Dogs with Jobs: Inspirational Tales of the World's Hardest Working Dogs

by Laura Greaves

Discover the true stories of some of the world's incredible working dogs, and the extraordinary jobs they undertake. Meet Molly, the diabetes alert dog whose round-the-clock job is to keep her two young owners healthy; Bailey, the Assistant Director of Seagulls whose job is to keep the pesky birds away from the heritage vessels at the Australian National Maritime Museum and Daisy, the Collie mix who is a full-time guide dog to another blind dog. From inspirational moments of bravery in service, to tales of dogs doing the jobs that no one else can, these are the life-affirming stories of the hardest-working dogs in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Dogs, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2017

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting informative book. I learnt a lot and loved reading about the beautiful Dogs With Jobs.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a dog book by this author, and this one didn't disappoint. Here you have a collected series of stories about- you guessed it, dogs with jobs. Some dogs do what they naturally have been bred for, while others show a natural aptitude to things we are only scratching the surface on. It really is amazing to see dogs sniffing out the cause of a fire, keeping birds from airports or sensing if a human needs help, whether emotional or with an illness. Each story is told with enough detail that you gain a good idea of the job, but is short enough that you don't become bored. Quite a few dogs have social media presence, so they were added the the thousands of dogs and cats I follow/like on FB already!

A must for dog lovers world wide (although many stories are from Australia or America) four stars!

[lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

kocham psy pieski pieseczki

[Figgy]

FIGO - Guide Dog
5/5
This one made me a tad teary, and is a fantastic start to the book. It's probably the first job we think of when we think of dogs with jobs, but that doesn't make it any less amazing what Figo would do for his owner.

MOLLY POLLY - Diabetes Alert and Mental Health Support Dog
4/5
This one is rather interesting, as the mother of the two girls with diabetes tried many avenues for support animals but was told it was too difficult to have that kind of dog while raising twin girls, so the mum went ahead and sourced her own dog and trained Molly Polly herself, proving all the naysayers wrong.

HECTOR, MURPH, SIDNEY, BUSTER, JET & BUDDY
3/5
Interesting to read about how sound works for dogs, and how the dolphins seem to go seeking the dogs in order to tease and play... But I didn't feel this dog job was as unusual as the writer painted it to be.

TUNA - Social Media Superstar / Day-Changer -

HOLLY -

TRUMAN -

BAILEY -

ROWDY -

INDI -

MIA, COOPER & HOPPY -

CHARLIE -

TIFFANY -

FRANKIE -

COOP -

LEXIE & FLY -

RIVER & DAISY -

CHLOE, JACKSON & SWAYZE -

EMMA -

MONTGOMARY -

BRYNNETH PAWLTROW -

VIKING -

THE BACKTRACK DOGS -

PIPER -

WHISKEY -

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

What better way to start my 2018 (The Year of the Dog) reading year than with a great read about some very special dogs.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo uroczy zbiór historii o psach pracujących w najróżniejszych zawodach 0 takich oczywistych, jak lotniska, policja czy straż pożarna, ale też sporo takich, o których nigdy byście nie pomyśleli - jak wyszukiwanie przyczyn pożarów albo... lisich kup. Czuć miłość autorki i jej wiedzę, ale momentami była dość nużąca i trochę za bardzo przypominała podręcznik albo wypracowania. Podobało mi się za to przemycanie wiedzy o rasach albo szkoleniu, czy wychowywaniu, ale bez takiego snobizmu - od pasjonatka dzieli się ze światem swoją miłością :)

[Czytajez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo ciekawa pozycja idealna dla miłośników czworonogów! Bardzo duzo różnorodnych historii - z psami pracującymi w rolach głównych. Naprawdę miło spędziłam przy niej czas.

[Georgia Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just about a 3 stars and only really giving this book that many stars because of the dogs.

The dogs are gorgeous and I especially love the photos included of the puppies. It was so inspiring and so nice to see the benefits of dogs. They are too good for this world. Definitely a couple of sad points to the book.

A couple of issues that I have with this book is that it isn’t completely centred on the dogs and sometimes there is a lot of background about the owners rather than the actual dogs. Also, I found there was some grammar mistakes and added as well as missing words throughout the book. There were loads of sentences starting with “And” which is a pet peeve of mine. Loads of commas and “-“ as well. PLUS, some of the jobs that have been included in this aren’t really actual jobs. For example, there is a dog who appears in pictures to help their owner sell houses and a dog who is instagram famous. A couple of the facts were repeated throughout the book and percentages and figures were just thrown about without a reference really.

