Shaggy Dog Stories

Archive for the ‘books’ Category

Sorry for the delay in announcing the lucky winnahs for our last giveaway. You probably thought I went to Westminster, but I was whooping it up in New Orleans at the annual Krewe of Barkus parade. (More to follow, including pictures!)

Anyway… remember our wonderful gift basket giveaway from Mutt Nose Best?

Our original winnah never responded, so we held a second random drawing. Congrats to Kathy Kiley — who is already a devoted fan of Mutt Nose Best products — for being our second randomly-drawn winnah! Kathy got back in touch in record time, so she’ll be enjoying the gift basket in no time!

Congrats also to Sheila Schimpf and Judi Steele for winning copies of David Frei’s Angel on a Leash! I was going to give away just one copy, but Judi’s comment about her Finnish Lapphund Denali was so compelling that I’m sending her my copy. Animal-assisted therapy is great work, and I wish had a copy of David Frei’s book for everyone who has ever expressed an interest.

All the packages will be going out in the mail this week, and I promise not to run away to warmer climes again until they’ve been mailed!

It’s February, and you know what that means — it’s almost time for the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! (More rhapsodizing on my other blog to come soon.)

David Frei, the voice of the Westminster Kennel Club and its Director of Communications, lends his extensive knowledge of the world of dog shows to the show for the 23rd year in a row. For the other 364 days a year (this is a leap year), David is also known as an author, a speaker, and the founder of the pet-assisted therapy organization, Angel on a Leash.

Frei’s book, also entitled Angel on a Leash, should inspire anyone considering work in pet-assisted therapy. He describes the circumstances that brought him, with his wife Cherilyn and their Brittanys Belle and Teigh, from Seattle to New York. When he joined the Westminster Kennel Club, he was able to parlay his experience in therapy dog work and an idea for community outreach into a pet-assisted therapy program for dogs and children at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York and at the Ronald McDonald House (where Cherilyn was the chaplain). Soon, dog-handler teams from Angel on a Leash were visiting multiple hospitals (including facilities in Portland, OR and Milwaukee, WI) — including some that had never allowed therapy teams before.

The book is filled with anecdotes — about the patients and their interactions with the dogs, about lessons learned on visits, about New York landmarks, about Angel benefits and awards ceremonies, about David Frei’s role as a dog show judge on Sex and the City… but most of all, about the dogs. The Freis’ own Brittanys Teigh and Belle take center stage, of course, followed by their Grace and Angel, Dakota the Golden, and many other canine characters. Some of the Westminster Best in Show winners have taken to therapy-dog careers after their big wins, including Uno the Beagle, Rufus the Colored Bull Terrier, Stump the Sussex Spaniel, and Hickory the Scottish Deerhound.

Angel on a Leash is a testament to the healing power of animals, and to the seeming miracles they can perform simply by doing what they always do: offering unconditional love.

For more information about the organization, Angel on a Leash, visit their website.

Angel on a Leash therapy dogs are certified through the Delta Society. Other nationally-based pet assisted therapy certifying organizations include Therapy Dogs International and Therapy Dogs, Inc..

Want to Be Inspired?

We’re giving away a copy of Angel on a Leash to a lucky winnah! All you have to do is follow these Wicked Simple Rules:

Wicked Simple Rules

1. Visit the Facebook fan page for Angel on a Leash and give them a Like.
2. If you haven’t done so already, please stop by the Shaggy Dog Stories Facebook page and leave us a Like, too.
3. Leave a comment here on the blog about why you’d like to read the book. Comments left on the Facebook page, alas, do not count.

As always, the lucky winnah is drawn at random by comment number, using a number-picking script.

Closing date for the drawing is Wednesday, February 8.

Congratulations to Christa McChancy for winning the free copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide! Christa’s comment was chosen at random by comment number, using a number-picking script.

Are you bummed that you didn’t win this time? Don’t despair. We have more books coming soon!

Charlie Brown is officially a three-time cancer survivor at age 14 ½. He’s had spindle cell carcinomas, all of which were slow-growing and easily enough removed with good margins. Spindle cell carcinomas originate in the spindle cells in the muscle layer; his were relatively superficial. You might say that he’s a lucky dog. We can also credit good breeding (his parents were both long-lived, and at least one grandparent made it to 17), a healthy environment, plenty of exercise, and good quality food.

