The Dogs Who Found Me

Author: Ken Foster
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493027611
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Now regarded as a classic in dog literature, Ken Foster's memoir chronicles his journey from first-time dog owner to rescuer--and all the lessons and mistakes he made along the way. Bookended by the tragedies of 9/11 and Katrina, Foster finds that dogs open his eyes to the benefits of compassion, selflessness, and the chaotic beauty of living each day in the moment. But more than Foster's own story, readers remember the dogs. Among them are Duque, a Costa Rican stray; Brando, Foster's first adopted dog and a supposed pit bull mix who outgrew his Manhattan studio apartment; Rocco, a clownish red pit bull whose owner mistakenly gives him away to the wrong person; Zephyr, a cheerful Rottweiler mix who awakens Foster by sitting on his chest when his heart stops working; and Sula, the tiny lost pit bull who showed up at Foster's door one day and stayed. Whether bearing witness to national tragedy, grieving the death of a friend, or dealing with his own mortality, Foster finds strength in his dogs, and in the reciprocal nature of rescue.

City of Dogs

Author: Ken Foster
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525535179
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
A beautiful, heartfelt, funny, and inspiring collection of photos and stories that maps the relationship between canine New Yorkers and their human counterparts. New York is a city of five boroughs, more than 250 distinct neighborhoods, 8.5 million people, and more than 600,000 dogs, who are as much a part of the social fabric as the people who follow them on the other end of the leash. City of Dogs maps this relationship with incredible four-color photos highlighting the scene. From the Bronx to Brooklyn and along the streets of Harlem and Manhattan, Ken Foster and Traer Scott explore the unique relationships between dogs and their human counterparts. We meet Alex Nuckel, living on disability and finding joy and purpose in caring for his two pit bulls, Lucy and Rocky. And Majora Carter, a community activist who has received a MacArthur grant, living and working with two stray shepherds she rescued in her own neighborhood. City of Dogs also takes us to a Midtown Manhattan law office, where staff are encouraged to bring their adopted dogs to work, and to the JFK airport, where we meet dogs who help screen at security. And then on to Brooklyn, where we meet award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson and her dogs, Toffee and Shadow. These are just a few of the amazing animals and their people featured in this perfect gift book for any dog lover.

I'm a Good Dog

Author: Ken Foster
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101616571
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Book Description
Filled with inspiring stories and photographs, this heartfelt tribute to the pit bull celebrates one of America’s most popular yet misunderstood dogs. Perhaps more than any other breed, the pit bull has been dogged by negative stereotypes. In truth, pit bulls are innately wonderful family pets, as capable of love and good deeds as any other type of dog. Setting the record straight, Ken Foster sings the praises of pit bulls in I’m a Good Dog, a gorgeously illustrated, tenderly written tribute to this most misunderstood of canines. Founder of the Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible pit bull ownership in New Orleans, and the author of two acclaimed books about abandoned dogs, Foster has made it his mission to bring overlooked canines into the limelight. I’m a Good Dog traces the fascinating history of this particularly maligned breed. A century ago, the pit bull was considered a family dog, featured in family photos and trusted as loving companions for children. More recently, pit bulls have been portrayed by the media as stereotypes of everything they are not. Foster shatters that reputation through moving profiles of pit bulls that serve as therapy dogs, athletic heroes, search-and-rescue dogs, and educators, not to mention as loving pets. Foster also profiles many pit bull lovers, from Helen Keller and Dr. Seuss to actor Todd Cerveris, who took his pit bull on tour with him for the musical Spring Awakening. Proving that there’s much to love and nothing to fear, I’m a Good Dog restores the pit bull to its rightful place as friend, family member, athlete and entertainer.

You Had Me at Woof

Author: Julie Klam
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101444738
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 138

Book Description
Look out for Julie's new book, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters. The hilarious and heartfelt chronicle of a woman learning the secrets of love, health, and happiness from some very surprising teachers: her dogs. Julie Klam was thirty, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love. You Had Me at Woof is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions. From Otto, Julie realized what it might feel like to find "the one." She learned to share her home, her heart, and her limited resources with another, and she found an authentic friend in the process. But that was just the beginning. Over the years her brood has grown to one husband, one daughter, and several Boston terriers. And although she had much to learn about how to care for them-walks at 2 a.m., vet visits, behavior problems-she was surprised and delighted to find that her dogs had more wisdom to convey to her than she had ever dreamed. And caring for them has made her a better person-and completely and utterly opened her heart. Riotously funny and unexpectedly poignant, You Had Me at Woof recounts the hidden surprises, pleasures, and revelations of letting any mutt, beagle, terrier, or bulldog go charging through your world. Watch a Video

