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Posted on Aug 29, 2008 By Tanya Turgeon
by Louise Bernikow Da Capo Press, 224 pages, $14 Behind every productive woman writer, I am tempted to say, there is a great dog. Louise Bernikow proves her own point through Dreaming in Libro, a memoir of her experiences as a New York City urbanite, a somewhat rebellious woman, and a professional writer at the hands - or more appropriately, the paws - of a rescued Boxer. Aptly named for the Spanish word for book, Libro adds a new chapter to Bernikow's life, predictably changing it for the better. To dog-people, the distinct personality, life, and love that accompany Libro will be no surprise. The pleasure of the read comes in witnessing Bernikow's discovery of these doggie traits as a first-time pet owner. The succinct yet colorful accounts take us from Manhattan to California to Florida to the Hamptons, as Bernikow adjusts to life with dog. Libro's complete, lifelong adventures are covered as he travels via airplane to dog-friendly hotels, book signings, and television appearances. Yet the most poignant tales occur right in this dog's own backyard, with post-9/11 therapy-dog training and surviving the heat of a citywide blackout. By page 224, which arrives surprisingly quickly, one feels initiated into the cast of characters, which include a Spanish mailman, a Korean shop owner, an "aura-fluffer," and the late Jerry Orbach, whom Libro touched with his life. Alas, an ending is inevitable - but so is falling in love with Libro, the dog and the book.
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Posted on Aug 27, 2008 By Tanya Turgeon
by David Michaelis Harper, 672 pages, $34.95 Around 1950,with a few strokes of his pen, Charles M. Schulz gave birth to America's most beloved cartoon canine, Snoopy. Now, over 50 years later, David Michaelis draws us through the intimate details of Schulz's life, which ended in 2000. A certain highlight is Michaelis' integration of actual "Peanuts" comic strips throughout the biography. Their appearances remind us of the accessibility, longevity, and pure genius of Schulz's work. And, perhaps more importantly, they under score Michaelis's narrative by illustrating how thoroughly Schulz's personality and life experiences contributed to his art. As Michaelis concisely points out, "Schulz perceived that although we cannot possible know what a dog is thinking, the impulse of all dog owners is to imagine that we alone know what our dog is thinking, and the proudest of dog owners will often explicate with great subtlety what their sidekicks are now 'saying.'" With such accurate insight as a dog owner, Schulz proceeded to build an empire on verbalizing the sentiments of this beloved Beagle. Many of us will relate not only to the dog-lover in Schulz, but to his utter humanness, flaws included, that even monumental success couldn't seem to erase. Ironically, withone simple quote, it was the cartoonist himself who offered the most simple and effective advice for combating a bad day: "Happiness is a warm puppy."Snoopy fans, "Peanuts" fans, and Schulz fans alike shouldn'tn hesitate to dive right in.
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Posted on Aug 19, 2008 By Julia Szabo
Kennel Club Classics, 200 pages, $39.95 The Bully Breeds - a.k.a. the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, and Miniature Bull Terrier - are some of the most misunderstood, maligned dogs in the world. And yet, while many people fear them, these breeds do have their loyal fans. Now these diehard aficionados - as well as fans of the Boston Terrier - have a fabulous family album to share: this handsome, lavishly-illustrated volume, which combines history and appreciation with expert care and training advice. There's even a chapter on the Bully Breeds in art, guest-authored by FetchDog friend William Secord. Most important, the book emphasizes the astonishing loyalty that sets these dogs apart as what the author calls "the truest of canine comrades." More than perhaps any other kind of dog, the Bully Breeds will do anything their owners ask of them - and that to-a-fault loyalty is routinely exploited by criminals. In the wrong hands, Bullies will try to please their cruel masters by fighting other dogs; but when treated with love and compassion, they will return that love and compassion a hundredfold, bravely and selflessly performing search-and-rescue, narcotics detection, animal-assisted therapy, and many other invaluable contributions to their communities. What's more, to the delight of anyone who's ever been licked by a "kiss-bull" or laughed at (and with) one of these canine clowns, this book also describes the Bully Breeds' legendary affection and sense of humor. The description is accurate because it comes from the heart.
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Posted on Aug 14, 2008 By Julia Szabo
By Elise Lufkin The Lyons Press, 144 pages, $14.95 This gem of a book is a must for anyone who's ever considered dog adoption, or put off adopting again after the passing of a beloved pet. Too many dogs get lost in America, literally millions of them winding up dumped at animal shelters, on busy city streets, or by country roadsides. This book puts names and faces to some of the lucky ones that got what author Peter Mayle, who penned the book's sweet foreword, calls "a second bite out of life." The stories and photographs (by Time Magazine's esteemed Diana Walker) would be enough to make it a page-turner, but then there's the aforementioned foreword by Mayle (which alone is more than worth the cover price) plus a few celebrity appearances, by dog lovers Jamie Lee Curtis, Al Gore, and Bobby Short. Really, though, it's the dogs, not their owners, who are the starring celebrities in this book, as well they should be. These castoff canines - now proud family pets - remind us once more that dogs are amazingly resilient, with a remarkable will to live and love again, and again. Lucky are the humans who give them that chance, and are rewarded with dog years of happiness.
