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NewsHound 048
October 12, 2006 |
Dear urbanhounders,
Books about dogs are suddenly all the rage. Marley & Me, John Grogan's memoir of life with an exasperating but lovable Lab, has sat pretty on the New York Times best-seller list for nearly a year. Cesar Millan's latest, Cesar's Way, is the topic of sizzling debate on dog-related discussion boards everywhere. Another hit: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe, former head writer for David Letterman.
What's behind this trend? We're not sure, but in the six years since starting urbanhound we've seen a transformation in the relationship between humans and hounds. Dogs, once family pets, are now family. Our dogs don't pout. And they never fail to show gratitude when fed. No wonder we indulge them. No wonder we can't read enough about them.
Here at urbanhound, where we regularly indulge our dogs, we look forward to cozying up with a good dog book just as autumn ushers in shorter, darker days. That's why we've devoted this issue of NewsHound to dog books. Below are the new titles we're stacking up by the easy chair.
Got a dog book you love? Add it to this new thread on our message boards.
Happy reading, yours,
Laura Cavaluzzo (your San Francisco editor) and Nadia Zonis (your New York editor)
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» What rights do you have if your landlord wants to evict you because you have a dog? Urbanhound law expert Darryl Vernon explains.
» Can you take your dog on the subway? The Staten Island Ferry? Metro-North? Our getting around guide gives the lowdown on dog-friendly local transport options.
» Is it OK to give your dog human food? Urbanhound vet Dr. Betsy Brevitz discusses her changing views on the subject and details which foods could harm your hound. |
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When it comes to training books, the choices are plentiful. Both the Complete Idiot's Guide and For Dummies series have released second editions of their dog training guides. Animal behaviorist and dog trainer Patricia McConnell has published For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, and veterinary surgeon David Taylor has come out with Old Dog, New Tricks, a guide to training adult dogs. One of our favorite trainers, Brian Kilcommons, has just published My Smart Puppy, a training guide with a companion DVD.
If heartwarming stories are your passion, you'll find much to love on the shelves, as well. A Three Dog Life is author Abigail Thomas' story of coping with her husband's traumatic brain injury with the emotional support of her dogs. Dog columnist Jon Katz rings in with A Good Dog, about Orson the unpredictable border collie whose saga began with 2002's A Dog Year. In The Dogs Who Found Me, Ken Foster introduces us to the strays that came into his life just when he needed them most. And From Baghdad with Love chronicles a puppy's rescue from war-torn Fallujah by a soft-hearted Marine.
Coffee table books devoted to dogs are everywhere this season. We recommend Shelter Dogs, featuring 50 irresistibly handsome hounds photographed by Traer Scott, and David Hockney's Dog Days, the painter's charming portraits of his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie, newly released in paperback. Another painter-dachshund love affair is recounted in Picasso & Lump, illustrated with photographs by David Douglas Duncan (Lump's original owner) and paintings by Pablo Picasso (with whom Lump came to live).
Dogs continue to make great subjects for children's books. Joy Behar (co-host of The View) and artist Gene Baretta have teamed up to create Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog, about a mixed breed who encounters some imperious purebreds in the dog run. To help teach kids about the responsibility of dog ownership there's Let's Take Care of Our New Dog, by Nuria Roca and Rosa M. Curturo. And the flatulence-prone Walter gives new meaning to breaking wind in the latest entry to the series, Walter the Farting Dog and the Windy Day.
At the risk of looking like we're plugging our own book (which we are) here's one last title. Elle magazine calls it "Dr. Spock for dogs." Dog Fancy says it's "the one book every dog owner should own." In our view, the 480-page Hound Health Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Dog Happy, Healthy & Active by urbanhound.com's own Dr. Betsy Brevitz, and now available in paperback, is indispensable.
Our next issue of NewsHound will return to listing canine events. If there's an event you'd like us to mention in the next NewsHound, please email us.
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You wouldn't think the outcome of November's elections to the New York State Senate and Assembly would have much effect on hounds. But these government bodies handle a surprising number of laws, from funding for no-kill shelters to rights for tenants with pets, that should matter to all NYC dog people. If you're interested in helping out a pet-friendly candidate in the weeks before the election, or if you'd just like to know where the candidates in your district stand, visit the League of Humane Voters of NYC. If you're not registered to vote, you still have time. Download a form here and drop it in the mail by tomorrow, October 13.
President Bush signed an important national hound-related law last week. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act is designed to prevent the kind of heartbreaking pet abandonment that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. It requires that states and cities include pets in their disaster plans. More details from The Humane Society of the United States.
We're not listing events in this issue of NewsHound (keep an eye out for our guide to Halloween happenings all over town in our next edition), and we listed this event in our last issue, but it is just too good not to mention again. The annual Central Park Country Fair is this Saturday, October 14, from 11 AM to 4 PM in the middle of the Park at 72nd Street. One of the biggest hound events of the year, the Fair includes games, contests, prizes, and general hound fun. The weather for Saturday is predicted to be crisp and sunny, in other words a perfect autumn day in New York. For more current canine events, consult NewsHound 047.
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Copyright (c) 2006 urbanhound, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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