Doggie Book Club discussion

Hello, and great thank to Laura for the invitation!

I'm a native Floridian, have never lived anywhere but here. The farthest I've traveled is a very brief jaunt into Canada (Bedford--we were staying in Vermont). I would love to travel to Paris, Africa, Bali, just about anywhere!

I have a degree in English Lit/Creative writing, with a minor in piano performance from the University of Central Florida where I met my husband. We've been married for almost 19 yrs, and have 2 kids, M (16yo daughter) and N (9 yo son).

I am the Menagerie Keeper to our dog, 4yo rescue Willow, who is Belgian Malinois/Golden Retriever/Whippet. She is an amazing dog. I've owned dogs almost my entire life, except for the first year we were married and couldn't have a dog. I also have 2 Candy Parrot Cichlid fish. I am anxiously waiting until we can adopt a rescue Pug, just have to "small dog proof" the house and yard. I've never owned a small dog before!

Growing up, I had birds, fish, turtles, a guinea pig, a rabbit, goats, and a pig, besides dogs and cats. Were it not for my chronic illnesses my dream would have been to be a wildlife rehabilitator, even having my own sanctuary.

I enjoy a vast array of books, but do love true stories about animals. I owe a debt of gratitude to Cesar Milan "the Dog Whisperer" and Jon Katz for teaching me thru their books on how to raise a dog to be a true member of the family.

As I mentioned I have several chronic illnesses/pain conditions. I am not able to get out much so books are really my escape and passion. I currently do book reviews for FirstReads, various authors and Quirk Books.

Nice to "meet" you all :)

Hi,
I too am a native floridian however I now live in north western Tennessee. This is where I met my husband. I have an "almost" degree in interior design but had to put that on hold since I was supporting myself. I also have a diploma in medical billing and coding and I currently work in logistics. I would love to be a published author one day but I have absolutely no idea where I would begin. I would also like to be someone who reads books by non published authors and "find" them I guess.

I have 2 wonderful mutts. Ammo and trigger. They are both spoilt lab mixes. Ammo is a year and a half and the love of my life (besides my hubby) and trigger is about 7 months old were not real sure since we got him from a shelter. He has some behavior and potty issues we are trying to work on. Him and a bunch of other puppies were left in a strip mall store with not much human contact the first months of their lives and they just used the bathroom wherever. However he worships ammo and ammo us happy to have a little brother.

I have a bookshelf overflowing with books so I got a kindle that I love love love. And I participate in booksneeze book reviews for free books.

I have been wondering about goodreads first reads program but can't find much information on it so if anyone knows much about it please let me know. You cab friend me on Facebook under Jessica Boone and I would love more followers on my book blog, Bookwormboone.bloodspot.com. If there's anything else you wanna know I'm an open book as they say :)

Sorry for the typo my phone won't let me go back and fix it

I'm a high school English and speech teacher (30 years). I have a book blog, "Hanging by a Book," www.gmfunkbook.blogspot.com where you can read my review of "A Dog's Purpose" and see pictures of my two dogs: Puck and Snug, both named after characters in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I also have a blog where I write about education issues, including lesson ideas, political issues, professional books, etc. www.evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com My latest post is about the ongoing standardized test cheating scandals.

Hi Everyone, My name is Barb and I have two rescue dogs right now. I've had several other rescue dogs also but they have passed over the years. I really like reading dog books since I love dogs. I'm glad I found this group to discuss books on this topic.

After looking at your book group, is this NOT a place to discuss the book pick of the month? I don't see this month's pick anywhere to discuss it. Is this just your review and we don't discuss the book? Am I understanding this right?

I think I'm clear on it. Never seen it done this way before but am game. The only question I have is do we discuss the book here on Goodreads or on your website?

thanks

Hello my name is Anna, I live in Idaho, I LOVEEEEE dogs I have my own cocker spaniel named Ranger. I Love to read, and am an all animal lover (especially dogs)

And a few other things my favorite author is Judi Mccoy, or laurane berensen.

Hi everyone! This is my first book group and I'm excited to be involved, especially since it's about dogs. I have a degree in business, was involved in advertising, attended law school and ran an intimate pet retreat called Camp Bowser several years ago, which catered to all sorts of happy camper pets.