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Posted on Aug 12, 2008 By Julia Szabo
by Marisa Acocella Marchetto Knopf, 224 pages, $22 Marisa Acocella Marchetto is the brilliant cartoonist whose drawings appear in The New Yorker and Glamour, and whose blog postings appear in The Huffington Post. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she didn't take the news lying down. She got out her tape recorder, pen, and sketchpad, and got to work. When the going gets tough, the tough start drawing - and that's precisely what Marisa did, bravely using her own experience with this dreaded disease as material. The result is a unique, wonderful book that combines memoir and health-self-help in colorful, easy-to-read, funny-pages format. There are moments when you will cry, and moments when you'll laugh out loud (kind of like life). It's important to note Marisa's choice of title: she's not a cancer victim, but Cancer Vixen, a warrior in high-fashion high heels. So where's the dog, you ask? Although Marisa doesn't have a pet herself, two dogs figure in her story. One is her mom's teacup Yorkshire Terrier, Precious, who's a frequent guest at Marisa's bachelorette pad. The other dog shows up to save the day at a critical moment when some aggressive models hit on Silvano, the silver fox who's the amore of Marisa's vita. (It's one of the high points of the story, so I won't spoil the surprise.) This book is designed to feel intimate and personal, so please permit me an aside: One of the chemotherapy drugs Marisa takes, Cytoxan, was also administered to my dog Sam during his battle with cancer (read " Diary of a Dog with Cancer"). And I'm happy to report that, like Marisa, Sam is now cancer-free. By the way, Cancer Vixen has been optioned and will be a movie before long - starring actress Cate Blanchett in the title role.
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Posted on Aug 11, 2008 By Julia Szabo
by Merrill Markoe Villard, 288 pages, $13.95 In her old job as head writer for David Letterman, Merrill Markoe conceived Stupid Pet Tricks, which remains one of TV's most popular - and downright dog-centric! - recurring segments. These days, Markoe writes funny books. Her latest, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, echoes a famous line by fellow funny writer Robert Benchley, (“A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.”) and follows the romantic ups and downs of one Dawn Tarnauer. Dawn gets a big surprise one day when, discovering her boyfriend is leaving her for someone else, she finds herself crying her eyes out on the shoulder of Chuck, the Pit Bull mix she adopted from an animal shelter. Chuck tells his mistress, "I knew I should have done something sooner. I could smell her on his pants." He then proceeds to promise Dawn he'll use his "100% accurate judgment of people" to solve all of Dawn's problems. We should all be so lucky. Dawn isn't sure if loyal Chuck can actually talk or if she's merely lost her marbles. But we're certain of this: we're crazy about how Markoe tells their story.
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Posted on Aug 1, 2008 By Martha Garvey
by David Wroblewski
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle shines with a strange, uneven light. It flickers, but it never quite goes out.
The basics: Edgar, mute from birth, grows up in the 1970s in the remotest corner of Wisconsin, the only son of two master dog breeders/trainers, Gar and Trudy Sawtelle. The Sawtelle dogs are bred not for looks but for their superb intelligence. Savviest of them all is Almondine, who bonds with Edgar while he is still a baby, and becomes his closest companion.
Though Edgar is mute, he is neither deaf not mentally challenged. His use of signing to communicate actually connects him profoundly to the dogs. Author David Wroblewski, whose family bred dogs, ably captures the awe dog-loving humans feel around smart, beautiful dogs. Wroblewski has quite intentionally invented a breed of dog for this novel that seems as fierce as a German Shepherd and as intelligent as a Border Collie.
After an absolutely extraordinary beginning, however, Wroblewski begins forcing the plot into an unwieldy framework. When Gar's brother Claude appears, itching for a fight with Gar - and a close relationship with Trudy - the books becomes, quite intentionally, an update of a Shakespeare play. And it's not one of the comedies: It's Hamlet with dogs. Ghosts? Check. Poison? Check.
I happen to be a big fan of Shakespeare-inspired novels, but this book works least well when you sense Wroblewski straining to map the plot to the Hamlet template. Edgar, only 14, seems less like a prince of any realm than an impulsive, brilliant boy. Other characters, most especially Edgar's mother, Trudy, and the kindly vet Dr. Papineau sometimes appear to be puppets forced to play their Shakespearean parts.
