Category: Dogs

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Book Reviews from Pawsome Reads

Allison

Catherine Smith is a pet owner, artist, and entrepreneur. She founded Muttleys, a fully-insured and professional First Aid Trainer, Dog Walker, and Pet Care Service provider based in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. She also started Pawsome Reads Book Club. This post carries reviews from her of two of the club’s featured reads. Maggie the Wunderdog follows the life to date of Maggie from her humble beginnings as a street dog in Beirut, through her journey of adversity to a loving forever home in the United Kingdom  with author of the book Kasey Carlin. I was a little apprehensive about … Continue reading Book Reviews from Pawsome Reads

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Review: Flawed Dogs by Barkley Breathed

Allison

Berkeley Breathed’s Flawed Dogs picture book is so good, it deserves to be framed. But don’t, because you’ll want to reread it until its pages are ragged and taped with adoration. In a “letter” from Breathed, we learn that Heidy Strudelberg became swept up with dog showing until meeting a three-legged dog named Sam the Lion. Minutes later, she retired to Piddleton, Vermont to transform a crumbling grain elevator in into the Last Chance Dog Pound. She also created a catalog for your consideration of the pound’s very available leftovers. The letter is in such small print that younger readers will probably … Continue reading Review: Flawed Dogs by Barkley Breathed

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Review: Don’t Dump the Dog by Randy Grimm

Allison

Don’t Dump the Dog offers practical advice for solving behavior problems of dogs, along with lots of laughs and a few tears. Randy Grimm is well-qualified to write this collection of stories and solutions, given that he’s devoted two decades of his life to rescuing street dogs and operates the well-known Stray Rescue in Missouri. As with the biography written about him by Melinda Roth, Don’t Dump the Dog will also make you at least a little mad. This opening chapter sets the stage for how the rest of the book is laid out, being hilarious in setup and style, practical … Continue reading Review: Don’t Dump the Dog by Randy Grimm

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Review: A Dog’s Way Home by Bobbi Pryon

Allison

When my signed hardcover copy of A Dog’s Way Home by Bobbie Pyron first arrived, I felt as if it were Christmas. In being about eleven-year-old Abby and her champion sheltie Tam after they’re separated by a car accident, it’s like a modern-day Lassie Come Home. However, A Dog’s Way Home also distinguishes itself from other classic lost dog stories by being told through alternating viewpoints. In this riveting tale of over 300 pages, Pyron treats readers to an intense love story with complex relationships and probing themes. What is so special about lost dog stories? At their heart is the bond of love … Continue reading Review: A Dog’s Way Home by Bobbi Pryon

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Review: Three Pet Books for Young People

Allison

Although I don’t review books for young people anymore, I still sometimes receive requests that I can’t resist. E-versions of the following three animal books were sent to me. I am not a Skunk by Ellen Pilch Harold and the Poopy Little Puppy by Ellen Crowe Chasing the Blue Sky by William Lowrey Each of these e-books is for a different age group and has a different focus. The quality of each also differs, but one captivated me enough that I asked for a print version. Chasing the Blue Sky by William Lowrey is the story of a Toby, a … Continue reading Review: Three Pet Books for Young People

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Review: A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron

Allison

A Dog’s Purpose follows the fictional account of a special dog. This best-selling novel changed author Bruce Cameron’s life, earning him the reputation of “the dog book guy”. Dogs will die and tears will fall. However, dogs will also be born. As for those tears, they’ll flow from both sadness and happiness. A Dog’s Purpose is a creative and moving tribute to man’s best friend. Let’s start with the fact that dogs will die and dogs will be born. A Dog’s Purpose tells the story of one dog who dies very early in the story but then starts his life … Continue reading Review: A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron

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Review: Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pryon

Allison

Based on a true story, Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pyron tells of five-year-old Ivan, a street kid in Russia who formed a close relationship with a pack of feral dogs. While this young adult novel is well-written and full of enough adventure to appeal to even the most reluctant reader, at about the halfway point, the heart-breaking events portrayed also became too much for me to bear. Dogs of Winter is a book I both love and hate. The symbiotic relationship between Ivan and the dogs is touching and beautiful. One cold day a large brown and black dog presses … Continue reading Review: Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pryon

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Review: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

Allison

I recently found myself talking to the book I was reading. It was the award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Initially, I merely pondered inwardly whether the main character was an accurate depiction of autism. However, as startling developments started to unfold, I began to rant outwardly to the characters about their choices, their beliefs, their actions. It’s been awhile since a book got under my skin like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Having first read the book many years ago, I elected to reread The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time when … Continue reading Review: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

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Review: Biscuit Storybook Collection by Alyssa Capucilli

Allison

Characters often sell a story. In this case, the winsome character is an adorable puppy named Biscuit. He yearns daily to please his young female owner. Sometimes that means trying over and over to learn to fetch a ball. Other times, it means pretending with his mistress that a kid pool and a sand box are the same as going to the beach. Another way that Biscuit makes himself endearing is that he doesn’t have a mean bone in his small body. He makes friends with kittens, bunnies, ducks, fish, and neighbors both near and far. When his young female … Continue reading Review: Biscuit Storybook Collection by Alyssa Capucilli

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Review: The Pye Books by Eleonor Estes

Allison

Eleanor Estes is well-recognized for writing memorable family stories, among them the Pye stories. With Ginger Pye and Pinky Pye, Estes adds pets and mysteries to the mix. Although her unhurried style may not appeal to all, I’ve come to treasure these innocent stories of a close-knit family in a small town. THE ANIMALS The Pye books appealed to me most of all the books by Estes due to their being about animals. In Ginger Pye, the family already has a pet cat. Gracie however belongs more to the mom than the children. For that reason, the idea of a … Continue reading Review: The Pye Books by Eleonor Estes

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How To Recognize Fear in Dogs and Cats

Allison

If you have ever owned or met an aggressive dog or cat, you’re not alone.The Humane Society of United States reports that there are two million dog bites annually, while the Insurance Information Institute says that liability claims related to dog bites and other dog-related injuries cost insurance companies $797 million in 2019. As for cats, Cornell University of Veterinarian Medicine reports that 27% of cats relinquished to shelters for behavioral reasons are surrendered for aggression, while Healthy Pets says that pet owners believe aggression is the number of one behavior issue for cats. In the first module of Dr. … Continue reading How To Recognize Fear in Dogs and Cats