Jenna & Snickers

Jenna & Snickers Promote Humane Education and Responsible Dog Ownership

Book Reviews by Jenna & Snickers

Reviews and recommendations of books related to dog behavior, companion animal welfare, sheltering, rescue, and responsible dog ownership.

Jenna Gates

Book Review: Misfits by Deborah M. Guske

Misfits: Tales of a Dog Rescuer
A Handbook for Dog Rescuers

by Deborah M. Guske

[rating:2.0]Misfits, a dog rescue handbook

Several people have suggested that I should write a book about rescue – a dog rescue handbook or manual on how to start a non-profit rescue organization. I decided to look for an existing book that fits the bill. I purchased the Kindle Edition of Misfits as the first possibility for review.

The first 40% of Misfits didn’t interest me at all, as it was simply a compilation of personal stories about some of the author’s various foster dogs. The stories do contain some good medical info (sourced from other books and websites) however, which could be very useful to some readers.

The next 20% of the book has excellent information for volunteers new to rescue. Although the author’s writing style is disorganized and the book was apparently not proofread before being e-published, the information contained in the center chapters is valuable enough to justify purchasing and reading the book. It gives an overview of, and sound advice regarding, owner surrenders, transports, fostering, adoption applications, home visits, insurance and inevitable euthanasia.

The last portion of the book contains a toxic plant list, a list of internal parasites, and the reference list (mostly for the medical info quoted in the first portion). This could be a handy reference for someone new to rescue and fostering to have on hand.

Misfits can’t be used as a guide for starting a rescue organization, but it IS a very good introduction to the rescue world and a decent quick-reference for health issues. Reading this book could help prepare new rescue volunteers and also help them understand some of what is involved in the “business” of rescue.

Misfits is available from Amazon as a Kindle ebook.

Jenna Gates

Book Review: How Dogs Think by Stanley Coren

How Dogs Think
What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do

by Stanley Coren

[rating:4.5]How Dogs Think book cover image

In any and all training and behavior endeavors, my primary interest is understanding as much as possible about what Snickers is communicating to me and how he is perceiving what I am trying to communicate to him. Several of my recent book purchases have been on this subject. When I picked this book up in the store, I was impressed by the following three testimonials on the cover.

"Coren’s love for dogs shines like a beacon throughout this thoughtful and fascinating exploration of the mind of a dog."
      – Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D., author of The Other End of the Leash

"The thinking dog owner’s guide to everything they ever wanted to know about their dog. Truths expanded, myths exposed, common sense prevailing. Dr. Coren tells it the way it is. Two dew claws up for the this excellent book."
      – Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, DVA, author of The Dog Who Loved Too Much and If Only They Could Speak

"Meticulously researched, highly readable, and essential for anyone who loves and lives with a dog."
      – Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year

Of course, I brought it home and read it and now I have my own good things to say about it.

How Dogs Think is full of details about the physiology of dogs’ perceptions. I’ve always known that dogs don’t see, hear, feel, taste and smell the same way we do, but I didn’t have any information on how they do experience the world. After reading this book, I have a much better idea of how dogs experience their environment (and our actions), why they react the way they do and how they communicate back to the world. If you want to learn as much as you can about how your dog interprets and responds to the world around him, add this book to your library (and read it). Here are a few interesting facts and quotes from the book.

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