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The dogonfunny Book Review Corner
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| Books about animals can be heart-warming, funny, bittersweet, and eye-opening. The books we would like to recommend to our readers are those that we feel include the very best of these qualities and more. If you love to read, and you love animals as well, read our recommendations and add your own by e-mailing us! Submit a Book Review! |
Found Dogs: Tales of Strays Who Landed on Their Feet
by: Elise Lufkin, Photographs by Diana Walker
This book is a wonderful and heart-warming collection of true stories about the profound effect that rescued dogs had on the people who adopted them. Though many of the animals were abused or negelected, the stories do not dwell on the sad details of their former lives. Instead, the focus is on how wonderful their lives became and how they changed the lives of their new families for the better. At the end of the book, there are some excellent suggestions for adopting an animal. Contrary to what some may believe, adopting an unwanted pet takes thoughtful planning and a real willingness to work with an animal that mat have many problems to overcome. Abused and negelcted animals can be difficult to train and they may need a long time to adjust to you and your family. There are also a list of organizations that you can contact, and suggested reading that can help with adoption and training. The photography is beautifully done, and 100% of the profits earned by the book's author are donated to animal charities! If you give someone this book as a gift, you will be giving to the animals as well! |
Second Chances: More Tales of Found Dogs
by: Elise Lufkin, Photographs by Diana Walker
This is the follow-up to the book reviewed above. As before, this book is filled with wonderful stories by people who have rescued dogs, but there are some interesting differences. One new feature is that there is information given, where appropriate, about organizations who train rescued dogs to help people, like the United States Customs Service! There is also information about organizations that provide assistance animals also used rescued dogs. A particularly interesting story is about Mike Lingenfelter, a business man who developed a devastating and life-threatening heart problem that caused him to have painful, frequent, and unpredictable angina attacks. The dog that he adopted unexpectedly, Dakota, turned out to be amazingly perceptive about Mike's condition and he was able to warn Mike when an attack was imminent, giving Mike time to get to a safe place and to take the drugs needed to hopefully prevent, or at least lessen the intensity of the attack. This gift allowed Mike to reclaim much of his independence. As for the wonderful people who find animals a forever home, there is a great story about an amazing dog named Ginny,and her kind and generous owner, Philip Gonzalez, who rescued her from a shelter at the urging of a friend who felt that he needed a pet to bring him out of a depression after becoming disabled as a result of a work-related accident. Almost immediately, Ginny displayed a love of cats by finding strays on the street that Philip eventually began to feed and care for. When he decided to get Ginny a cat of her own, the dog went with him to the shelter and "picked" a cat who was deaf! Several weeks later, Philip wanted a second cat, this time one who could hear, so Ginny chose an injured cat with a bad eye! She continued to be drawn to cats with all sorts of challenges and since then, she and he have rescued hundreds of cats. In addition, Philip's life has been completely transformed! The section at the end of the book that gives advice about adopting a pet has been expanded to help you hone in on the type of commitment that you are willing to make with tips to help you make a wise choice and to avoid a bad match that may mean a bad ending to your pet's story. As with her first book, Elise Lufkin donates 100% of her profits to animal welfare charities! |
The Angel by My Side
by: Mike Lingenfelter
The above review will give some insight into what this book is about: Mike Lingenfelter, a successful business man with a fast-paced and high-pressure life, developed a devastating and life-threatening heart problem that caused him to have painful, frequent, and unpredictable angina attacks. He became depressed and almost reclusive until he adopted Dakota, who unexpectedly turned out to be amazingly perceptive about Mike's condition. Dakota was able to warn Mike when an attack was imminent, giving Mike time to get to a safe place and to take the drugs needed to hopefully prevent, or at least lessen the intensity of the attack. This gift allowed Mike to reclaim much of his independence, but the story is far from over. Mike and Dakota turned their unique situation into opportunities to help others by visiting gravely ill hospital patients and by educating business owners and the community at large about the vital role of therapy and assistance animals and the rights that protect them. Mike was also instrumental in strengthening the laws that regulate guaranteed access to assistance dogs and their owners. When Dakota faced some of his own struggles, Mike was with him ever step of the way, providing the support and love that is unconditional between friends. This is a wonderful book!
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The Dog Who Rescues Cats
by: Philip Gonzalez and Leonore Fleischer
This book is about the amazing Ginny, mentioned in the review above entitled: Second Chances... After being an abused pup who needed rescuing herself, Ginny soon displayed her love of cats by finding needy strays on the street, who would then be cared for by her new owner, Philip Gonzalez. When Philip decided to adopt a shelter cat "for" Ginny, she picked a cat who was deaf! After Philip adopted several other special needs cats, he and Ginny became a rescue team, saving hundreds and perhaps thousands of cats, while continuing to care for dozens of feral cats on the streets of New York. To do this, Philip first traps the cat, takes it to the vet, gets it neutered and then, if he cannot place the cat, he returns it to the place where he found it. This practice is now being done by many rescue organizations who are so overrun by unwanted cats that they are making this hard choice to at least try to stop some of the rampant breeding that only exacerbates the problem. According to the Humane Society of the United States, one female cat and her offspring, allowed to reproduce unchecked, will produce 420,000 cats within seven years! This is a touching and inspirational book that demonstrates the powerful effect that one person and one dog can have on the fate of so many abandoned and neglected animals. |
Out of Harm's Way
by: Terri Crisp and Samantha Glen
This interesting and powerful book tells the incredible true story of a young woman, Terri Crisp, who was one of the earliest activists in the specialized field of animal rescue during natural or man-made disasters.
The recent disasters that we have all witnessed on TV in the past several years have brought to the fore the need to help animals as well as people when there is a reason to evacuate areas devastated by floods, hurricanes, wildfires, etc.
Terri first became involved in this unique aspect of disaster relief in 1983 when a small northern California community near her home was completely submerged by floodwaters. Besides learning the techniques needed in such emergency situations, Terri also learned that there were very few procedures in place to prepare for such emergencies in advance.
After this first powerful experience which allowed her to make a real difference in the lives of animals and the people who love them, Terri slowly became more and more involved in a crusade to rescue the victims that are all too often left behind. She also became an expert in the organization and implementation of disaster relief efforts as she traveled to emergency sites throughout the country. Terri worked in Alaska rescuing hundreds of animals that were effected by the Exxon-Valdez oil-spill.
Though this book was published in 1995, it is easy to find more information about Terri Crisp and the organization that she founded, Noah's Wish, online. Go to http://www.noahswish.org to read more about this inspiring woman and her continuing efforts to help animals who are in "harm's way". |
Please share your suggestions for inspiring, funny, and fascinating books about animals!
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