The further this novel strays from the tragic template, the better. After a terrible accident, Edgar's desperate flight into the woods with three of his dogs - but without his beloved Almondine - produces an indelible adventure story, albeit an adventure that includes kitschy details like stealing SpaghettiOs and Cap'n Crunch from comfortable camp sites. Sadly, the author insists on loyalty to the Hamlet plot. Happily, with one exception, Wroblewski is kinder to dogs than he is to the humans in this story.
This remains a book worth reading if only for the joy Wroblewski clearly takes in the society of dogs. It is clear he is far less impressed with the humans in the dogs' midst.
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Posted on Jul 28, 2008 By Melissa Holbrook Pierson
 By Jay Kopelman Skyhorse Publishing, $23.95, 224 pages Available on Amazon.com In the news just last week, a combat veteran of our current war, diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, sought his own treatment, with drugs: he was found dead of an overdose. The war's wreckage of human lives is by no means confined to the streets and deserts of Iraq. This is part of Jay Kopelman's important message in this follow-up to his gripping From Baghdad, with Love. And so is the fact that dogs, too, can experience the terrible aftereffects of life-threatening stress. After detailing in his first book the often hair-raising, sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking story of defying General Order 1-A, Prohibited Activities for U.S. Department of Defense Personnel Present Within the United States Central Command AOR, Title 10, United States Code, Section 164(c) ... [etc.], against keeping pets while on active duty in a military zone, the author now catalogs the differences between the wounded and the walking wounded. As we're only beginning to find out, the casualties of the war in Iraq are extending, in fearsome waves, to our shores. Divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction, depression, and violence have followed these soldiers home. But when Lava, the winsome stray from the streets of Fallujah who made it against stacked odds to a new life in America, is injured in an accident here, all hell breaks loose for his owner, too. Kopelman realizes that both of them are suffering, in many of the same ways. And together the two of them must learn how to mend, from the inside out. In World War I it was known as shell shock. Now, we call it PTSD. Kopelman sees himself in his dog's sudden fears; perhaps his dog feels akin, too, to his person when he experiences sudden rage. "My advice to you is to live your life with all the gusto and pleasure of a dog. Specifically, my dog Lava." Kopelman learns many things, through necessity, when he returns from war. He learns from the letters of other soldiers who themselves were touched by the dogs they happened to meet in the battleground. He learns from the research he did into the psychic ailments of people who were made to do things that people never should do. He learns from his own foray into therapy, an act of bravery for a man who was taught (falsely) that it was not. And he learns - much - from a dog who teaches simply by quietly being there.
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Posted on Jul 22, 2008 By Elizabeth Edwardsen
 Sellers Publishing If you're like me and the sight of a dog sitting patiently in a car waiting for his owner to come and continue his ride brings a smile to your face, have I got a book for you. Maine photographer Marcie Jan Bronstein's i'll wait in the car: dogs along for the ride shows the enjoyment she gets from seeing dogs sitting in their cars. She artfully documents dozens of dogs large and small "beautifully engaged in an act most humans haven't the patience or attention to experience fully: the act of waiting," she writes in this lovely book's introduction. Each of the book's 56 hand-painted photographs (featuring a variety of dogs, from a poodle sitting erect in an old pickup to a Dalmation puppy standing on his rear legs to peer out the window) are accompanied by a few words. i'll wait in the car would make a great gift for a dog lover or yourself. Check out some of Bronstein's dog photographs at the FetchDog Gallery.
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Posted on Jul 21, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 Mountaineers Books, 237 pages, $16.95 Available on Amazon.com Too many hiking-with-dog books are general, vague, and one-trip-fits-all. Not this excellent series, which offers detailed guides to paw-friendly terrain in specific regions of the country. So if your idea of bliss is packing a dog or two into the car and hitting the road in search of happy trails for happy tails, these are the guidebooks for you. This title is compiled by Karen Chavez, a sports editor and outdoor recreation reporter at the Asheville Citizen-Times who lives with her Black Lab in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Chavez focuses on hikes located in and around Asheville, Winston-Salem, Piedmont, Uwharrie National Forest, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail - each more picturesque than the last. Wherever your car takes you, the trail-finder charts in this comprehensive series will help you select the exact hike you seek in the precise part of America you're in, or planning to be in. You'll even get considerate notes on trails appropriate for dogs of different ages and fitness levels. Also included are safety and good-manners tips you can use anywhere, such as dog first aid and proper trail etiquette for dogs and their fellow travelers. In all, no stone was left unturned by the editors and authors of these books - and that's great news for hikers on two and four legs.