However, I loved the puppies and I’m glad they are being appreciated in this book.

[aniasubcrania · Rating 4 out of 5]

To w sumie takie 3,5. Nie wiem, czy to za sprawą tłumaczenia, czy stylu autorki, ale czasem mialam wrażenie, że czytam wypracowanie szkolne. Niemniej wszystko ratuje treść, przy moim uwielbieniu dla psów, każda historia była super i przylepiła uśmiech do twarzy. Miła odmiana

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book (though not in depth) describing dogs in various roles. Perhaps not a 'cover to cover' read but an enjoyable adjunct to more complex stories.

[Wystukanerecenzje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sięgacie czasami po książki o zwierzętach, albo te, w których główną rolę właśnie odgrywa postać zwierzaka? Ja z ogromną przyjemnością. Moim pierwszym spotkaniem z tego typu literaturą była książka "Dziewięć wcieleń kota Deweya", a później już poleciało. Kot Bob, wiele książek typowo popularnonaukowych na tematy behawioralne. Cóż powiedzieć, uwielbiam zwierzaki i kiedy Wydawnictwo WAB zaprezentowało "Psa zawodowca" wiedziałam, że będzie stała u mnie na półce!

O czym właściwie jest ta książka? O psach! Oczywiście! Tylko nie byle jakich. Słyszeliście o psach, które wyczuwają nowotwory poprzez powąchanie osoby? Pewnie tak. W tej książce poznacie Molly Polly, która z kolei wyczuwa zmiany poziomu cukru we krwi u diabetyków. Magia, a może nauka?

W treści zostały umieszczone historie psów niesamowitych. Każde z nich ma jakaś supermoc! Każde otrzymało swój własny rozdział i każdą historię czyta się z wielką chęcią i przyjemnością. Są psy, które pomagają nam, ludziom podczas choroby. To psi przewodnicy, ale są też takie, które mają równie odpowiedzialne prace, na przykład przy lokalizowaniu delfinów, czy przy przeganianiu mew, dzikich zwierząt na lotniskach. Każdy z tych psów zasługuje dosłownie na medal!

Dla kogo zatem jest ta książka? Dla każdego psiarza, ale także miłośnika zwierząt i ich niezwykłych umiejętności. Dla osób, które interesują się zachowaniami swoich pupili. Któż wie, może to któryś z Waszych czworonogów okaże się psim terapeutą?

Dla mnie ta książka to zbiór cudownych opowieści i polecam ją serdecznie! Jest po prostu cudowna!

Wydawnictwu WAB bardzo dziękuję za egzemplarz tej świetnej książki!

[Jo | Booklover Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very much ‘a dog person’. I was fortunate to grow up with dogs and a few months back, very sadly, had to say goodbye to my fourth. She had been a loyal shadow and kept our house running like clockwork. Her absence was loud, the loss initially very raw. But a perceptive friend knew enough time had now passed to gift me this lovely book…

In her introduction to Dogs with Jobs, a collection of essays about 24 different working dogs, Laura Greaves says:

I often say that dogs are a gift we don’t deserve. That’s true of all canines, but perhaps working dogs even more so. What did we do, for example, to deserve a creature with a nose so powerful it can smell a sick little girl’s plummeting blood sugar levels? What makes humans worthy of an animal that would literally throw himself under a bus to protect us?

This unbridled admiration and appreciation for dogs’ amazing capabilities is the lens through which Greaves explores each unique canine-handler relationship in Dogs with Jobs. And, while I am continually impressed by the skill of dogs that carry out valuable functional tasks like herding and detection work, it is those stories of dogs literally transforming, and indeed saving people’s lives that most moved me. Continue reading >> https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...

[Rosalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind this book was great, but it fell down with some of the stories. The information regarding the different roles for dogs and the training that is needed for those roles was quite interesting. I think in all honesty we all tend to think of Guide Dogs and other assistance dogs when we think of dogs working. However Lara Greaves shows us that there is a lor more opportunity for dogs to be used in a wide range of activities, if we look beyond what is usual. My main issue with this book is that I think that some of the dogs and occupations were just a bit trivial, I mean using a dog to sell houses isn’t really that important in the scheme of things! Other than that, the stories that I did read were enjoyable, and it is heartbreaking that so many perfectly healthy greyhounds are put down every year for no real good reason. That does need to change and I know that organisations in Australia and other countries have been highlighting this and trying to stop this, but I think that the Greyhound Racing association is so powerful that this gets pushed under the carpet or radically downplayed. Okay that’s my rant.
An enjoyable book if you just read the stories that interest you.

[Lucas Moctezuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories about working woofers. It started with me just reading it, but I had to share some of the stories with my whole family.

There is the beautiful story of Figo, the guide dog that jumped in front of a bus to save his owner’s life (he survived). There is the Holly the Story Dog, the non-judgmental greyhound that helps kids with learning difficulties learn to read. There is Piper, the Aviation Dog hired to chase animals away from an airport surrounded by critters. And there is of course Brynneth Pawltrow, the elected mayor of a small town in Kentucky, USA.

The stories are heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Some of the dogs pass away, others live on. For a dog person, this book is an absolute treat. And it confirms what all dog lovers already know - life just isn’t the same without a four-legged pal by your side.

[Kuragehime · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Pies zawodowiec” to zbiór reportaży o cudownych psiakach. Przedstawione na kartach książki historie rozgrzewają serce oraz poszerzają wiedzę o możliwościach tych zwierząt. Szczególnie w zakresie zawodów, które mogą wykonywać (uwierzcie mi, na pewno niektóre ścieżki kariery dla psów Was zaskoczą!). Jest to książka, w której odnajdzie się każdy psiarz, ale także osoby nieposiadające własnego zwierzaka. Jestem przekonana, że każdy czytelnik nie raz uśmiechnie się, poznając losy tych czworonogów. I chociaż nie jest to lektura na raz, bo czytanie więcej niż dwóch historii na dzień może być męczące, i tak warto się z nią zapoznać.

Pełna recenzja: https://www.kulturalnameduza.pl/2020/...

[MlleGabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mnóstwo entuzjazmu, sporo naiwności i duuużo miłości do psów - to na pewno znajdziecie w tej książce. Niestety autorka każdy rozdział pisała chyba oddzielnie i nie wiedziała, w jakiej będą kolejności, bo w wielu powtarza się informacja o niezwykłym psim nosie i o ile lepszy jest od naszego. Fakt, oczywiście, warty podkreślenia, ale może nie 10 razy na niecałych 300 stronach.
Miłym akcentem były zdjęcia opisywanych zwierzaków.
W polskim wydaniu informacja o autorce na skrzydełku i dokładnie ta sama po podziękowaniach, w środku książki, zupełnie niepotrzebnie.

[Kialynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this easy, happy read about all the ways in which dogs will work to make our lives better. However I'm not sure that this was fact-checked as there was an error or two in terminology. It deserves way more than three reviews so I hope more people check out this amazing collection of even more amazing pups.

[Olwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dog tragics will love this book. The author waxes lyrical about these four legged fur covered animals with phrases like 'proud father of a litter'.

[Narelle Mackander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Filled with lots of lovely and inspiring short stories about wonderful dogs.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived two chapters. One was about the dogs who hear dolphins on the tourist boat in Akaroa.

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeden z najlepszych audiobooków jakie przesłuchałam. Urocze historie o czworonożnych superbohaterach. Must read dla wszystkich psiarzy!

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This is feel-good non-fiction fluff, and I thought it was adorable! Look at all these good doggos with jobs!

[Anita Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! So heartwarming and moving. Just so well scripted. Love the collection of different doggo stories. Highly recommend this book even for those who aren’t massive dog lovers.

[Avveia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[małgorzata · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 💛

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dog books and I LOVE DOGS! 💜🐶 Amazing true stories of what of fur friends can be trained to do and very inspiring. Highly recommended and easy to read.

[Kamula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ogólnie książka porusza ciekawy temat, jakim jest obecność psów w różnych sferach aktywności zawodowej, ale styl pisania był trochę infantylny i całościowo mogę ocenić te książkę na 3/3,5

[goszczewslowach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wzruszki <3,#

[Seabiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Słodkie historie o pieskach a wszyscy wiedzą że pieski są super 😊

[Jacinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew dogs did so many things. Some of these stories brought tears to my eyes.