Comments on: Nominate great animal books of 2008

By: Lori Magee

Lori Magee — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:24:30 +0000

There’s a new book for readers at any age level called “Nico and Lola,” a wonderful story about a boy and a dog.
This book teaches that anyone can learn kindness by spending time with their pets and also responsibility when you are asked to take care of them.

The author recently came to my son’s school and read the story to the class. I think I enjoyed it as much as the children did!

Beautiful photographs, great message - a must have for any bookshelf!

By: laurie schneider

laurie schneider — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:09:50 +0000

I hesitated to read “SAVED” by Karin Winegar & Judy Olausen because I am among the weakest at heart when it comes to animal suffering, but this book has a heartwarming end to each story, and inspired me to carry on my own personal good work to help our familiars. Great photos accompany each story, and there’s a mid section of nicely printed pictures as well.

By: sb1

sb1 — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:36:35 +0000

Pawprints of Katrina, Pets Saved and Lessons Learned by Cathy Scott. A great read, not emotionally manipulative but really moving.

By: Humane Mewsings

Humane Mewsings — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:38:04 +0000

I definitely recommend “Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World” by Vicki Myron. A truly fantastic book!

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:07:29 +0000

I vote for Edgar Sawtelle

While I too might not agree with the training methods of the time - things have changed! The chapter on Almondine was a full tissue box. It also was well written from a dogs perspective - how they felt, how they would make choices. How the pack structure works. How they enrich our lives. I thank the author for not making the dogs plastic and allowing them to have personality and feeling and a soul.

Katie

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:56:51 +0000

ps: as an owner of deerhounds, you ought to acquaint yourself with both Edward oif Norwich’s “Master of Game” and Gaston Phoebus Count of Foix “Le Livre de Chasse”, if you’ve not done so. For any sighthound or mastiff type owner, it’s grand to see the dog owning continuity going back 700 years.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:53:17 +0000

Christie…go find a copy of “The Master of Game” by Edward of Norwich, Duke of York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.....ke_of_York

I don’t remember if he was houndsman to Richard the II or Henry the 4th or either, as he was able to play both ends against the middle during that bit of English history. Anyway, not only did he translate Gaston Phoebus into English with his own notes added,thus making book history, but he managed to survive the first onslaught of the Lancastrians and Yorkists lines and died at Agincourt.

By: Christie Keith

Christie Keith — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:45:06 +0000

Not even The Duke of York in the dim, dark Middle Ages advocated keeping puppies with their dams past what we would consider 8-12 weeks, and that was back about 1410.

Er…. huh?

I admit I haven’t read Edward Sawtelle and have no idea how your comment relates to the book, but I strongly advocate keeping puppies with their dams until 12 weeks at a minimum, and nearly always kept them far, far beyond that, even for their entire lives.

We have an absolute epidemic of early weaning among dog breeders in this country — I think it’s very harmful. And if dog breeders do their jobs socializing and training their puppies, instead of just throwing them out in the yard to grow up any old way they can, there is nothing but benefit to keeping them with their dams and littermates indefinitely or lifelong.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:41:42 +0000

I think it’s very difficult for us as a species not be anthropomorphic about canids, as we have more similarities IMHO than we do differences.
Most of my life, anthropomorphism about dogs was castigated by ‘scientists in the know’, and that the observations made of the species’ similarities by ‘amateurs’ was thus not valid. Anthropomorphism was viewed as “bad” because it was an emotional response clouding the purity of Science. However, studies from the 1990s onward have reinforced there is scientific basis for that anthropomorphism, and while not apes, there is much common ground between a human familial group and a canid one.
So anthropomorphism for me is not a valid enough reason to dis or rave “Edgar Sawtelle”. I was hoping for a good read of both mystery and dog fiction, was disappointed in the latter, and don’t think it ought to be included in the best of 2008 list. Not even The Duke of York in the dim, dark Middle Ages advocated keeping puppies with their dams past what we would consider 8-12 weeks, and that was back about 1410.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:09:50 +0000

I think that if we didn’t anthropomorphize our dogs at all, hardly anyone would keep dogs as pets. I don’t know this particular book (it kind of sounds horrid) but I’m not sure any dog stories would be written without anthropomorphization (is that still a word?)think Homeward Bound, Call of the Wild, etc.