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Posted on Jul 15, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 AMC, 214 pages, $18.95 This year, the Mobil Travel Guide is celebrating its golden anniversary, (1958-2008) and there's no better occasion for an appraisal of car travel with dogs than right now, when so many Americans are including beloved dogs in their road-trip plans. A lot has happened to the American landscape in 50 years, so to help you and your dog get the most out of your trip, this guidebook gives you the goods on 15 of the country's dog-friendliest travel destinations. The guide focuses on major cities renowned for their dog-friendliness: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Maine, (FetchDog's home base), San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Important data include the best pet-friendly lodgings and restaurants, plus maps featuring dog parks - so Spot can stretch his legs after a long drive, of course - and pet shops (just in case you forgot to pack enough dog food in your dog travel bowl). The book's well-designed cover features a blonde motorist steering a vintage convertible, with a grinning Weimaraner beside her in the passenger seat. Not that we're so superficial as to judge books by their covers or anything, but this one does happen to be easy enough on the eyes to look perfectly at home parked on a designer coffee table - so it's ready at a moment's notice for handy reference whenever wanderlust strikes.
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Posted on Jul 9, 2008 By Julia Szabo
by Mark Welsh
Warner Books, 144 pages
Available on Alibris.com
 The phenomenon of bling for dogs may arguably be laid at the pedicured paws of a magnificent mongrel named Sweetie, who transcended her humble origins as a stray to become a mutt model and Elle Magazine arbiter, and who counted among her devoted fans the columnist Liz Smith, the fashion designer Michael Kors, the actress Elizabeth Hurley, and the supermodel-cosmetics entrepreneur Iman. Sweetie has since passed away, but her luxe legend lives on in these pages. Nobody modeled a couture collar or designer dog bed like this fabulous, four-pawed fashionista. The proof is this book's whimsical drawings (by illustrator-to-the-stars Ruben Toledo) and collection of glamorous photographs
But the real draw is the text penned by Sweetie's besotted, beloved biographer, Mark Welsh, who does his girl proud by reading her racy thoughts and translating them into wisdom mere humans can understand. To wit: "The best way to get over a dog it to get under another one."
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Posted on Jul 7, 2008 By Martha Garvey
Wally's World: Life with Wally the Wonder Dog By Marsha Boulton Thomas Dunne Books, [ www.thomasdunnebooks.com ] 240 pages, $23.95 Available on Amazon.comThere are some dog memoirs that offer readers a retreat from the world, a kind of cozy, old-fashioned lullaby-in-print. And then there are the dog memoirs that are shot through with the awareness that Life Can Be Very Hard, even with an adorable dog. While Wally's World by Canadian author Marsha Boulton starts out as a Cozy Book, there are early signs that this may be the darker, more complicated kind of dog memoir. Marsha, a much-honored writer in her native Canada, was adopted in the 1950s, when your birth mother just vanished from your life, and your adoptive parents didn't talk about where you'd come from. Her mostly happy childhood also features an unusually high number of dogs who meet unfortunate ends. Marsha's life with Wally, a puckish Bull Terrier, begins after she falls in love with Stephen Williams, a dashing fellow journalist. Despite their cosmopolitan bent, the couple ends up on a farm, where the beasts, primarily sheep, multiply. Marsha becomes a beloved essayist, focusing on rural life. While Marsha acquires a number of dogs, including Og, Flora, Hank, Mingus, Sheltie and Diva, it is orange-brindled Wally the Bull Terrier who steals her heart. Wally is a member of the breed that spawned the Target dog and Spuds MacKenzie, whose motto seems to be, "If it isn't fun, it isn't worth doing." Jaunty Wally (named after the poet Wallace Stevens) even manages to have fun in a prison yard while Stephen interviews inmates. And during a dog show, Wally's natural charisma helps Marsha meet The King of all Bull Terriers, Rufus, who, five years later, would take Best in Show at Westminster.
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Posted on Jul 2, 2008 By Martha Garvey
 by Anne Moore; illustrated by Lucy Knisley
Handheld Press, 25 pages, $12.03
Are you a parent with a persistent child who begs for a dog, but you're not ready to commit? Then this book, aimed at young readers, may be for you and your kid.
Based on a true story, it introduces us to narrator Alex, an 8-year-old Chicago girl who dreams of the perfect dog. (Alex's mom is the author of this book.) When Alex was a baby, her family put up with Huck, a quintessential Cute Bad Dog with health problems and a loud bark. Since Huck passed away, everyone's a little jumpy about getting a new dog. Alex's mother dreams of a quiet dog. Alex's dad wants a dog who doesn't shed. Alex's brother Mason dreams of no dog at all.
But Alex will not be denied. While the drawings in this book, by the author's niece Lucy Knisley are simple and lovely, the road to getting a great dog is not. Adoption fairs and shelters and the Internet don't work out, thought the family does their best. Frustrated, Alex finally accepts Max, a tiny alligator, as a substitute. Max also proves a test of Alex's caretaking skills.
