as a gift to someone or for yourself. I'll treasure my copy forever, just as I do my labs!



3. Mr. Cochran has another hit to his credit. I'm definately going to get ALL of his books. He really gets into the mind of labs and their owners with this one. I'm on labs #13 and #14 now, and they're as memorable as my first. I've bought several of these for friends, and they've loved them too. Bravo Cochran!



4. If you have a lab, you will love this little book. It made me laugh, totally the typical traits of lovable, wonderful labs.

5 comments about The Atlas of Snakes of the World.

1. One of the most comprehensive and impressive books of this type I have seen. The information and photographs are exceptional. Extremely good value and a worthwhile addition to any book collection and not only for people with a passionate interest in snakes. I definitely recommend this book to anyone considering purchasing it.



2. Compre el libro para regalarselo a mi novio, el cual tiene una pasion en la vida: SNAKES!!!!!, el libro absolutamente le encanto... la vdd esta padrisimo, tiene excelentes fotografias, y lo mejor, la informacion, definitivamente muy completa.



3. This is it. If you are looking for a book that covers everything snake with lots of pictures, you have found it. This has general information and husbandry, taxonomy, and goes through all the snakes, not just the popular pets and famous venomous ones. It also has information on responsible pet ownership. And it is enjoyable to read!



4. Wonderful! It is not just an atlas, it is very informative and very readable. I am just beginning a serious study of snakes, and this is a fantastic adult introduction. Snakes : The Evolution of Mystery in Nature is also a great book, but I suggest reading this first.



5. Lots of pictures but little real information on individual species. Snakes : The Evolution of Mystery in Nature is a better choice for those looking for more indepth info.

2 comments about God's Creatures: A Biblical View of Animals.

1. The reassurance offered by reference to biblical scripture eases the pain and heartache of losing a beloved pet or working partner. Sue did an excellent job of researching and bringing forth God's Word relating to animals. This is definitely a 5 star book!



2. Sue Bulanda did a wonderful job of bringing to our attention, by using the scriptures, just how much God loves and values His creatures, as well as our responsibility and accountability before Him for their care. It moved me to re read and re examine the beloved Bible stories and passages pertaining to animals I had heard as a child, thereby opening my eyes to new and wonderful truths concerning God's view and purposes for creating them. I recommend this book to anyone, young or old, who has ever asked those "hard" questions about animals and would like a renewed perspective excavated from the truth of God's Word. This is an easy book to read and understand. It will definitely make you stop and take pause to consider just what you believe and how you perceive the animals you know and love as well as the entire animal kingdom.

5 comments about Conures Complete Owner's Manual.

1. If I may, I'd like to start off this review by sharing pertinent background information. First off, birds have been part of my life for 28 years. Birds varieties with which I am personally familiar include Amazon parrot, lovebird, cockatiel, and my all-time favorite, the budgerigar (better known as a parakeet). Second, I have a background as a writer. As a result, what you are about to read in criticism of "Conures: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual", does not reflect exclusively on the author, who is obviously very knowledgeable and competent, but primarily on the seemingly incompetent editors of this reference guide.
   
   The editors of this work, which are not named, have failed to determine the angle (focus) they would like the author to concentrate upon, and hence this highly credentialed ornithologist and zoologist, Dr. Matthew M. Vriends, attempts to cover too much ground in too few chapters. The title page boasts that the reader will learn "Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, and Behavior", but it just doesn't deliver. Instead, the author spends a great deal of time delving into a subject that few bird owners will find useful: breeding.
   
   Initially, the book starts out very simplistically by addressing very basic aspects of bird care that will be of little use to anyone who has ever owned a bird (keep water dishes clean, provide toys, offer your bird a variety of fruits and vegetables, etc.). This is all well and good if the purpose of the book is to educate the pet bird newbie. With minimal transition, however, the author goes off on a tangent on conure courtship practices, which should have been reserved for the appropriately titled chapter, "Breeding South American Conures". Apparently it did not occur to the editors that the average bird owner will not become a breeder, or that if a bird owner opts to breed at all, he or she is likely to seek out dedicated reference material.
   
   To illustrate the author's scattered but seemingly entrenched fixation on breeding, the subject is first broached in the second chapter, "Housing, Care, And Management" (regarding nesting boxes), and is visited again in the fourth chapter, "Understanding Conures" (regarding the aforementioned courtship rituals), and again in a dedicated chapter, "Breeding South American Conures". While the subject of breeding is not entirely without merit in a book that touts itself as an all-inclusive guide to conures, at a very minimum the former references should have been grouped with the latter.
   
   Overall, this reference presents a disjointed mixture of simplistic and advanced information with little attention paid to intermediate questions or concerns (paying comparatively little attention to the number of illnesses and environmental hazards to watch out for, for example).
   
   Most notably, the book failed to answer the most basic of question: How long, on average, do conures live?
   
   The second critical flaw is in not advising would-be conure owners to buy a hand-fed or hand-raised conure whenever possible to ensure that the bird will bond with humans, and will not be overly fearful or aggressive (inclined to bite).
   
   The third flaw is that the book advises in the first chapter, "Acquisition of Stock" to turn to the last chapter, "South American Conure Species", for information related to "which types are best suited to be kept as household pets without too many difficulties". Unfortunately, there is very little information in this section to satisfy this promise, and with respect to many species the answers are entirely ignored.
   
   The fourth flaw takes place in the fourth chapter, "Understanding Conures". If it were to remain true to its title, the chapter should have included more on the psychology of conures. The book leaves virtually untouched, for instance, causes or solutions for screaming, how to prevent birds from becoming finger biters (effective training methods), the suitability of these birds around other pets or children, what is considered dangerously hot/cold for an indoor vs. outdoor conure, the dangers posed by bacteria from cats or human saliva, aerosol sprays, air fresheners, nonstick cookware, West Nile virus, etc. (To the author's credit, there is a sidebar on toxic indoor and outdoor plants, however.)
   
