Active Canines

Cure for Depression

Not news for dog owners, but it's hard to stay depressed when someone depends on you not only for food and shelter, but emotional support and guidance. Although under a doctor's care, Bruce Goldstein was very close to suicide before adopting a puppy.

Amazon.com: Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac: The True Story of a Man and the Dog Who Saved His Life, by Bruce Goldstein

Then came Ozzy, a Labrador pup who leads Bruce toward recovery through complete, canine dependence. From the depths of his despair to a life remade, Bruce shows how learning to care for, train, and love the hilariously loyal Ozzy provided him with the structure and focus he needed to heal.

Playing Safely Off-Leash

Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety & Fun has been written by Robin Bennett and Susan Briggs. Briggs, who is co-owner of a doggie daycare facility in Houston (Urban Tails), says that in order for your dog play safely in a group with other dogs, you have to learn to read dogs' body language. Says Gail Fisher, owner of All Dogs Gym in Manchester, NH: This book is filled with what [doggie daycare operators] have learned over the years, presented in a clear-cut, easy to reference format. It is a must read for anyone who runs a doggie daycare, is thinking about opening one, for dog owners who want to know what their daycare operator should know, or who take their dogs to a public dog park.

Five Best Books about Dog Behavior

Wall Street Journal: Five Best. 2007-Dec-8, by Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, the author of several books on dogs, including Why Does My Dog Act That Way? (Free Press), just out in paperback.

These works about dogs are a treat, says Coren:

• For the Love of a Dog By Patricia B. McConnell
• If Only They Could Speak By Nicholas H. Dodman
• If Dogs Could Talk By Vilmos Csányi
• Bones Would Rain From the Sky By Suzanne Clothier
• Always Faithful By William Putney

Dogs Unleashed in new Book

Lisa Wogan has just published Unleashed, full of pictures and stories of dogs love to that play hard. Lisa is a contributing editor to Bark magazine, a lifestyle magazine about modern dog culture. A reviewer at Amazon said "Lisa's ability to tell the unique stories about the dogs featured in this book are what makes it a must buy! Her love for man's best friend and the excitement over the human-canine bond are obvious in the way the stories are written." Lisa says, "In short profiles and color photos, I celebrate more than 30 canine pals who climb, kayak, windsurf, innertube, climb, and on and on. These amazing pups—and many like them around the country—prod us to run a little faster, hike a little farther, and play a little wilder—and we are all the better for it."

Read Katz's Dog Days

No one understands living with an active dog better than writer Jon Katz (A Good Dog), and he has a new book out this summer. NPR: True Stories to Dive Into This Summer. 2007-Jun-25, by Maureen Corrigan: Toss a lifetime award of three liver snaps to Jon Katz, whose many books about dogs have always been enlightening and sane and have underscored the profound truth that dogs, no matter how much we love them, are not furry children. Katz's latest book is called Dog Days, and it's a chronicle — sometimes comic, sometimes mournful — about his life on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York...

Get a Clue from Your Dog

This book has provoked a lot of comment from professional dog trainers and handlers. They don't always agree with the author's explanations of dog behavior, but they are completely bowled over by the wealth and accuracy of her observations. Find out what how you can read the movements, gestures, and expressions of your dog and improve your relationship.

Amazon.com: Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog, 2006, by Brenda Aloff

Dogs in History

Many famous figures of history had a dog in their life who supported them. This book would make a great father's day gift.

Simon & Schuster: The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events.

The Pawprints of History shines a new light on a favorite subject -- the relationship between humans and their four-legged best friends. Stanley Coren, a renowned expert on dog-human interactions, has combed the annals of history and found captivating stories of how dogs have lent a helping paw and influenced the actions, decisions, and fates of well-known figures from every era and throughout the world. As history's great figures strut across the stage, Coren guides us from the wings, adoringly picking out the canine cameos and giving every dog of distinction its day.

Books, Groups Help with Loss

When a pet dies, people often have trouble sharing their grief with co-workers, and sometimes even family members. Veterinarians have become sensitive to the challenges of adapting after the loss of a pet and often point people to local support groups. Online support groups, books and web sites may also help.

Houston Chronicle: Support groups soothe loss of man's best friend. 2007-May-14, by Salatheia Bryant

Twenty years ago, when Wallace Sife's dog died, there was no one to help him deal with the grief. A trained psychologist, he says he wanted someone who could talk about it without theorizing. He wrote a book called The Loss of a Pet. He also formed the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, which offers four online chatrooms to those whose companions have died and another for owners whose pets are near death. In the last 10 years, he says, more than 24,000 have participated in the chats.