Two years pass. Finally, Alex and her family decide to visit a breeder of English Cocker Spaniels. After a thorough grilling by a responsible breeder, Alex's family is smitten by a small black male furball they name Cassady. Alex, by now a seasoned pet owner, doesn't just love Cassady to bits; she also trains him to stay, jump through hoops, and keep quiet. And Cassady loves Alex right back.
While this book has a happy ending - girl gets dog - along the way it illuminates a lot of the issues that come up when people considering adding a dog to the family. This book serves as a great teaching tool for parents, and a decent primer for kids interested in getting a dog. Plus, Cassady is Cute with a capital C. The playful illustrations by Knisley make this a fun book; the clear-eyed writing makes it a useful one.
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Posted on Jun 30, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 Bow Tie Press, 208 pages, $19.95 Available on Amazon.com June is Gay Pride Month, but this out-loud-and-proud book makes fun reading no matter what the time of year, or one's sexual orientation. The P.O.V. is certainly authentic: The author, a self-described "obsessive Show Tune Queen in therapy" and founder of the AIDS charity Cabaret For Life, Inc., lives with his partner and three dogs. The theme of the book is treating your canine companion like the major fabulous, unordinary, extraordinary best friend he is. That's a message that may be appreciated even by us straight dog lovers. Case in point: Dr. Marty Becker, Good Morning America's excellent resident veterinarian, who calls this book "Authoritative and touching." However, let it not be said that style isn't every bit as important as substance. Accordingly, the book's important message is delivered in a hardcover format that would look right at home on the swankest coffee table in the most beautifully-appointed decor, and it's lavishly illustrated with chic, full-color artwork by Jason O'Malley, whose work has been published in Vogue and Elle Decor. Major fabulous.
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Posted on Jun 25, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 Crown, 352 pages, $25 As you probably know, The Bark has been called "The New Yorker for dog lovers" by no less an authority than Time Magazine, and praised by The Washington Post for its "hip, literary" vibe. This is the magazine's second anthology, the first being the best-selling Dog is My Co-Pilot. In this collection of humorous pieces, there's something to tickle every funny bone, from the brightly witty to the darkly comic. Fans of the late, great Spy Magazine will be glad to revisit Ann Hodgman's "No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch," which still made me laugh out loud 19 years after its first publication, yet mysteriously didn't make it into Spy's own vaunted anthology. Also included are other people who write funny for a living: comic Margaret Cho and authors Merrill Markoe and Dave Barry. And sprinkled about are select strips by the mutt maven's favorite cartoonist, Patrick McDonnell, as well as "verbal cartoons," i.e. biscuit-size morsels of wisdom, called "Brevities" by Dan Liebert. A couple of FetchDog friends make appearances too. Melissa Holbrook Pierson, the noted author and blogger, contributes an amusing essay that perfectly captures the heart-pounding feeling of having a dog in your care suddenly break free of his leash - only to have your heart pound to a different beat when the dog is collared by someone famous. And Michael J. Rosen co-authors, with Mark Allen Svede, the crack-up corporate spoof "How You Can Help Your Dog Enjoy a Visit to the Vet." The book comes in handsome hardback form, with a lovely cover painting by illustrator Mark Ulriksen. In all, you can't go wrong getting a few copies to stockpile as gifts for friends and loved ones who could use a little laugh.
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Posted on Jun 20, 2008 By Elizabeth Edwardsen
 by Melissa Sweet Published by Houghton Mifflin Co. If you've ever adopted an animal and discovered that he or she fit in just right, you've discovered the magic of pet adoption. It's time to share it with your children, and there's no better introduction to the topic than the colorful, lyrical story Tupelo Rides the Rails by author and illustrator Melissa Sweet. Tupelo Rides the Rails is the story of Tupelo, a black and white dog who is yearning for a bit of adventure but also a place and a person to call his own. His yearnings take him on a trip that will enthrall kids listening in their parents' laps (this book is fun to read aloud) and those who can read to themselves as Tupelo's dog buddies find their homes, one by one. I won't spoil the ending here, but I will tell you not to worry, this is a children's book. And the award-winning Sweet (a New York Times pick for her last book, Carmine, a Little More Red) wouldn't leave your children or Tupelo in desperate straits. I will tell you that along with a sweet lesson about dog rescue, there's a more concrete one to be learned about Sirius the Dog Star (one I never knew) in Tupelo's pages. The story is wonderfully illustrated, with watercolors of Tupelo's gang of "Boneheads" as his dog gang calls themselves, a highlight. Parents and grandparents who have to read the same book over and over -- and over -- can grow tired of the same tale. Tupelo looks like a keeper to me.