I am a new author and in January of this year published Kindle eBook, "Lucci-The No Smoochie Poochie," http://www.amazon.com/Lucci-The-No-Sm..., a children's rhyming story about our adopted pet Lucci. It's a true story and all the pet characters were members of my family. I am also developing other animal stories, and I like to rhyme...singing little ditties to my menagerie all day long.

Currently, I have 3 dogs (Coonhound Bella, Basset Star, & mini doxi Luca), 3 pet Boer goats-Dixie, Daisy and Dot, Zeetz the cat, Frank the Quaker Parrot and Sally the red ear slider turtle. You can read all about them on my blog-http://donnalsadd.wordpress.com. I live for my animals!

I just finished another good dog book "Rex and the City" by Lee Harrington and I like Karen White and Teresa Ragan, though since getting my Fire, I've been downloading all types of genres.

Good to meet you all and you can find me at Facebook/DonnaLSadd (we can all 'like' each other!) I look forward to discussing and learning from you.

Hi,

My name is Barbara and I adore and love dogs deeply. I've been fortunate to have two dogs in my life who helped lead me to my purpose. My dachshund, Frankie became paralyzed in 2006 after being diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Diesase. I ended up custom fitting her for a wheelchair and she lives a quality, happy life. She is my biggest inspiration! I couldn't help but become a passionate advocate for pets with IVDD (many time they are put to sleep due to lack of education.
I enjoy all things dogs especially the human-animal bond, which I find so fascinating.
I am a children's book author and soon to be adult nonfiction.... writing about what inspires me most... dogs! Did I mention I love dogs? ha! You can learn more about me if you'd like at www.joyfulpaws.com
I'm looking forward to reading Bruce Cameron's new book, "A Dog's Journey" as well as Peggy Frezon's new book, "Heart to Heart, Hand in Paw: How One Woman Finds Faith and Hope Through the Healing Love of Animals."
My all time favorite author is Jon Katz.
Looking forward to checking in on the group!
~Barbara

Hi
My name is Karen, I am a professional dog trainer and behaviourist based in Co Kerry Ireland. I am passionate about dogs, they are my life! I have 5 rescue dogs. As I tend to take all the dogs that everyone else has given up on they are consequently all 'special needs'. I have a husky Storm, GSDxGreyhound-Buddy(my 90 mile an hour boy)and 3 shih tzus - Loki,Suzie and Charlie. I also have 1 husband - (not as well trained as my dogs I have to say) and 2 daughters. It is nice to join a group of like minded people. For any who are interested in tips and info on dog training http://www.dogtrainingkerry.net.
I have also just published my first dog training and behaviour book The Perfect Companion - Understanding, Training and Bonding with your Dog! http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Perfect-C...
My main purpose for writing is to try and get the message across to people that you do not need to be your dog's boss - just his friend!
Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Kind regards
Karen

Karen wrote: "Hi
My name is Karen, I am a professional dog trainer and behaviourist based in Co Kerry Ireland. I am passionate about dogs, they are my life! I have 5 rescue dogs. As I tend to take all the dogs t..."

Hi Karen, Wow! 5 dogs. I'm glad you rescued them. I have 2 rescue dogs and have been getting my dogs as rescues for years. I love all dogs. --Thanks for the website, I will check it out. ---Right now my youngest dog a year and a half, a puggle, I'm having issues with him pulling. I use a harness because I don't like pulling around the neck area. Anyway, suggestions would be welcome. ----This group doesn't seem to be doing much so I hope it picks up soon. ---Did you read "The Dog Who Danced" by Susan Wilson? I loved that book. Her other book, "One Good Dog" is excellent also.

