Champion of My HeartA real-time memoir about life with a fearful border collie, by Roxanne Hawn

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Why is a Dog Mom like me reviewing a book about pregnancy and babies? Well, The Business of Baby: What Doctors Don’t Tell You, What Corporations Try to Sell You, and How to Put Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Before Their Bottom Line by Jennifer Margulis is more relevant to the health decisions we make for our dogs than you might think. It’s critical reading for anyone planning to have children (or anyone who loves someone who will). And, yes, it’s written by one of my brilliant friends. I offered to help spread the word as a favor. Read the rest of this entry »

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By now, you’ve likely read several book reviews of Pukka’s Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs by Ted Kerasote. I’m a little late to the party. It took me a while to read the book (a) because it’s long and (b) because I’ve been busy taking care of Lilly, after her latest setback (antibiotic-resistant infection and sudden inability to walk / stand). Below, I hope you’ll find a uniquely Champion of My Heart look at Pukka’s Promise.

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Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell is a deeply researched trek around the world and into the minds and talents of creatures large and small. Beautifully rendered profiles of animal-intelligence researchers and their subjects make sometimes complicated topics accessible, thrilling, and fun.

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Set in Baltimore, with a cast of gritty characters, Murder in the Dog Park – Bad Girl. Good Cop. Bad Dog – a novella by Jill Yesko – provides a satisfying adventure with undertones of class struggles between the Haves and the Have Nots.

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Jimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog by Angelo Dirks and Leland Dirks is the latest novel from the duo who happen also to live here in Colorado. Full disclosure, we’ve become friends since Lilly and I reviewed their first book: Angelo’s Journey, which tells the fantastical backstory of a time when Angelo (a border collie) went missing. I loved that novella, and I adore this new book as well.

Jimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog opens with a tale of instant chemistry and unexpected love. Then, it becomes a heartfelt and surprisingly suspenseful mystery.

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On the surface, Following Atticus by Tom Ryan is the story of an overweight, independent, muckraking newspaper guy hiking a bunch of mountains in all seasons with his small schauzer — first just to do it, then the raise money for charity. Ultimately, however, it’s also the tale of seeking the kind of love, peace, and spiritual boost perhaps we didn’t find in childhood or elsewhere in life. I won’t mince words: Following Atticus is as close to perfect as a memoir (including a dog or not) gets.

Truly. Kudos to Tom Ryan … and Atticus

I loved Following Atticus not only for the man + dog relationship and the mountain adventures but also for the hilarious insights into small town politics from his newspaper days.

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I’d call Dog Trots Globe – To Paris & Provence  by Chula Wula D’Augue (a sheltie) as barked to Sheron Long  a “coffee table book,” except it’s too tiny for that. A diminutive travelogue with darling illustrations and lovely photography, Dog Trots Globe is a perky, quick read.

Not kidding. I read the entire book (160 pages) in about 20 minutes, including going online to watch a video extra, showing  thousands of sheep and goats bustling down the streets of Saint-Remy.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Summer reading recommendation! A Violet Season by Kathy Leonard Czepiel is a fantastic read. Set in the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York in the late 1800s, A Violet Season chronicles one growing season on a family-owned violet farm. Brothers embroiled in a long-standing feud change the course of (at least) one woman’s life forever.

A story of mothers and daughters, husbands and sons, A Violet Season delivers the perfect mix of historical detail, carefully crafted characters, and rich narrative. Heart-pounding at times, heartbreaking at others, A Violet Season’s imagery and undercurrent of societal unrest does justice to an earlier time and sheds light on the challenges we face today.

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Follow the Dog Home by Bob, Samantha, and Kevin Walsh, is an epic story that spans 17 dogs, 3 generations, and 70 years. It’s core message, with which I agree, is that dog lovers raise generations of dog lovers.

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Dog Photography for Dummies by Kim Rodgers and Sarah Sypniewski (Bark Pet Photography in Los Angeles) is perfect for dog lovers who have really good cameras at home or for those who want to volunteer or go pro in the dog photography world.

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What the Dog Ate is what I would call a midlife novel about a woman who reinvents her life and her career after a veterinarian pulls a pair of another woman’s underwear out of her Labrador Retriever’s tummy. Howz that for a premise?

Kudos to author Jackie Bouchard for a funny and fun summertime read.

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Nancy Kay, DVM and board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist, published a new book called Your Dog’s Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Veterinarian. Perhaps you already know Dr. Kay from her earlier book … Speaking for Spot.

If you’re looking to develop a better partnership with your dog’s veterinarian, we highly recommend this book for insights into how things are changing and what you can and cannot expect as an active, engaged veterinary client.

I learned something new. For example, Dr. Kay advises — in a section about what your veterinarian expects from YOU inside Your Dog’s Best Health– “Unless instructed otherwise, dog your best to bring your dog in with an empty stomach and a full bladder.”

The stomach thing I knew, but the bladder? I ALWAYS get my dogs to pee on verbal cue before we go inside. It’s less about me worrying they will make a mess, and more about me wanting them to feel comfortable (not in bladder distress).

What do you think about that? Full bladders?

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Taking a break from Lilly news to share info on this neat new cookbook from my colleague and friend Brette Sember. First, came The Parchment Paper Cookbook and now … The Muffin Tin Cookbook, which, I believe, provides recipes for many occasions. And, if you think it’s all or only about muffins, THINK AGAIN!

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Longtime syndicated columnist and dog writer Steve Dale recently published a new eBook through Tribune Media Services — Good Dog. Since I don’t have a Kindle, I’ve not had the chance to read it. However, when I asked Dale about the history of dog training — going back to before I was born — he shared some interesting insights.

You see, I knew that the dominance / punishment style of dog training that I loathe really took hold back in the 1960s. What I did NOT know is that positive reinforcement practitioners were also on the scene back then.

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Fellow Coloradoan (by way of California) Holli Pfau co-founded a nationally recognized program for animal-assisted therapy in hospitals. She shares her adventures, starting with Golden Retriever #1 Nikki in her new book Pure Gold.

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