Book Reviews and Recommended Reading
'How To Speak Dog, Mastering The Art of
Dog-Human Communication'
by Stanley Coren, copyright 2000, First Fireside Edition
2001.
**** (Four stars)
This book is a must-have for those who REALLY want to learn
how dogs think, why they do the things they do, how body
language attributes to their learning and reactions, and
what different tones and gestures (from humans) mean to
them (the dogs).
Being a fairly easy-read, this interesting book is fun and
contains some very interesting stories and basic research
done in the field of canine intelligence.
I especially like the charts provided at the end of the
book, the "Visual Glossary" (SHOWING you the different
physical positions dogs exhibit during various situations)
and "A Doggish Phrasebook" (an easy-to-read glossary
of what certain barks, growls, whimpers/whines, ear, eye,
facial, tail, and body language signals mean). Stanley Coren
did extensive research for this book, and just seems to
make a lot of sense. It is a good start for anyone wanting
to really understand the thoughts and meaning behind canine
behaviors.
Negatives: Some chapters can be rather mundane, but overall
a very interesting book!
# # # #
'Pet First Aid'
by Bobbie Mammato, DVM, MPH copyright 1997,
by The AMerican Red Cross and The Humane Society of the
United States Staywell, A Times Mirror Company.
**** Four and a
half Stars!
Although this book is provided
when one takes the Pet CPR and First Aid Course, it is also
available for anyone to purchase. It is an excellent guide
for many animal ailments and emergency situations.
It encourages owners to know their animal's bodies (example:
resting heart rate, normal temperature) so as to know if
they are sick, or "off." Along this line, they
provide an "Emergency Information and Immunizations"
Chart(s) at the end for eay record-keeping.
It is easy to read, and covers a tremendous amount of information
in its entirety (97 pages of reading). It does have some
pictures to help guide the reader, and its format is simple.
I liked that the author gives advice to the owner in hopes
that the owner can solve some minor health issues themselves,
and also the advice given regarding pet's safety and emergencies.
The American Red Cross is a known resource for health and
and safety operations, and with this name, creates trust
in the information given to the reader.
Let's face it, emergencies can occur, and everyone should
know what to do in order to perhaps safe a life.
This book should be on any
pet-owner's bookshelf!!!!