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Posted on Jun 19, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Kristi Porter Fireside, 96 pages, $14.95 Who doesn't love a hand-knit sweater? The problem is finding the time and motivation to make one yourself. Happily, there are hand-made options you can buy at FetchDog. But if you've been feeling the urge to do it yourself, this book is just what you need to get jump-started. Books about knitting for dogs tend to cater to petite breeds, overlooking the big-boned canine. Not this book, which features a Rottweiler among its models and offers a range of pattern sizes, plus helpful how-to instructions on custom-fitting items to any dog, big or small. Particularly endearing are photographs of medium-to-large mixed-breeds proudly modeling hand-knit clothing designed and made expressly for them. These will appeal to the maverick mutt maven who prides herself on her dog's unique physique. This book also proves that sweaters, coats, and ponchos aren't the only items you can whip up - and yarn isn't the only material to knit with. The author is, after all, the hugely creative designer and author known for her contributions to Knitty and TV's "Knitty Gritty." How about do-it-yourself rope toys made of Poly Utility Cord? Or "Disco Dog" legwarmers (seriously adorable, its directions helpfully divided by foreleg and hind leg), saddlebags, hats, dog-bed covers, and squeaky toys (a fine way to reuse what's left after your industrious dog has subjected some other toy to a squeak-ectomy)? Or a "New Age Flea Collar" that you fill with dried herbs known for their pest-repellent properties? But my paws-down favorite is the chapter on "Feral Fair Isles." Talk about making a fashion statement!
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Posted on Jun 17, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Jean M. Fogle Howell Book House, 112 pages, $14.99 Available on Amazon.com If your summer workload prevents you from high-tailing it to the nearest beach as often as you'd like, there could be no greater escape than this charming book of photographs captioned with quotable quotes. What better word than fetching to describe the cover model, a French Bulldog with a light sprinkling of sand on his face? Or a Yellow Lab taking cover under an umbrella? How about a St. Bernard wading through the surf? There are Keeshonds sprinting, German Shepherds jumping, Border Collies catching flying discs, and Boxers doing what they do like nobody else: boxing. My favorite shot portrays a sweet Pit Bull gleefully rolling on her back in the sand, along with this quip from Colette: "You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." This book makes a great gift. It's a brilliant reminder that dogs have their heads on straight because they always prioritize play. To drive the point home, we get this George Bernard Shaw gem: "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." The author, a member of the esteemed Dog Writers Association of America, also has her head on straight: she dedicates this book to her husband "for finding the tenacious terrier who changed our lives" - Molly, the couple's Jack Russell.
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Posted on Jun 12, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Cooper Gillespie with recipes by Sally Sampson Simon & Schuster, 160 pages, $14.95 In case you've never heard of the noted cookbook author Cooper Gillespie, he's the alter ego of the noted non-fiction writer Susan Orlean. In actual fact, he is Orlean's Welsh Springer Spaniel. And this volume is his contribution to canine culinary contentment, for as the subtitle explains, the book consists of 50 Healthy, Canine Taste-Tested Recipes for Snacks, Meals, and Treats. The recipes are mouthwatering to read. How about Max's Hungarian Goulash, or Goldie's Meat Loaf Cupcakes? Make a meal of Mack and Cheese, or a snack of Paw-mesan Tail Twisters. I'd list more of the recipes if I weren't so hungry already! For those worried about feeding "human" food to dogs, Cooper's dog trainer Stacy Alldredge rightly dismisses those fears, explaining that a) it won't make them beg (as long as you don't feed them from your plate, but take care to give them their own bowl and make them "sit" for their supper) and b) it won't make them fat ("Just like people, dogs don't get fat unless they eat too much and don't get enough exercise," Alldredge points out. "Healthy, fresh meat and vegetables, when consumed in proper quantities, will not make Fido fat!") In between the recipes, readers are treated to charming photographs by Cami Johnson of Cooper and friends dining in, out, and around, plus judiciously-chosen quotations from various dog-loving personalities. My favorite is this Lonzo Idolswine gem: "My dog is usually pleased with what I do, because she is not infected with the concept of what I should be doing." Make even one of these recipes and your dog will be more than pleased - she'll be overjoyed. This book is good enough to eat. And you won't have to worry about leftovers, because the bowl will be licked clean.