The Lost Dogs

Author: Jim Gorant
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101543809
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
An inspiring story of survival and our powerful bond with man's best friend, in the aftermath of the nation's most notorious case of animal cruelty. Animal lovers and sports fans were shocked when the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's brutal dog fighting operation. But what became of the dozens of dogs who survived? As acclaimed writer Jim Gorant discovered, their story is the truly newsworthy aspect of this case. Expanding on Gorant's Sports Illustrated cover story, The Lost Dogs traces the effort to bring Vick to justice and turns the spotlight on these infamous pit bulls, which were saved from euthanasia by an outpouring of public appeals coupled with a court order that Vick pay nearly a million dollars in "restitution" to the dogs. As an ASPCA-led team evaluated each one, they found a few hardened fighters, but many more lovable, friendly creatures desperate for compassion. In The Lost Dogs, we meet these amazing animals, a number of which are now living in loving homes, while some even work in therapy programs: Johnny Justice participates in Paws for Tales, which lets kids get comfortable with reading aloud by reading to dogs; Leo spends three hours a week with cancer patients and troubled teens. At the heart of the stories are the rescue workers who transformed the pups from victims of animal cruelty into healing caregivers themselves, unleashing priceless hope. Includes an 8-page photo insert. Watch a video

To the Rescue

Author: Elise Lufkin
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 1602397724
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
The author of the best-selling Found Dogs combines duotone photographs with inspiring profiles of dogs and cats who have emerged from abuse-marked backgrounds to become assistance animals working as nursing home therapy pets, service animals for the blind and more.

Dogs I Have Met

Author: Ken Foster
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1599215845
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 200

Book Description
Ken Foster knows that a dog can change a person's life. And that several dogs can change even more. For THE DOGS WHO FOUND ME, the author appeared in major media interviews such as NPR's “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, and received hundreds of letters and stories about other karmic canine rescues. Many of these heartwarming stories are now compiled in this all-new follow-up to the original bestseller. DOGS I HAVE MET introduces us to injured California pit bull Jimmy, among others, as well as to one woman who opened her house to 55 stray dogs. Ken Foster will once again travel the country for interviews and in-store events to promote dog rescue and this all-new national bestseller.

My Old Dog

Author: Laura T. Coffey
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608683419
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
“No Dog Should Die Alone” was the attention-grabbing — and heart-stirring — headline of journalist Laura T. Coffey’s TODAY show website story about photographer Lori Fusaro’s work with senior shelter pets. While generally calm, easy, and already house-trained, these animals often represent the highest-risk population at shelters. With gorgeous, joyful photographs and sweet, funny, true tales of “old dogs learning new tricks,” Coffey and Fusaro show that adopting a senior can be even more rewarding than choosing a younger dog. You’ll meet endearing elders like Marnie, the irresistible shih tzu who has posed for selfies with Tina Fey, James Franco, and Betty White; Remy, a soulful nine-year-old dog adopted by elderly nuns; George Clooney’s cocker spaniel, Einstein; and Bretagne, the last known surviving search dog from Ground Zero. They may be slower moving and a tad less exuberant than puppies, but these pooches prove that adopting a senior brings immeasurable joy, earnest devotion, and unconditional love.

Dogs & Human Health

Author: Milena Penkowa
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 1452529035
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 303

Book Description
What if you could significantly improve your physical and mental health by taking a simple step thats easy, rewarding, and fun? Dr. Milena Penkowa says you can do that and more by owning a dog and yet people continue to invest time and money in costly treatments before even considering a furry friend. Dogs can stave off diseases and certain cancers, erase pain, and ease anxiety, depression, allergies, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. Over the long term, they can also reduce the burden of dementia, epilepsy, stroke, Parkinsons disease, schizophrenia and autism. This guidebook explains the scientifically proven benefits of dogs, and youll learn how dogs: change the human brain so it reacts and thinks differently; improve the immune system to make you more resilient than dog deprived individuals; boost and invigorate the human spirit and secure happiness; promote a life of longevity and healthiness. Stop looking for fancy remedies to physical and mental problems, and start looking for a dog wagging its tail. Tap into a natural method to survive and thrive by learning about the fascinating connections between Dogs & Human Health.

The Grace of Dogs

Author: Andrew Root
Publisher: Convergent Books
ISBN: 0451497619
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of Inside of a Dog and Marley & Me, a smart, illuminating, and entertaining read on why the dog-human relationship is unique--and possibly even "spiritual." Dr. Andrew Root's search for the canine soul began the day his eight-year-old son led the family in a moving Christian ritual at the burial service for Kirby, their beloved black lab. In the coming weeks, Root found himself wondering: What was this thing we'd experienced with this animal? Why did the loss hurt so poignantly? Why did his son's act seem so right in its sacramental feel? In The Grace of Dogs, Root draws on biology, history, theology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), and paleontology to trace how in our mutual evolution, humans and dogs have so often helped each other to become more fully ourselves. Root explores questions like: Do dogs have souls? Is it accurate to say that dogs "love" us? What do psychology and physiology say about why we react to dogs in the way that we do? The Grace of Dogs paints a vivid picture of how, beyond sentimentality, the dog-human connection can legitimately be described as "spiritual"--as existing not for the sake of gain, but for the unselfish desire to be with and for the other, and to remind us that we are persons worthy of love and able to share love. In this book for any parent whose kids have asked if they'll see Fido in Heaven, or who has looked their beloved dog in the face and wondered what's going on in there, Dr. Root delivers an illuminating and heartfelt read that will change how we understand man's best friend.