Hi Barbara,
Like you I always rescue, I know 5 dogs sounds like a lot, but I used to have 9! So 5 seems quite easy by comparison. Re your Puggle, I prefer a body harness and agree with you that any pulling on the neck is not good. I usually recommend that you begin training in the garden, rather than trying to teach lead work on a walk. This way he will be able to concentrate on what you are trying to teach rather than being focused on environmental distractions. I normally start by doing circle work, rather than trying to walk in a straight line and use either a toy or a treat to 'lure' them and try not to go too far before giving the lure as a reward if they have followed it and managed to keep the lead loose.
I haven't read any Susan Wilson, to be honest if I read dog books they tend to be of the non fiction variety. I tried to read Marley and Me, but I am such a softie I chickened out because I knew he was going to die in the end, and I didn't think I wanted the emotional trauma! I am so bad I can't watch any films that have dogs in them, I get too upset when something horrible happens, not even Lassie films lol.

i i am ari. i am a meber of golden spike dog obedienec club.

Karen wrote: "Hi Barbara,
Like you I always rescue, I know 5 dogs sounds like a lot, but I used to have 9! So 5 seems quite easy by comparison. Re your Puggle, I prefer a body harness and agree with you that any..."

Thanks for the tips. --As far as books, I think you'd like "The Dog Who Danced" then. I loved "One Good Dog" too, it was about a stray. From your description not sure if you'd want to read books like the Michael Vick story. Wasn't written by him but talked about everything he did to those poor dogs. Awful!

I love dog stories, so I read alot of them, fiction and non-fiction.

Ariana wrote: "i i am ari. i am a meber of golden spike dog obedienec club."

Welcome Ari.

Hi Ari sounds like another dog lover!

Barbara have added One Good Dog to my to read list, I like the sound of it. You know me already I looked at Michael Vick The Lost dogs and you are quite right, I am not up for that one! I have been involved in rescue for many years and unfortunately I have seen far too much cruelty first hand. I like to read for pleasure, so some nice feel good, nothing horrible happens to the dog stories for me!

Hi My name is Ciara and I have two very spoiled German Shepherds. This is my first time joining a book club and its no surprise its animal related. I am crazy bout all types of animals. I love dogs all shapes and sizes and extremely passionate about german shepherds.

Welcome Ciara.

Karen wrote: "Hi Ari sounds like another dog lover!

Barbara have added One Good Dog to my to read list, I like the sound of it. You know me already I looked at Michael Vick The Lost dogs and you are quite right..."

I really liked One Good Dog. I tell everyone about it. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know.

Hello.
I am old,but also new, as in "new kid on the block." This is my first posting as a member of the Doggie Book Club, and I look forward to reading what others have to say. Like me, my dog Chelsea is also old,a border collie mix my wife Barbara and I adopted eight years ago. There is no way to place a value on what she has meant to us. People either get how life is better when lived with a dog,or they don't. How they relate to this idea is certainly not the only way to think about others, but it's often dead-on.
I see I have lots of character left, so I might as well use a few to declare myself an author who's published a novel about dogs living with their owners on a Florida golf course. If anyone cares to know something about it, I'd be happy to pass along my website address. But that would be pushy in this, my first message--don't you agree?

Hello Mary.
Just Bill, the name of my book, is also the name of the central character. The story is a fable for adults, not children. You can read more about Just Bill by going to my website, www.barryknister.com. The book is available through Amazon as both a real book and an ebook. If you have an Amazon account, you can take a look at the reviews.
Thanks a lot for asking. Beagles rock!
Barry Knister

Mary--
Thanks so much. Not just for buying my book, but for visiting www.barryknister.com. Just Bill is something I'm proud of, but at the same time I know it's not for everyone. Of course I hope it will give you pleasure. If it does, I also hope you'll tell others.
Thanks again.
Barry

Hi everyone.. I@m Tracey and have 2 rescue dogs. Bertie is a 9 year old Patterdale Terrier and Molly is a 5 year old Jack Russell..
I've almost finished the book your starting next month and love it.. I never read doggy books normally but this is so funny.. you will all love it i guarantee it... I'll be sorry to finish it as i'm keeping my other half awake at nights while i sit in bed laughing... Handbags and Poobags: Tales of a Soho Boxer Dog

Hello everyone :)

This is my first group here on Goodreads, and it looks like a perfect fit! I'm excited to watch and see what happens with it... I hope it stays active!

My name is Jordan, and I live outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I'm an avid reader and come from a literature-loving home. Animal books tend to be my favorite.

I'm excited to participate! Hopefully next month I'll be able to start with y'all from the beginning.

