The Good, the Bad, and the Furry
Posted by Lizz on 11/29/2007
Categories: Read All About It
Have you read the book “the Good, the Bad, and the Furry“? This survey of dog breeds, written by Sam Stall, is full of fact, humor, and realistic advice about common traits of dogs. Just read for yourself a section of the entry for Scottish Terrier:
Headaches and Hassles: Scotties love to dig, so don’t leave one alone in your backyard unless you’d like it to install a root cellar. They also require professional grooming. Because this breed is quite active, it relishes regular walks. A sedentary Scottie is a bored Scottie. And a bored Scottie may amuse itself by taste-testing interior furnishings….
This book keeps you interested in learning about every breed, even the ones you could never imagine having in your home. Stall gives rational advice on everything, from energy level and disposition to physical traits and genetic health problems. The truth about whether a dog will or will not fit into your lifestyle is the basic premise of “The Good, the Bad, and the Furry”.
Be sure to get this book for *anyone* you know who is interested in bringing a new dog home. ‘Tis the season when people consider adding to their furry families. Do your homework first, you’ll be glad you did.
(*If you know several people who need to learn more about dog breed traits before they choose a new dog, Amazon is selling this book in packs of 8 copies. Perfect gifts for your dog’s friends?)
Yankee Terriers: They Don’t Belong in the Pits, Why Call Them Pit Bulls?
Posted by Lizz on 09/14/2007
Categories: Read All About It
The image here came from The Book of Dogs by James Gilchrist Lawson, published in 1935. Notice in the text it says that dog fighting was out of style 72 years ago. I challenge you to make a positive change for all of the bully breed/mixed breed dogs. Call them Yankee Terriers. Why do we call them Pit Bulls when we don’t want them in the pits? Get into the spirit of being proud of all the good bully dogs you know and call them Yankee Terriers. Change the name, and you might just see the bad reputation disappear.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Posted by Lizz on 05/25/2007
Categories: Read All About It
The Mythbusters covered this issue in episode #74 last March.
Ask Yahoo.com tried to dispel the old dog myth in a single webpage.
Veterinarian, David Taylor, on the other hand, wrote a whole book on the subject entitled: Old Dog, New Tricks. The book was thorough on discussing canine behavior and training with the senior adoptee dog in mind.
Taylor covers the basics about training with rewards and tells readers that old dogs will learn if you have lots of patience and the wherewithal to never use punishment because it is ineffective and can do more harm than good. There is a fair amount of information on signs your older dog may be having medical problems instead of behavioral issues. Taylor gives a nice overview of how to handle specific issues like fearful dogs, aggressive dogs (including the different types of aggression), destructive dogs, and our personal non-favorite: house soiling dogs.
All in all, you might get a good deal out of this book if you are about to adopt an older dog or want to understand more about canine behavior.
Click on the image for the Amazon webpage link.
Home Schooling: Newsletters about Pets
Posted by Lizz on 05/23/2007
Categories: Read All About It
It is always a treat to get the next issue of Your Dog in the mailbox each month. The newsletter published by Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine has some good information, the level-headed and common sense kind of stuff that we all need to read now and again.
If you are a Cornell University fan, check out their newsletters that come in both dog and cat size: DogWatch and CatWatch.
Out of all three newsletters, CatWatch has the best webpage. You are not able to get much information from either of the dog-oriented publications unless you sign up for delivery.
Check them out for some home schooling. These are reputable resources for pet health information. The same goes for the veterinary school webpages for Tufts and Cornell.
Do you have another tried and true resource for pet information? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Best New Yorker Ever?
Posted by Lizz on 02/05/2007
Categories: Read All About It
From February 5, 2007.
Book Review: The Pawprints of History
Posted by Lizz on 02/01/2007
Categories: Read All About It
The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events by Stanley Coren is a collection of historically-based stories centered around the lives of some of history’s most famous people’s dogs.
Coren does a commendable job as dog-historian because his research involved picking through the side notes in papers and personal correspondence between family members and friends of his subjects to find all of the dog-related information for his book. As you can imagine, dogs have not been the main subjects in writing for much of history.
The Pawprints of History tells the tales of Napoleon Bonaparte and his deep dislike of dogs, and the mastiffs used as weapons against Native Americans in pre-colonial times. Coren also touches on the idea of dogs as artistic muses, in the cases of Richard Wagner and Sir Walter Scott, and as inspirations for innovation for men of science such as Alexander Graham Bell and Sigmund Freud.
With chapters about the canine residents of the White House and the beginnings of modern animal welfare, there is something for most history buffs. Although Coren sometimes reaches far to hypothesize the ways dogs have put their pawprints on the course of history, The Pawprints of History is a collection of stories is a fun and easy read for anyone that enjoys a canine companion.