Because we have a survivor in the family, I eagerly accepted an invitation to review the second edition of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide. The book is already a best-seller on Amazon in both softcover and Kindle editions, and as part of the Dog Cancer Kit.

Veterinarian Dr. Damian Dressler and veterinary oncologist Dr. Susan Ettinger cram an astonishing amount of information, expertise, explanations, and even coping mechanisms into just shy of 500 pages. Don’t let the sheer size of the volume discourage you, though. The book has been written and formatted to resemble the popular “Dummies” books, and the information works much the same way. There is a lot of information to absorb, sure, but you’ll get it all in plain English.

If I had to distill the book’s instructions into two sentences, I might choose these: “First, do whatever you can to get a grip on yourself. Then, do everything within your power to give your dog the best life possible — and there’s a lot you can do.”

It’s not bad advice. If you’ve received a diagnosis from your vet with the word “cancer” in it, the natural reaction is to feel as though you’ve been punched in the stomach, and that your best friend is about to die in front of you. Dr. Dressler reminds you that your dog is still there with you, and in order to be the best possible health advocate and cancer fighter for your dog, you need to get past the emotions of that horrific word “cancer” and get ready to give the disease both barrels (in Dressler’s words, “Full Spectrum Care.”). He also gives advice on how to help your dog to be in the best frame of mind for healing.

Chapters of the book describe both traditional and alternative approaches in detail, including what to expect both before and after the therapy. There are herbs and supplements, a cancer-fighting diet formulated in such a manner as to reduce the environmental carcinogens as much as possible, simple (but potentially helpful) advice, such as not feeding your dog from a plastic dish (I’ve been a fan of stainless steel for many years), managing the side effects of treatment, and even links to some financial resources and ideas. The appendices are loaded with information on herbs and supplements, veterinary medical references, and scads of other helpful material. Some chapters, such as those that discuss quality of life and euthanasia, are hard to read, but they simply and honestly discuss what you’ll need to consider.

Dr. Ettinger’s chapters are essential, just-the-facts information about specific, common types of cancers: description, diagnosis, prognosis, common therapies, and, at the end of each, “The Bottom Line.” If you hear a diagnosis of cancer, these chapters are the ones to seek out first in order to fully understand your enemy.

A number of related web-based resources have sprung up around the book, including a site with over 40 special videos (with transcripts) on specific types of cancers, and the Dog Cancer Blog (where the original e-book first edition of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide was created and sold).

To be honest, the book is not without warts. Dressler uses the AR-icky term “guardian” to denote a dog owner — oooh, excuse me: “pet parent” — who loves his dog enough to be the dog’s best health advocate. The rest of you are mere “dog lovers.” Poo on you. Also a bit off-putting were the frequent and fervent testimonials planted throughout the book. Although some contained genuinely useful information, their presence (combined with the section on backlash from other members of the veterinary community) gives the appearance of approval-seeking from the reader — not what you really need from an authoritative reference. Unless one happens to be religious, the inclusion of prayer as a medical therapy leaves one wondering whether or not voodoo might be listed next. Use it if it works for you, but please don’t sell it as science. To Dressler’s credit, the numerous commercials through the book for his cancer-fighting supplement Apocaps are balanced by an honest discussion of the supplement’s contents and what each component does.

I worked for a while as a web developer for a virtual office company, creating marketing sites almost exactly like dogcancer.tv. The experience taught me a great deal about online marketing and sales, audience analysis, targeted use of free content, and how to keep a casual reader’s attention long enough to (hopefully) persuade that reader to become a customer — and after that, a repeat customer. One other thing it taught me was to be wary of any website that uses a lot of black and red text in the Impact font, centered, on white, with arrows and autoplaying video. Whether you know it or not, that site is out to sell you something. Just sayin’.

