The Chosen Puppy

by Carol Lea Benjamin

When you adopt a shelter puppy, you acquire a loving companion and save a life at the same time. When enough dog lovers do the same, they create at least a partial solution to the pet overpopulation problem in the United States today. It staggers the mind to learn that over seven million dogs are received by shelters in this country annually. Of this figure, far too many are puppies, and for most the future is neither bright nor long. Mainly, this vast glut of surplus puppies happened because someone didn't care--about neutering or using a leash or closing gates or even about the quality of life for all living things. In The Chosen Puppy, author Carol Lea Benjamin offers a better understanding of the shelter puppy, why its needs are so special and what you must do to be sure the Chosen Puppy of your choice grows up well adjusted and happy. Here's how to temperament-test and select the right puppy for you; and here's how to train your Chosen Puppy and care for it, providing all the creature comforts it never may have had and the love it craves so much from those it comes to depend on. Ms. Benjamin understands all aspects of pet overpopulation and how to best help its most innocent victims. She tells why neutering is the hope of the future to curb and curtail a population explosion that never should have happened in the first place. Think of The Chosen Puppy as your guidebook through your shelter puppy's most important formative period and as a passport to the lifetime of joys awaiting you both.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 1990

About the author

A noted dog trainer and former detective, Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of books on canine behavior and training as well as the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery series. She has been honored by the International Association of Canine Professionals with her election to their Hall of Fame. Ms. Benjamin lives in Greenwich Village with her husband and their dogs.

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the title, you can probably guess what we are planning. Having been a lifelong cat person, I could probably write my own book on cat care, but I know next to nothing about dogs. The flurry of dog and puppy books I intend to read between now and the big day will be my crash course.

That said, this was a decent and informative little book about canine care. It's probably too elementary for experienced dog people, but anything that's more advanced than "The Poky Little Puppy" will be educational for me. I do wish the author would have hired a professional illustrator to depict various aspects of puppy training. Instead, she drew the pictures herself. As such, they look like doodles out of a 5th grader's notebook and are not very helpful.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and straightforward guide with a touch of whimsy. It was a great and informative read.