Zen Heart: What I've Learned From Animals and Life

Description

The life and work of animal behaviourist Mark Vette - plus the dogs, cats, pukekos, wolves, horses, rats and other animals he has worked with! A cheeky baboon, a cockatoo sending a heading dog out to round up sheep, a family of pukekos crossing the road, a dog saying 'bugger', an octopus taking a photo. Think of an ad you love, or a New Zealand-made movie, and if it has an animal in it chances are Mark Vette was behind it. He's trained almost every species you can think of. But the famous animal behaviourist and trainer who captured global attention with 'Dogs Who Drive Cars' and 'Dogs Who Fly Planes' is not just an animal maestro. He's a long-time Buddhist, who brings to his relationships with animals a true emotional bond, enormous respect, and the sure knowledge that we humans are just one piece of this great, interconnected puzzle we call Life on Earth. This is his story, and the stories of the animals he has worked with over the decades. From a classic Kiwi childhood of outdoor activities and sport, with plenty of time on the farm, through a growing conviction that killing animals wasn't for him, to his embracing of Buddhism and his developing work with animals of all kinds, Mark's life and beliefs unfold in a thoroughly relatable way - with jaw-dropping and laugh-out-loud moments thrown in.

Mark Vette is an animal psychologist and zoologist who has been studying and working with animals for 40 years. He runs an animal behaviour clinic and has created a companion online training program called Dog Zen. He has been on several popular television programs and has trained animals for many iconic New Zealand commercials, from the Toyota 'bugger' dog, to the pukekos in the Genesis ads. His first book, Dog Zen, has sold over 10,000 copies. Puppy Zen, his second book, is well on its way to doing the same.