That said, the book itself genuinely lives up to its tagline, “If your dog has cancer, you need this book.” Don’t just read it once, though. Read it multiple times, as many as you need to be absolutely clear about what you’re going to do next. Refer to it again and again. The book is not intended as a substitute for a veterinarian’s care, but use it to work with your vet as part of your dog’s medical team. Even if you don’t agree with everything you read, there is enough genuine, helpful, simply stated information in the book to help you weigh all your options and decide on the best treatment plan.

Even if your dog doesn’t have cancer, you need this book — especially if you happen to have a breed (or mix of breeds) that is predisposed to developing cancer. Read it, and then keep it handy on your reference shelf. You never know when someone you know will need some common-sense advice on how to beat an all-too-common disease.

Want a Copy?

We’re giving away a copy of this fascinating sourcebook for your reference shelf! All you have to do is follow these Wicked Simple Rules…

Wicked Simple Rules

1. Like the Dog Cancer Survival Guide on Facebook. If you like, download the free Dog Cancer Diet e-book.
2. While you’re there, come on over and Like the Shaggy Dog Stories fan page.
3. Leave a comment on this blog saying why you’d like to have this book. Comments on Facebook are always appreciated, but they don’t count toward the entries.

As always, we use a random-number-picking script to find our lucky winnah by comment number.

Entries close on Monday, January 23.

Congrats to Julie Chalpan, author of Titan’s Tales, for being the winnah of the copy of Awkward Family Pet Photos!

Congrats also to Laura Tappero for winning the copy of Following Atticus. The original winnah never responded, so we held a second random drawing and Laura won.

Didn’t win this time? Don’t worry. Wait till you see all of the dog toys and other great stuff we’re giving away in upcoming posts!

Big Shout-Out!

Today I received the nicest card in the mail for the holidays…

…and it came with hand-written thanks from the folks at Mr. Chewy! This might be a first. Thanks, guys!

Listen Up… It’s really important to note that Mr. Chewy does listen when customers and reviewers speak. You might remember from my review that I liked everything about the company — prices, selection, speed, and customer service — but that I couldn’t support them further because of their support for the Humane Society of the United States. I recommended that Mr. Chewy find organizations that actually help animals instead of just themselves, and they did! They even picked Bide-a-Wee, which is an actual animal shelter! If you’re in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area, you can actually go down to Wantagh and look into the eyes of the animals those donations are helping. Well done, Mr. Chewy!

You have them. I have them. Everybody we know has them. Maybe they’re hidden in a shoebox someplace. Maybe a family member is just waiting to post one to Facebook and tag you in it on your next birthday — just when you thought you’d successfully lived down the hairstyle you had in 1982! (Actually, this photo was taken in 1991 or 92. That’s Duncan, my second Beardie.)

Awkward Family Photos, and its equally successful and hilarious sister website Awkward Family Pet Photos, are THE go-to websites for whenever you’re having a bad day. No matter how tough things are where you are, you can’t help but burst out laughing when you view some of the classic photos on each site! (Don’t try this at work. I’m warning you now.) Part of the laughter is schadenfreude; no matter how bad your old awkward photos might be, they have to go pretty far to match some of these beauties!

Based on the extreme popularity of the Awkward sites, authors Mike Bender and Doug Chernack have recently released the Awkward Family Pet Photos book. The book contains some of the finest examples of glorious awkwardness from the AFPP site — plus never-before-seen photos, essays, and graphics.

Awkward Family Pet Photos contains family portraits with dogs, cats, rats, ferrets, pigs, horses, chickens, reptiles… you name it. There are birthday party photos, Christmas card photos, candid kid photos, and not a few wedding photos of varying vintages. Each one is even cackle-out-loud funnier than the last.

Of course, the one thing all these photos have in common is that they show how attached we are to our pets. They’re members of the family, so of course they should be included in the family portraits! Even if we dress them in ridiculous outfits and make them do silly things in front of the camera, they still love us. They might even love us more for all our goofiness.

This book is practically irresistible — just leave it someplace, and people will pick it up, open it, and start to laugh. Even before I had the chance to open my review copy, Greg picked it up and started cracking up at the photos inside. He never messes with the dog stuff, but he just couldn’t resist the pull of Awkward Family Pet Photos.

