For the Love of Dogs: True Stories of Amazing Dogs and the People Who Love Them

Description

Make no bones about it: If a dog rules your home--and your heart--you'll love this compelling, laugh-out-loud, and tear-jerking collection of true stories of some incredible, endearing, and courageous canines. With chapters on Four-Legged Family Members, The Common Bond, Teachers and Healers, and Unconditional Love, For the Love of Dogs reveals the many ways our dogs enrich our lives emotionally, physically, and spiritually. For example, Rocky is a trouble-making Golden Retriever pup who redeems himself when he saves an unsuspecting toddler's life; Hart is a Labrador who helps a traumatized teen find her voice; and Jazz is an agility dog whose fighting spirit and supportive family enabled her to beat her toughest competition--a cancer diagnosis. On the lighter side, there are humorous stories about dogs like Stewie, who was sold to his new owner as a purebred Yorkie. Soon, when this supposed 'toy breed' maxes out at twenty pounds, Stewie reveals his true identity as a $750 mutt. Even so, Stewie's owner doesn't mind the price, the pedigree, or sharing his postage stamp-sized place, because Stewie has captured his heart. For the Love of Dogs is a "paws"-itively captivating read for anyone who's crazy about canines.

Marty Becker, DVM, is passionate about his work fostering the affection and connection between animals and people that he calls, "The Bond." He has given talks to enthusiastic crowds of veterinarians and pet lovers around the world, and is in demand as a keynote speaker. Dr. Becker is regularly featured on ABC-TV's, Good Morning America and is the resident veterinarian on The Dr. Oz Show. He is a contributing pet-care writer for Parade magazine, and frequent veterinary contributor to The Martha Stewart Show. He also co-writes the award-winning weekly column on pets and their care, PetConnection, which appears in newspapers across the United States and Canada through the Universal Press Syndicate. Becker is also the host of "The Pet Doctor" on PBS. He has been named Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year for the U.S. by the Delta Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association, and also coauthored fourteen pet books that have sold over six million copies including Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, bowWOW and The New York Times bestseller Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet? Marty and his family enjoy life in Northern Idaho and share Almost Heaven Ranch with four barn cats, three dogs, and four Quarter Horses. Gina Spadafori coauthors, along with Dr. Marty Becker, an award-winning, nationally syndicated, weekly column on pets and their care and is a contributing pet-care writer for Parade magazine. She is a bestselling author of several pet books including the New York Times bestseller Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet? and Dogs for Dummies. The first edition of Dogs for Dummies received the President's Award for the best writing on dogs by the Dog Writers Association of America. She has served on the board of directors for both the Dog Writers' Association of America and the Cat Writers' Association of America. Gina lives in Sacramento, CA. Carol Kline has been a freelance writer for more than fifteen years. She is an animal welfare advocate and serves on the advisory board of the Noah's Ark Animal Foundation, in Fairfield, Iowa, a volunteer effort that saves lost, stray, and abandoned cats and dogs. She has coauthored several books on a variety of topics, including the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Happy for No Reason, and Love for No Reason. Mikkel Becker is the resident dog trainer on Vetstreet.com. She is an honors graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA, the Purdue University Dogs course, and the Karen Pryor Academy. She has worked as a canine evaluator for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, where she tours shelters looking for homeless dogs to turn into lifesaving search dogs. She provides private behavior consultations and group classes for dog owners. She is a pet expert for Scholastic Magazine and has been a contributing author to Parade magazine, Knight-Ridder newspapers, and Cat Fancy.