   The fifth and last chapter dedicated to "South American Conure Species", contains the final glaring omission. I fully expected to see specific notes on how to identify gender or approximate age -- relevant because my new family member is a Half-Moon Conure that flew up to a neighbor who, in turn, gave it to me -- and yet there were no comments on age determination, and very little sexing information beyond various invasive methods such as endoscopy or DNA testing, which are described in chapter four. Devoting an entire chapter at the conclusion of the book to species-specific information -- which consists mostly of trivia-like tidbits pertaining to native habitats -- while neglecting to mention gender clues such as male vs. female coloration patterns, for example, was a poor judgment call, in my opinion.
   
   In all fairness, a book of this length, at 106 pages excluding the index, cannot be all things to all people.* That reality, in particular, underscores the value of choosing a focus and sticking to it -- yet Barron's Educational Series, Inc. editors failed to target the book to a specific type of reader or market.
   
   None of this is to say that this book neglects to impart valuable information. In fact, it touches upon almost every remaining issue of interest -- from identifying a healthy bird (e.g. healthy conures generally sleep on one foot), to the difference between an outdoor aviary, indoor aviary and a "bird room", to what size of perch is best suited for their feet. Unfortunately, this work misses some of the obvious questions and over-emphasizes some of the matters that are of less interest to non-breeders or new owners. Finally, I found at least one aspect of the author's advice questionable: bathing a bird in dish soap in preparation for a bird show. If you are going to forcefully wash a bird at all, why not advocate less harsh or toxic cleansers, or at least those that are less likely to sting or burn, such as baby-safe products?
   
   In conclusion, I am sorry to note that the Internet is a better resource for information about conures, which is a sad reality because reference book sales will increasingly suffer in this Internet age until, that is, publishers figure out how to offer reference material that is more informative and engaging than the average Website posted by amateurs or volunteer experts. With stiff competition from armchair enthusiasts, often at no cost, publishers must take extraordinary care to ensure that their subject matter is exceptionally well organized, carefully targeted, and clearly written by a professional writer who has anticipated the questions readers will ask so as to avoid the meandering or repetitive style associated with novice writers, be they academic experts who have a tendency to come across as impersonal, overly technical or dry (without proper editorial oversight), or Website-running hobbyists who are often conversational and informal in tone, yet lacking in credible credentials.
   
   Bottom line? If you want an introduction to specific information about breeding conures, this book will offer more information than you might otherwise expect from its all-inclusive title, "Conures: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual". If, on the other hand, you wish to learn generalized information about training techniques, or the ownership pros and cons of specific conure varieties (including lifespan), look elsewhere.
   
   
   ###
   
   * As of this writing, Amazon's description states that the book is 64 pages, which is incorrect. There are a total of 111 pages in this guide.



2. I have to agree with most of what's been said here. I have two wonderful hand-reared black-tailed conures as pets - now this species is virtually unheard-of in captivity, so I bought this book on the strength of the 'detailed species descriptions' advertised. What a slap in face! Apparently my birds are simply 'similar to maroon-bellied conures, but ...not as interesting' (exact quotation). The book is written from a breeder's point of view, and a breeder stuck two decades ago for that matter. There is a strangely impersonal tone to the whole book, which some pet owners who don't see their birds as liquid assets may find off-putting. I certainly did. However, the many photos are good, which earns it the extra star.



3. Perhaps because of his background as a breeder of various species of domestic (pet birds) and experience as a bird vet, I find Matthew Viends' books tend to slant toward the physical care and breeding birds. He maintains outdoor aviaries, which can be much more of a challenge than a simple cage in a third floor apartment. So, if you only read Vriends you might become overly concerned about health issues and nest boxes.
   
   On the other hand Vriends' books are very informative,including this volume on Conures. He informs the reader about health matters, so that if you do experience a bird who is 'under the weather' you won't panic.
   
   If you are seriously contemplating buying your first Conure, you might want to read Anne Watkins book on Conures and use Vriends book to complement topics dealing with Conure health and feeding issues.
   
   To pellet or not to pellet...Vriends covers this topic and I find it timely as my new Conure (who was formerly owned by a kind lady) is fond of Zupreme Conure pellets (except purple..he apparently does not like grape). You can drive yourself crazy trying to feed your feathered pal all the correct veggies, egg yolk seed mix, minerals, cuttlebone, etc. (and I do this) or you can think about pellets. (My birds get a great assortment of greens and most of them also have pellets with or in lieu of their seed mix.) It is comforting to know that a vet and breeder of Vriends' stature is supportive of pellet use.



4. There is to much focus on breeding Conure's, the info there is about keeping a Conure as a pet is outdated, I would reccomend the book on Conure's by Julie Rach instead!
   Hope this helps!



5. This book was obviously written at a time when most Conures were imported from the wild and not captive bred or handfed. A large portion of this book deals with how to acclimate and taim a wild or unfriendly bird. Furthermore this book is not a good companion for the Conure owner looking to find information on a particular species. Many of the species covered in this book are not even avalible as pets or to be imported into the U.S. When I finally came to the section on the bird I was interested in purchasing all I found were the physical characteristics with nothing about its general temperment as a pet. This was hardly helpful as I knew exactly what the bird looked like but little else. Another topic of no use to me was the detailed information on the breeding of Conures. I am looking for a better source of information and would not reccommend this book to the average pet owner.

No comments about More Stories Of Cats and the Lives They Touch.

No comments about All About Breeding Cockatiels.