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Posted on Jun 10, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Garth Stein Harper, 336 pages, $23.95 Here at FetchDog, we're all for books and movies that see things from a dog's eye view. Like many recent works of fiction (including A Dog About Town and The Labrador Pact), Garth Stein's new novel has a canine narrator who's a four-footed philosopher. He's a lab-terrier mix, his name is Enzo, and as he faces his own death, he dreams of returning to Earth - as a man. But what distinguishes this title from the pack is the fact that it's a bona fide literary phenomenon: its author reportedly got paid $1.2 million to write it, it's for sale at Starbucks, (which appears to be gaining on Oprah as a bookish force to be reckoned with), there's a web site and a video, and as of this posting it was ranked #46 on Amazon.com. The author credits two sources as his inspiration: the first was a Mongolian film called "State of Dogs," about the spirit of a deceased dog that wanders the Earth in search of his master; the second was hearing Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate, read his poem "The Revenant," which is also narrated by a dog. "It was a light-bulb moment," Stein says. "I knew I'd found my writing game plan." Which proves that watching movies, reading poetry, and just generally being a culture hound are worthwhile uses of one's time. Among many other K9 koans ("Sometimes we simply have to believe"; "Hands are the windows to a man's soul"), Enzo delivers this pearl of wisdom: "Beware the whimsy of fate. She is a mean bitch of a lab." Only in Stein's case, she proved to be the sweetest spaniel imaginable.
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Posted on Jun 5, 2008 By Zoe Lojical
by Vicki Hearne Skyhorse Publishing, 288 pages, $14.95 Available on Amazon.com I discovered this book while browsing animal training books in a long-ago bookstore on the ground floor of the World Trade Center. The book is still very much with me. I mean, there I was, looking for helpful hints on training my cat, who already knew how to "shake" paws with me (how cute!), and up turns this deft, book-long argument couched in classical rhetoric - on animal training. Who knew? So I bought the book and read it. Slowly. A book-long academic document about a (normally) non-academic subject, it is not your regular page-turner. The author, the late Vicki Hearne, was an academic and an animal trainer who integrated the two pursuits into one career and fervently believed in the partnership of human and domestic animal. In this passage, Hearne - an Airedale lover who became an outspoken advocate of the Pit Bull in print and on film - begins to parse philosophy, which she practiced at Yale and Stanford, and animal training: . . . . I would leave the university [in the afternoon] to work with a dog or so and any horses that had been left out of the morning schedule. Here, in the various training arenas, the discourse was radically different. It was, as I have said, anthropomorphic, "morally loaded," as it has always been in the great training manuals. By this I mean that implicit as well as explicit in the trainers' language is the notion that animals are capable not only of activities requiring "IQ" - a rather arid conception - but also of a complex and delicate (though not infallible) moral understanding that is so inextricably a function of their relationships with human beings that it may well be said to constitute those relationships. And here's her footnote, an academic device not common in books about pets: By "moral understanding" I mean that as far as a trainer is concerned a dog is perfectly capable of understanding that he ought not to pee on the bedpost even though he might want to. Characterizing the dog's own formulations of this understanding is a separate matter. To say what I've just said is, of course, to make a claim about the nature of moral understanding. Nothing cute here. And this is just the introduction. And yet this highly clausal and phrasal equivocating unfurls a seductive argument that, in the relationship between us and our animals, domestication is a two-way street. That animals, especially dogs, bring their own moral sense to our every domestic meeting with them subverts the more silly-ass notions some of us have about "pets." In staying at the level of "cute," we comfortably keep them as "poor dumb animals." What worlds of being did I leave out in so carefully, even lovingly, circumscribing my animals with the single term "pet"? I exaggerate only a little in claiming the argument of Adam's Task was as new to me as being attacked on a clear blue day would become. I'd wondered what kind of weird inter-species vibe led some animals in their wisdom to choose us, out of all the other species, to be domesticated with. Adam's Task demands we consider the obligation we take on by acquiescing to that choice. I've re-read the book and will circle back to it again in a year or two because there's real pleasure in reading writing as skilled as the thinking it explicates.
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Posted on Jun 2, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Cathy Scott Howell Book House, 256 pages, $19.99 Available on Amazon.com Along with untold devastation, the Hurricane Katrina tragedy of 2005 brought Americans a profound lesson in the importance of animal companions as valued family members. The stories in this book are heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time, and very much worth reading. The author traveled to the Gulf on assignment for Best Friends Magazine, visiting the temporary shelters operated by MuttShack, Animal Rescue New Orleans, and others. An experienced rescuer herself, Scott conducted amphibious reporting on the ground and in boats, so her book makes you feel like a firsthand witness to history, as animals are saved and the lucky ones get to be reunited with their people. Among the dogs who will leave pawprints on your heart are Himie, a Rottweiler found with a plastic bottle attached to his collar holding a note and his eye medication (he was reunited with his owner) and Red, a partially paralyzed pit bull who was hospitalized for months, fitted with wheels, then later adopted. So, why keep talking about the Katrina tragedy three years later? Because the animals still need our help. Animal shelters and rescue groups around the country that took in displaced pets desperately need adopters to step up and welcome those animals into permanent homes. After you've read this book, please consider adopting from your local animal shelter or rescue group - your contribution will help ease the continuing Katrina burden.