Just for the fun of it, I decided to test the irresistible nature of Awkward Family Pet Photos in the least funny place I know: the office. I took my review copy to work, left it on a corner of my cubicle, and waited.

The first person to pick up the book was a co-worker who is also a devoted cat lover. Her reactions to the photos ran the gamut from “Oh, that is SO wrong!” to helpless giggles to “Really? A capybara?!”. The other folks to pick up the book experienced a similar spectrum of reactions, heavy on the giggle end. Everyone found something that was just too funny for words. Invariably, they’d just point to the photo and dissolve into still more laughter.

I am absolutely taking my copy along when I visit my family this week. I guarantee you that everyone will get a Mastiff-sized charge out of it.

You can find the book in all of the usual outlets, such as Amazon (they have a Kindle edition!) and Barnes & Noble, or you can order it directly from the store on the website.

You Know You Want a Copy!

Yes, that’s right. I can’t possibly keep all this awkwardness to myself, so I’m giving away a copy of Awkward Family Pet Photos right here on the blog! You probably know the drill by now, but here are the Wicked Simple Rules for the giveaway…

Wicked Simple Rules

1. Leave a comment on the blog. Describe the most awkward photo you’ve ever had taken with a pet. Facebook comments, while welcome, don’t count toward the prize.
2. Like the Awkward Family Pet Photos page on Facebook. If you do this, come on back to the blog and leave another comment for an additional entry.
3. Entries close on Friday, December 2.

I’m not the hiker in our family — that honor has to go to Greg — but I’ve spent some time hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here’s a photo of Badger in the Alpine Garden on Mount Washington from a couple of summers ago…

Most of the mountain hikes I do these days with the dogs are limited to puny little hills hardly worth the word “mountain,” but just you try heaving a 55-pound dog over a boulder a few times in an afternoon and see if that doesn’t tire you out for the walk!

All the same, my experiences in the Whites (and Greg’s) made me especially tickled to be able to review Tom Ryan’s Following Atticus. It’s a local story, starring mountains and towns I know. Discovering how other people have walked the same paths makes reading the story even more pleasurable.

Following Atticus is more than just Tom Ryan’s love letter to the White Mountains and to his dog. It’s a tale of change, of transformation.

Ryan begins his adventure story in Newburyport, MA, where his entire life revolves around his work as owner and editor of local paper The Undertoad. He loves his work. He loves the town, its characters, its contentious small-town politics. He enjoys making enemies almost as much as he does making friends. Being the voice of The Undertoad might not make much of a living, but it sure makes a helluva life… until two unrelated events send him on his journey.

The first occurs when, against his better judgment, he adopts a neglected old Miniature Schnauzer named Max. Maxwell Garrison Gillis thrives under Ryan’s care, becoming a local celebrity in his own right and expanding his owner’s world to include what the late Caroline Knapp called a “pack of two.” This is a slippery slope; it’s what leads us to trade Mini Coopers for minivans and to ditch condos for acreage and livestock, just for the dogs. Once that door in your heart opens, you can never close it again.

The second takes place a bit later, when Max’s successor Atticus M. (for Max) Finch accompanies Ryan and his brothers on a hike in the mountains. Atticus proves to be the best hiker of the bunch, and Ryan rediscovers the peace, beauty, and majesty of the mountains. Eventually, small-town life just doesn’t seem to fit as well any more. Ryan’s life and living quarters need to expand to include the entire Presidential Range.

The book and the journey explore other themes, too. Through his trips into the mountains and his love of the Transcendentalists, Ryan rekindles a relationship with his distant and difficult father — and, in the process, discovers how much of his father’s dreams he has inherited.

Ryan and Atticus meet challenges, conquer their fears, and push themselves ever farther to raise funds for the Jimmy Fund and for the MSPCA, in the name of a hiker friend back in Newburyport who succumbed to cancer. They vow to hike all of the forty-eight 4000-foot peaks in the Whites not once, but twice — and in the winter!

Maybe most importantly of all, they discover community, on and off the mountains. When Atticus faces medical challenges, their legions of friends and fans band together to help him get needed vet care in a canine version of the last scenes of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” No man — or dog — is poor who has friends.

