Seattle Kennel Club and the Seattle Dog Show

By Dr. Nick Trout. Broadway Books. $23.99.
For more than three years, I have been searching for closure following the sudden and unexpected death of my Hurricane Katrina rescue Abbe, a corgi/sheltie.
“Love is the Best Medicine” was the perfect prescription. And this passionate volume may likely be the same for others still faced with that same [...]

The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation with Gerri Hirshey. Viking. $25.95.
This inspiring narrative captures the resilient, can-do spirit of not only a premier guide-dog organization but its dogs, staff and recipients.
Initially, I thought it would be just another volume about the ins and outs of a guide-dog program.  Wow, was I wrong.
It would be impossible for any [...]

 By Jordan Taylor. Reel Dogs Press. $19.95.
 Granted, this well-researched, engaging gem is designed for a niche audience of film buffs and German shepherd fans, but rest assured, its vivid snapshots have general readership appeal, too.  
 Taylor, a Western Washington writer, begins this chronological by-decade work in 1921 with Strongheart (“Silent Call) and puts a wrap on [...]

By Jane Miller.  New Page Books. $16.99.
Add another abbreviation to your doggy dictionary: PSD (Psychiatric Service Dog).
The versatility of the species has long been recognized from its service accomplishments, but little has been documented about its psychiatric prowess before Miller’s stirring work.
A Northeast Ohio professional, Miller practices as a psychotherapist/clinical social worker with her animal-assisted [...]

By Anne Rogers Clark. Dogwise Publishing. $29.95.
This isn’t a new offering, but it’s the perfect one for putting you in the mood for the big Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Feb. 15-16 on USA Network and the Seattle Kennel Club Dog Shows March 13-14 at Qwest Field Event Center.
“Annie on Dogs!” is an assemblage of [...]

By Wendy Diamond. Ballantine Books.  $25.
If you like glitz and own a Velcro dog, then you’ll enjoy this chatty, self-absorbed read.
Diamond, the founder and executive editor of Animal Fair magazine who coined term “pet lifestyle,” talks diet, party, makeover, fashion and travel in this powdery , yet passionate, chic guide.
Diamond’s advice varies from flooring to [...]

By Bradley Trevor Greive. Photographs by Rachel Hale. Andrews McMeel Publishing. $19.99.

The title says it all here. If you’re a dog fancier, you’ll love it. But cat fans will find this, well, uh, disgusting, clueless, upsetting, repugnant, or you fill in the blanks.
Greive’s text and Hale’s superb photos complement each other beautifully throughout this treatise [...]

By Dr. Nancy Kay. Trafalgar Square Books. $19.95.

Special note: To this point, the books I have reviewed on this web site have been published within a month or two of being reviewed. I was first made aware of this incredible work recently by Dogwise Publishing (Wenatchee) staffers. After finishing it, I rank it as [...]

by Jeff Schettler. Alpine Publications. $12.95.
Looking for adventure? Then grab a copy of this brisk-moving, 243-page portrait of a guy and his dog. This isn’t just any guy or any dog. One’s a dedicated cop and the other is his incredible K9 partner Ronin, a bloodhound.
Schettler richly details all facets of each case and leaves [...]

Second edition, by Jean Donaldson. Dogwise Publishing. $14.95.
If you own a problem dog or know someone who does, “Dear Jean” is here to help.
This deft presentation and laser-like focus of each subject is both fascinating and spot on. It should be, for the resourceful Donaldson, founder and director of the San Francisco SPCA Academy for [...]