Seattle Kennel Club and the Seattle Dog Show

By Pat Miller. Dogwise. $17.95.
 
Emotional baggage, psychological landmines and a package of unknowns are just a few of descriptive labels tagged to shelter dogs. 
 
All of these are deftly addressed in Miller’s sharply focused glimpse into the elongated history of second-chance dogs. Using vignettes for emphasis, the author cites fear, neglect and abuse in previous homes [...]

By Steve Duno. St. Martin’s Press. $24.99.
Ten seconds one way or another and this book would never have been written. And Seattle author Steve Duno would never have had 16 incredible years with at Rottweiler-German Shepherd he came to recognize as a dog of a lifetime.
That quick time split while driving in Northern California was [...]

By Dr. Stacy Fuchino. Wiley Publishing Inc., $19.99.
After finishing this insightful read, I envisioned the California veterinarian/author positioned at the intersection of Help Ave. and Hope Road directing oncoming traffic toward his busy hospital. 
Few practitioners embrace both Eastern and Western veterinary treatment methods as openly as Fuchino. Most are in one camp or another, and [...]

By Ptolemy Tompkins. Crown Publishers. $22.99.
From Eastern to Western culture and from a black bear to a feisty rabbit, Ptolemy Tompkins leaves no stone unturned in a quest to give new meaning to the spiritual role pets play in our everyday lives. In the process, he offers hope we may see them again in heaven [...]

By Michael Schaffer. Holt Paperbacks. $15.
Seasoned heavily with anecdotes, statistics and a vast array of experts’ opinions, “Nation” offers a unique lens on the diverse role of dogs in America’s economic landscape while grappling with the whys and wherefores.
A thorough primer in a business sense, it focuses on the psychological role the dog plays in [...]

Text by Xiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford, illustrations by Mauricio Anton. Columbia University Press. $22.95.
This incredible team tracks and showcases the paths of the predecessors of our domestic dog through 40 million years, carefully analyzing earlier studies while detailing the gritty effects of worldwide climate and terrain on the species.
Wang has spent the past [...]

“Saving Gracie” by Carol Bradley. Wiley Publishing, Inc. $21.99.
Powerful, insightful and compelling are just a few of the adjectives characterizing this emotional roller coaster ride inside the horrific world of American puppy mills.
The central figures are Gracie, a once beleaguered Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; owners of the filthy and over-run Mike-Mar Kennel in Pennsylvania; legal [...]

“A Dog For All Seasons,” by Patti Sherlock. Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press. $24.99.
I have never owned a border collie, but after grabbing Duncan’s leash and following his spirited lifestyle through four seasons, I have a new appreciation its tenderness, savvy and infectious enthusiasm. And plenty of respect for Patti Sherlock’s ability to weave special [...]

“Scent of the Missing,” by Susannah Charleson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $26. If you’ve ever seen search-and-rescue dogs at work, this inspiring narrative will leave you with a new- sense of awe of their incredible teamwork and trust. “Scent of the Missing” takes you to a thick, brushy field, a remote lake, beneath layers of fallen concrete and a [...]

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 [...]