Following Atticus the book is more-or-less distilled from Tom Ryan’s hiking blog, The Adventures of Tom and Atticus. If you discover that you can’t get enough after finishing the book, then mosey on over to the blog. Whereas the book is more focused and on-topic, Ryan’s pre-book blog posts often ramble — and the places they go are unexpected treats on their own.

Here’s the book trailer, starring Atticus himself…

Want to Read Following Atticus?

We have a copy to give away! If you want to be transported to the mountains in the company of Tom Ryan and Atticus, then follow these wicked simple rules…

Wicked Simple Rules

• Leave a comment here on the blog and tell me: What is the last dog book you’ve read?
• Please leave the comments on the blog. Facebook comments are always enjoyed and appreciated, but you need to comment on the blog to win the book.
• Like the Following Atticus book page on Facebook.
• Entries close on Friday, November 25.

As always, the winner will be selected at random by comment number.

A short while ago, I reviewed Carol Quinn’s Follow My Lead and gave away a copy to a lucky winnah who will also review the book.

Carol and I had a great conversation about dogs, dog sports, and a zillion other subjects. In addition, she graciously agreed to an email interview. Here’s what we discussed…

Shaggy Dog Stories: APDT (the Association of Pet Dog Trainers) has just created the Valor Project — basically a non-competitive agility league for special needs dogs and handlers, and for anyone else who might not want to compete in AKC/USDAA/NADAC, but who would like to benefit from the advice and camaraderie to be found in an agility club. Have you checked this out yet? If you have, what do you think?

Carol Quinn: I didn’t know about this project until now, and wow — what a great idea! Many dogs can’t handle the stress or physicality of competition, but they can fully enjoy the sport with their handlers.

My focus has always been to learn and have fun, and this league seems as if it’s focused on that. The sport is also so great for dogs. It keeps their minds active, their bodies strong, and deepens the relationship with the handler. It’s also pretty good exercise for owners!

Shaggy Dog Stories: How are you training now that your time with Irina has drawn to a close? Are you working independently, or have you found another trainer?

Carol Quinn: At the moment, we aren’t training in agility. Nairobi is getting older and I think I’m retiring him. I’m ready to start training again with Sheila. I found a new trainer and as soon as the weather is cooler, we’re ready to begin again.

Lately my focus has been obedience training, believe it or not. Ridgebacks aren’t the most obedient dogs, but it is fun to work with them. We train about a half-hour a day. Ridgebacks get bored quickly, and if the “cookies” aren’t good, they completely lose interest. As long as the treats remain tasty, the training sessions are productive.



Shaggy Dog Stories: What are your next goals related to agility training? Do you think trialing will ever be in your future?

Carol Quinn: I’m open to trials, and my next ridgeback (yes, I have my eye on a puppy) will definitely compete. I’ve never enjoyed competition, but I think I’m ready to go out and try my hand at it.



Shaggy Dog Stories: Do you think you’ll try other dog sports, or will you stick with agility since it’s had such a profound effect on you?


Carol Quinn: I want to try lure coursing with Sheila because she has such a strong prey instinct, and she loves to run. You can also muzzle your dogs in coursing, so I won’t worry about Sheila going after one of the other dogs!

Competition isn’t in the cards for these dogs, but I will definitely compete with future dogs. There’s a wonderful ridgeback community in California, and the all-ridgeback agility competitions are really quite funny. Ridgebacks are quite playful — and serious — and their owners appear to have exactly the same qualities. It’s priceless.




Shaggy Dog Stories: How is Sheila’s health?

Carol Quinn: Sheila amazes me. She’s strong and funny; still a handful with other dogs, but her health is phenomenal. Her stamina is impressive, and it’s hard for me to imagine her sick. But any sign of illness still panics me.

Sheila is still on her holistic/Chinese herb protocol, but I think the better nutrition really helped her beat the odds with her disease. It was an important lesson for me to learn; healthy, fresh food makes a huge difference for dogs—and for humans.





Shaggy Dog Stories: What other projects are you working on at the moment?