--Jordan

Hello Jordan. I, too, am a rustbelter, from the Detroit area. I am curious to know what you think of Scott Walker. As for animal books, I wrote one, and if you care to learn more, please visit my website at www.barryknister.com.
Barry Knister

Hi Barry,

I visited your website, "Just Bill" looks like my kind of read. I will definitely add it to my "to-read" list! Loved your biography on the site, too... very admirable life you have lived. I had an interest in joining the Peace Corps for quite some time... never had the gall/financial stability to do it. Kudos to you!

As for my opinions on Scott Walker... I'll just say that I'm a die-hard liberal student majoring in Education... that should sum some things up ;)

So nice meeting you!

Jordan

Jordan--
Regarding SW: as an unapologetic liberal--not a progressive, not a moderate--I am happy to learn you are a "fellow traveler." I have friends in Milwaukee--one of them a good one--who love Walker. It's inexplicable to me, but I don't want to add any more names to the list of people I've broken with since 2000, when W was elected by five members of the Supreme Court.
Best,
Barry

Hi my name is Tabatha. I live in New Brunswick Canada. I have a Lab/Husky/Shepard mix named Isabel. She is 1.5 years old. I have had dogs off and on all my life.

Stories about dogs are actually what got me to start reading in the first place. Everyone needs to find that one special book that starts the whole reading experience. For me it was Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard. I had borrowed it from the library when I was 10 years old. I could never find a copy of it until recently when I looked it up on the internet. Amazingly enough I was surprised when I went through it to refresh myself on the book. I'm not that old! The other favorite was Call of the Wild by Farly Mowat. What? Seriously not that old!!!

Thanks for this site. Hope to get involved!

Hello Tabatha, and welcome aboard.
I really AM that old. This doesn't mean I know more about dogs because of it, but I can confirm what you no doubt already know: life is much better when lived with a dog. Your own sounds like a formidale combination of great breeds. I wish I could see Isabel's picture.

I would love to share a pic of my beautiful Isabel! I will put her on as my display picture later today.

Tabatha wrote: "I would love to share a pic of my beautiful Isabel! I will put her on as my display picture later today."

My beautiful Isabel. I have so many pictures and didn't know which one to put as my display picture.
Too bad we all couldn't have a place to share all our dog pictures.

Karen wrote: "Hi
My name is Karen, I am a professional dog trainer and behaviourist based in Co Kerry Ireland. I am passionate about dogs, they are my life! I have 5 rescue dogs. As I tend to take all the dogs t..."

I read this and was wondering what you think of the tatics used by the Dog Whisperer?

Oh Dear Tabatha! I have some very large issues with Mr. CM. He is extreme old school, and in fact I cannot watch him on the TV as my blood pressure rises to a dangerous degree.
I only use positive reinforcement methods of dog training and behaviour modification, and have spent many years studying both wolf ecology and canine behaviour and psychology. Sadly Mr CM is not only uneducated but his advise and methods cause the suffering of many dogs, as owners think that because he is on TV he must know what he is doing. It is then down to trained professionals to pick up the pieces and re-educate owners. I hope I haven't offended anyone, as he does have a very large fan base, but I see the fall out of this type of approach every day. One of the main reasons I decided to publish The Perfect Companion was to try to get the word out to people that pack rule theory (i.e we have to dominate our dogs and show them who is boss) is not only inaccurate and misleading information, but is detrimental to the affinity of our relationship with our dogs.
What do you think of his methods?
It would be interesting to find out what other members opinions are as well!
http://www.dogtrainingkerry.net

I admire most scientists who study dogs, but the "experts" I take the most from focus on the affect or emotional side. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson's Dogs Never Lie about Love is a good example, and so is Alexandra Horowitz's Inside of a Dog. These books are written by fully informed people who obviously love dogs for the many ways they enrich human life. Most fiction centering on dogs I find just too sentimental. I tried to do something unsentimental with the enriching aspects of dogs in my short novel, Just Bill. I talk about it at www.barryknister.com.

I am going to read those books or at least take a look at them Barry. Its nice to have some titles to take a look at while shopping at Chapters.

I would really like to read your book which I am going to buy before Christmas.