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Posted on May 29, 2008 By Martha Garvey
 By Bill Berloni and Jim Hanrahan; foreword by Bernadette Peters The Lyons Press, 240 pages, $16.95 Available on Amazon.com If you have seen the Broadway musical Legally Blonde, you may have been charmed by the show's two dogs: Elle Woods' feisty Chihuahua Bruiser, and the hairdresser's adorable bundle of bulldog. What you may not know is that those dogs' endearing performances are the result of the skilled and compassionate work of Bill Berloni, Broadway's go-to guy for animal training. After 30 years in the business, from dogs to birds to rats, from "Annie" to "Nick and Nora" to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," Berloni has finally written about his unusual career that bridges animal rescues and Broadway in this compelling book. The book begins and ends with the story of a girl and a dog, from Annie and Sandy, to Elle and Bruiser. At 19, Bill Berloni began his animal trainer career by stumbling into a job training the very first "Sandy" dog for the musical that was to become "Annie." At the time, Berloni was still a very young and ambitious actor when he lucked into this job. It becomes clear from his first story about rescuing the dog who would be Sandy from a depressing Connecticut pound, that Berloni's heart is as big as Madison Square Garden. Though he volunteered to train Sandy in order to get his actor's union card, Berloni inevitably discovers his true calling - rescuing animals from dire circumstances and turning them into stars. And Sandy becomes Berloni's best friend for life, starring with five different Annies over seven years (including a tween Sarah Jessica Parker), and becoming a furry advocate for shelter dogs. This book is a treat for animal lovers and theater fiends - if you are both (as I am), it cannot be beat. Backstage theatre gossip abounds. Berloni loves the world of the theater, but he sees it with a clear eye. As a "behind the scenes" guy, he generously praises the crew and stage managers who make the magic happen. However, Berloni has often had to fight for time, money and rehearsal space for his performers. Some gifted and well-known directors reveal themselves as none too bright when it comes to the time and attention required to truly train an animal. (Good guys include Jerry Mitchell, Susan Stroman, and Mike Nichols.) On the other hand, it is no surprise to learn that Bernadette Peters, who yearly co-sponsors Broadway Barks, a pet adoption fair on the Great White Way, is an animal lover. What is surprising to learn is that she is actually allergic to dogs - and that her tough-minded star power is the only reason Berloni and his staff got paid during a production of "Gypsy." If you relish rescue stories, be prepared to bring Kleenex. Berloni, collaborating with his brother-in-law Jim Hanrahan, is a natural dramatist. You'll hold your breath as Berloni rescues animals from some despicable situations, and then brings out the best in them despite serous obstacles. Berloni's training techniques, based on his own instinct and his innate compassion, fascinate. Read this book, and I guarantee, you will never see a white rat, a little lamb, or a pig the same way - and you'll come away with an increased respect for actors who must share the stage with animals. Most especially, you'll root for Chico, the ferocious, abused Chihuahua from Newark who has become the adorable mascot - and trademark - of "Legally Blonde." His recovery and rehab rival anything that's ever happened to Robert Downey Jr. - plus, he does eight shows a week!
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Posted on May 28, 2008 By Julia Szabo
 by Jana Kohl Fireside, 224 pages, $25.95 Available on Amazon.com Baby is a one-legged senior Poodle who suffered terribly during her years as a breeding bitch at a puppy mill. At age 9, Baby won the lottery: she got adopted by the author of this book, who got an idea: embark on a mission to educate dog lovers about the horrors of puppy mills, and to help end the cruel exploitation of millions of other Babys across the country and around the globe. Turning Baby into an ambassadog for puppy mill awareness, her new owner morphed into the ultimate stage mother, arranging to photograph her Baby with some very famous people. We see Baby doing yoga with Mariel Hemingway, enjoying red-carpet moments in the arms of Lindsay Lohan and Jane Fonda (with Gloria Steinem cheering her on in the background), sharing laughs with Eric Idle and Bill Maher, having a heart-to-heart with Montel Williams and a fashion moment with designer Todd Oldham. We also get to see the warm, fuzzy side of numerous political animals as they pause for face time with Baby; among the little dog's constituents are Senators Barack Obama, Edward Kennedy, Elizabeth Dole, and John Ensign. The best part of this book is the way it treats animal cruelty as equal in seriousness to child protection and other important social issues; noted children's advocate John Walsh makes an appearance to say "I believe in justice - for all." Hopefully everyone will read Baby's story and be inspired to spread the word that pet-shop puppies are the product of cruel puppy mills. Buying that "doggie in the window" is supporting the very system that abused and exploited Baby. Far better to take a stand by adopting from an animal shelter or rescue group.
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