Carol Quinn: I’m revising the novel I mentioned in Follow My Lead. I really love it, but I’m still tweaking it. And I’ve started a second novel — a light, funny, adventure piece.

I’ve set a goal to have the revised novel, and a credible first draft of the second by December. That’s a lot of writing, but other than running with the dogs, writing is my favorite thing on earth.





Shaggy Dog Stories: Is there anything else you’d like mentioned in the blog?

Carol Quinn: If anyone has read the book (and liked it ) please write an online review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble? Also, come visit FollowMyLeadTheBook.com and read about our progress. On Facebook, we are http://www.facebook.com/FollowMyLeadBook Come like the page, if you’re so inclined On Twitter, you can find us @FollowMyLeadcq.

If you like to get out and do things with your dogs, and if you’re filled with wonder at the depth and transformational power of the human-animal bond, you’ll want to read Follow My Lead. After spending time with Carol, Nairobi, and Sheila, don’t be surprised if your thoughts turn to the life lessons your dogs have taught you.

Congratulations Melanie Mock of Oregon for winning the drawing for the copy of Follow My Lead! Melanie said that she never wins anything, but her luck just changed. The publisher will be sending out her very own copy soon.

Next week is the Bearded Collie Club of America‘s national specialty show, and I’m a member of the hosting club. If there’s time before the festivities get underway, I’ll post another fabulous giveaway (and there are two here just waiting!).

Have a great week, and cross your fingers that we do, too!

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down — very important traits in times like these.

(Robert Benchley, Your Boy and His Dog)

Any experienced dog trainer — especially the ones who teach the beginner and puppy classes — will tell you that the real secret of teaching dog obedience classes lies in training the owners.

Although this concept lies at the heart of Carol Quinn’s Follow My Lead, don’t think for a minute that the book is just about that. The simple-sounding premise (woman at a crossroads in her personal life takes up training her dogs and learns some valuable lessons in the process) unfolds into a love letter to the human/animal bond that’s multi-layered, funny, sad, and philosophical. Along the way, Quinn learns many truths — not always the ones she’d hoped for — about human nature and human frailty. Under the mentorship of a tough cypher of an instructor and with her Rhodesian Ridgebacks to guide her, Quinn manages to parlay the lessons learned on the agility course into useful wisdom for other aspects of her life, too. She learns courage. She learns to ask more from life, and she learns not to settle for what doesn’t work.

Show of hands: Who here has read Karen Pryor’s Don’t Shoot the Dog and then immediately went out and tried to use those same techniques on your family? How many of you ended up confused or frustrated when your family members didn’t respond exactly as the book predicted? Yeah, me too. So did Quinn. She tried it on a longtime lover who had a black hole where his heart should have been, and the experience taught her volumes about things you can fix, things you can’t, and that relationships involve teamwork, too.

As Quinn learns more from her mentor about how to work with her dogs, she discovers that all her relationships evolve — including the one with her instructor and mentor.

You’ll find plenty of situations in Follow My Lead that parallel training tricks you’ve tried or experiences you’ve had, and probably some that lead you to wonder, “Why did she do THAT? I’d have done this…”. That, too, is a lot like life. Whether or not your own experiences track all that closely with Quinn’s, her dog-training-as-metaphor-for-life narrative will lead you to ask questions about yourself, your dogs, and your own life’s journey.

Want to Read It?

We’re giving away a copy of Follow My Lead to one lucky winnah! All you have to do is to follow these Wicked Simple rules…

1. Go visit the Follow My Lead Facebook page and Like it: http://www.facebook.com/FollowMyLeadBook
2. Leave a comment on my blog that answers this question: What is the most important lesson that your dog has taught you?
3. Make sure you leave the comment on the Shaggy Dog Stories blog. Comments on Facebook are always fun and appreciated, but they don’t count.
4. Entries close on Wednesday, September 28.

The winnah will be chosen at random by comment number, by someone who doesn’t even read the blog (and thus has nothing at stake).

What’s Next?

Carol Quinn is still continuing her journey with her dogs. You can read about her adventures on her blog. In a little while, we hope to bring you an interview with Quinn, asking her about what she’s been up to since the book was published.

Until then, enjoy this little teaser video…