On another note of a different kind of dog book... another of my first favorite dog book was Cujo by Stephen King. The book was so cool, being inside the dogs thoughts like that. The movie on the other hand was so awful. I was glad I read the book before watching the movie.

It is so nice to have people to chat with about such a great topic! Our beloved dogs. <3

Barry,
If you go to my website and click on articles - you may be interested in some papers I published on Pack Rule Theory and Dominance. They are free to download on PDF
http://www.dogtrainingkerry.net

Tabatha--I'm not a snob about books by Stephen King, but he goes on soooo long! I have a theory, admittedly self-serving, that books longer than about three hundred pages usually reflect self-indulgence on the part of the writer. This is self-serving, since I write short books, but I still intend to stick to my theory in choosing what to read.

Karen--Thank you, I will certainly read your articles. I don't know whether it's a simple function of age or what, but the more curmudgeonly I've become about my own species, the more grateful I am for dogs.

Greetings! I'm so glad to find this group. I'm a certified animal behavior consultant (for both dogs and cats), and the author of 2-dozen nonfiction behavior/care books. Oh, and the newest is a thriller with service dog viewpoint, fun stuff!

Looking forward to reading some of the discussions here and finding new dog-centric books. As a matter of general principle I avoid discussing religion, politics, raw food feeding and Mr Milan... *s*

Hi Amy welcome aboard! I can appreciate the non politics rule.

Tabatha wrote: "Hi Amy welcome aboard! I can appreciate the non politics rule."

*s* At least my cat and dog are non-political. Well, the dog anyway. The cat always has an agenda.

Hello Amy. I can't avoid politics, but I'm sure it's the reason my admiration for dogs and cats has soared in recent years. They never lie, do they? Reason enough for high regard.

Barry wrote: "Hello Amy. I can't avoid politics, but I'm sure it's the reason my admiration for dogs and cats has soared in recent years. They never lie, do they? Reason enough for high regard."

Well, if they DO lie, we clueless humans never find out, LOL!

Hi everyone, I'm Laurie. I'm in NY, just joined Goodreads yesterday. I was torn in my younger years between Veterinary Medicine and Literature. Got an MA in English Lit, then a couple of years studying Animal Pathobiology, doing independent study (post mortems on farm animals) and working as a veterinary surgical assistant. All leading to a career as a medical animal writer.

My main focus has been cancer in dogs - I am sorry to bring such a sad subject into the group. I wrote "Help Your Dog Fight Cancer" in 2004, with a 2nd edition in 2008.

I wrote "So Easy to Love, So Hard to Lose" in 2010, a pet loss book not necessarily related to dogs or cancer (but still, again, a sad topic). I'm now finishing a 3rd edition of "Help Your Dog Fight Cancer."

And THEN I want to write a HAPPY book!!

I also run a fund called the Magic Bullet Fund. I help people who have a dog with cancer but can't afford treatment, by raising the funds and paying the clinic. I've helped 210 dogs and their families so far.

Instead of listing all of my sites - you can get to all of them from this one site: http://www.lauriekaplan.com.
Help Your Dog Fight Cancer: An Overview of Home Care Options; Featuring Bullet's Survival Story
So Easy to Love, So Hard to Lose: A Bridge to Healing Before and After the Loss of a Pet

Hi Laurie, welcome! I'm VERY familiar with Magic Bullet Fund (and recommend/refer my readers there). *s* So glad to see another familiar name here!

Thank you Amy! I have some of your books, they are wonderful.

Hi! I live in south eastern Washington State. I have always had dog back to when I got my first dog when I was 5. Last December, we lost our 19 year old Australian Shepherd mix. Last month, we finally adopted a new dog from the local shelter. She is an adorable Corgi/Yellow Lab mix. She does seem to have some separation anxiety.

Not sure what to do about it. I am very attached and she had already been abandoned twice, but I don't think it was for this issue.

In my opinion you did a wonderful thing in rescuing. Lots of rescues have issues. Join a FB group that focuses on dogs. There are many of them and you can ask questions. Take a look at Mollie's Tail. It might be helpful. You can check out my website too. There are some excerpts from my books.
ellengbooks.com.