The Real Pet Detective: True Tales of Pets Lost and Found

by Tom Watkins

"'Okay listen up everyone,' I said, zipping up my high visibility jacket. ' It will be most effective to comb the local area by taking a village each.' I told my team as I traced my finger across the map. My experience as a former copper was invaluable for our search. We weren't looking for a missing person though - we had a dog to find." Any pet owner knows the agonizing panic when their beloved furry family member goes missing, but Tom Watkins, former policeman turned pet detective, is on hand to reunite our animal companions with their owners. From recording the owner's voice to lure cats from their hiding place, to organizing a fly-over to raise the profile of missing Toby the terrier, from emptying the contents of the owner's vacuum to tempt in the missing animal with the scent, to organizing a Crimewatch-style reconstruction of a dog-snatching on national TV, Tom will do whatever it takes to get the nation's pets home, safe and sound. The Real Pet Detective is the story of 20 years of missing pets, their owners and Tom's team of expert pet investigators.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published April 6, 2017

Reviews

[Triinu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/...

[Irina (Lohe Loeb) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lemmikuks osutus selles raamatus kass, kelle nimeks Juht Mjao. Mulle meeldivad huvitavate nimedega lemmikloomad ja see kass tundus küll oma nime väärt olevat. Juba selle peatüki avalause tõdes seda: "Kui kassile pannakse nimi Hiina kommunistliku liidri järgi, siis on selge, et see ei tõota muretut elu." Paraku on see ka üks väheseid asju, mis mulle selles raamatus meeldis.

Autor tundub äärmiselt enesekesksena. See häiris mind kohutavalt. Mina, mina, mina.... Tundus, et tegu on rohkem mehe firma reklaamiga, ja vähem lugudega kadunud ja leitud loomadest. Alguses oli üsna raske kohaneda ka lemmikloomade otsimise endaga - kui ei teaks, et otsitakse loomi, siis tunduks see kõik mõne kadunud inimese otsinguna. Mul on kass, aga ma ei ole väga kindel, kas ma palkaks eraldi otsingumeeskonna, kui ta kaotsi peaks minema. Kui olin laps, siis paar korda kassid ikka läksid hulkuma, aga saime ilma lemmikloomadetektiivita nad tagasi.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great sounding service the author offers! I admired his sea change and gumption. From police officer to pet detective, and starting up his own grassroots level business. His confidence, tenacity and leadership skills certainly shone through in the telling of his various cases over the years. He also includes information on what equipment and techniques he uses, how he approaches individual cases, and outsourcing services he employs.
There are some unsolved cases that he describes but they are balanced out by the success stories. Oh, and there are some full colour photos in the book.
The main downside of the book for me, was the abundant vernacular employed. I understood some of it but l'd imagine anyone out of the British Isles or Commonwealth might be perplexed at some of the terms and phrases used.

[Juuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma ei kahetse, et raamatut lugesin ja tegelikult on mul hea meel, et sellist teenust pakutakse. Soovitan raamatut neile, kes armastavad loomi ja soovivad lemmikloomadetektiivi ametist rohkem teada saada.
Pikemalt kirjutasin blogis.

[Toomas Nipernaadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seda raamatut lugedes minu sisemine laps mossitas. Mulle nimelt väga meeldisid loomaraamatud, aga eeldasin, et loomad on neis lugudes peategelased, nagu Valgekihv või Ernest Seton-Thompsoni loomajuttude kangelased. Tom Watkins aga kirjutab põhiliselt oma detektiivifirma loomisest ning erilise armastusega kirjeldab ta töövahendeid. Lisaks tundus vahepeal, et iga uus tööle palgatu tuli nimepidi ära mainida - kohe kujutasin ette, kuidas muidu peale raamatu ilmumist autoril nööbist kinni võetakse ja nõutakse selgitust, miks boss oma kaastöölised ja vabatahtlikud mainimata on jätnud :)

Kuna aga loen mõnuga ka mälestusteraamatuid, siis peale oma ekslike ootustega rahu tegemist nautisin lugemist ja soovitan lugejatele, kellele pakub huvi väikefirma loomise väljakutsetest ja kadunud lemmikloomade otsingutest rohkem teada saada.

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable new book about the first Pet Detective in the UK and some of his earlier and more unusual cases. They don't all end happily, unfortunately, but this is a great book and I am beyond thrilled that there is actually someone (actually a team of someones) who loves animals to this extent, who has worked so hard and has dedicated himself to returning lost pets to their people using any means possible.

The only reason for the length of time it took me to read is the fact that I've been finding it difficult to engage with my reading lately. It's a good read, one that will easily fill a weekend.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Real Pet Detective, the story of how one man started the company Pet Search UK from one incident. Tom narrates his story with humour and incredible detail. Not all rescues end happily but they are dealt with empathetically. As a result he has many grateful pet owners thankful for his foresight and vision. A compelling read.

[Martin Tranter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Nice little anecdotes for the pet friendly.

[Sonia Bellhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and relatable .This is how one man began g his career as a pet detective and the expertise he learned along the way.

[Atlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny stories, bite sized reading chunks.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and happy book to read. Makes you feel uplifted. Thank you To Tom who is one of a kind who loves animals as much as me.