Animals

Deciding to have a dog live under the same roof and share our house and our life entails a series of important assessments, including understanding the canine world. Getting a puppy is a big decision, so this book aims to help you learn about their needs as they grow. Learn important skills and knowledge about dogs that will better prepare you and make your dog happy, such as how to:

Are you considering becoming a beekeeper, or ever wondered what it would be like to have your own beehives? Maybe you want to produce fresh honey for your family, or increase the yield of your garden through better pollination. Master Beekeeper Charlotte Anderson gives you all the fundamentals of becoming a successful beekeeper and more in Buzz into Beekeeping. Learn how to:

An uplifting and unforgettable story of a US Marine, his extraordinary dog, and the road trip of a lifetime.

A beautiful, beautiful book. -- Jenna Bush Hager

When US Marine Rob Kugler returns from war he had given up not only a year of his life in service to his country, but he had also lost a brother in the fighting as well. Lost in grief, Rob finds solace and relief in the one thing that never fails to put a smile on his face: his chocolate lab Bella. Exceptionally friendly, and always with - you wouldn't believe it - a smile on her face, Bella is the friend Rob needs, and they spend their days exploring nature and taking photos.

But then Bella develops a limp in her front leg. It's cancer, and the prognosis isn't good. Rob has a choice, either to let Bella go now, or amputate her cancer riddled leg, and see what the next few months would bring.

For Rob, the choice is a no-brainer, and instead of waiting at home for the cancer to spread, Rob and Bella pack their bags and hit the road. Life is short, but the road ahead is long and winding, and as they criss-cross the country Rob and Bella meet remarkable, life-changing men and women who are quick to make friends with this incredible three-legged dog. A Dog Named Beautiful is a book full of inspiration, hope, love, tears, and laughs. Enjoy the journey.

He fires up the Nikon. Fills his pockets with treats. Dresses in special gear--pants with built-in kneepads and shoes that are not only made for walking but also have a thick rubber toe for squatting. And last but not least, he packs a squeaky tennis ball. And then The Dogist is off, combing the streets in his quest to find dogs to photograph. Or, as has been the case for the past four years, puppies. Bringing his singular eye and sensibility to photographing puppies from birth to age one, Elias Weiss Friedman, aka The Dogist, captures hundreds of fuzzy faces to love and little furry bodies to covet. The Dogist Puppies is a celebration of oversize puppy paws and floppy puppy ears, puppies getting belly rubs and puppies unsure, exactly, of what that tail thing is for. Puppies at play, and puppies worn out from playing. Litters of puppies with their mom, and puppies with their human equivalents--children. Puppies in fancy outfits, and those poignant puppies having to wear the "cone of shame." Friedman has also taken a deep dive into breeds: Border Collies and Westies, Frenchies and Huskies, Boxers and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, whose tender gaze looks just a little worried--perhaps concerned about living up to that name. The Dogist's new focus is on puppies. What more do you need to know?

Discover the hidden world of the fabled yet enigmatic fox

"[An] ode to this familiar yet mysterious creature. ... The sight of foxes can lift Brand's prose into poetry. ... Brand is by turns lyrical, salty, funny and scholarly as she describes the nuances of fox existence." --New York Times Book Review

The fox. For thousands of years myth and folklore have celebrated its cunning intelligence. Today the red fox is the nature's most populous carnivore, its dancing orange tail a common sight in backyards. Yet who is this wild neighbor, truly? How do we negotiate this uneasy new chapter of an ancient relationship? Join British ecologist Adele Brand on a journey to discover the surprising secrets of the fabled fox, the familiar yet enigmatic creature that has adapted to the human world with astonishing--some say, unsettling--success.

Brand has studied foxes for twenty years across four continents--from the Yucatán rainforest to India's remote Thar Desert, from subarctic Canada to metropolitan London. Her observations have convinced her that the fox is arguably the most modern of all wildlife, uniquely suited to survival in the rapidly expanding urban/wild interface. Blending cutting-edge science, cultural anthropology, and intimate personal storytelling drawn from her own remarkable fieldwork, The Hidden World of the Fox is Brand's rich and revelatory portrait of the extraordinary animal she has devoted her life to understanding.The fox. For thousands of years myth and folklore have celebrated its cunning intelligence. Today the red fox is the nature's most populous carnivore, its dancing orange tail a common sight in backyards. Yet who is this wild neighbor, truly? How do we negotiate this uneasy new chapter of an ancient relationship? Join British ecologist Adele Brand on a journey to discover the surprising secrets of the fabled fox, the familiar yet enigmatic creature that has adapted to the human world with astonishing--some say, unsettling--success.

Horses are sensitive creatures with hearts ten times larger than humans and much more to share with us than meets the eye. Life Lessons from the Heart of Horses offers poignant short stories about the trials and tribulations of befriending horses. Equine expert Kathy Pike brings you on a healing journey that includes lessons a wild horse taught her, how horses teach humans in her equine facilitated learning programs, and personal insights about living off the land and engaging with the dynamics of a herd each day.

Every story in this inspirational book highlights lessons about trust, surrender, timing, and building relationships. Some stories are light and playful, others are insightful, and some are even a bit heart-wrenching, bringing you on the journey as if you are in direct relationship with each horse. Questions offered after each chapter invite you to apply this book's lessons to your own life or relationships.

Life Lessons from the Heart of Horses will deepen any horse lover's understanding of the invisible and emotional bond between horse and human.

We keep dogs and are kept by them. We love dogs and (we assume) we are loved by them. We buy them sweaters, toys, shoes; we are concerned with their social lives, their food, and their health. The story of humans and dogs is thousands of years old but is far from understood. In Our Dogs, Ourselves, Alexandra Horowitz explores all aspects of this unique and complex relationship that "dog lovers will savor and absorb" (Shelf Awareness).

As Horowitz considers the current culture of dogdom, she reveals the odd, surprising, and contradictory ways we live with dogs. We celebrate their individuality but breed them for sameness. Despite our deep emotional relationships with dogs, legally they are property to be bought, sold, abandoned, or euthanized as we wish. Even the way we speak to our dogs is at once perplexing and delightful.

In thirteen thoughtful and charming chapters, Our Dogs, Ourselves affirms our profound affection for this most charismatic of animals--and makes us "see canine companions in new ways" (Science News).

Yet that realization hasn't yet made its presence felt to any great degree in our most intimate relationship with animals: at the dinner table. Sure, there are vegetarians and vegans all over, but at the same time, meat consumption is up, and meat remains a central part of the culinary and dining experience for the majority of people in the developed world.

With Personalities on the Plate, Barbara King asks us to think hard about our meat eating--and how we might reduce it. But this isn't a polemic intended to convert readers to veganism. What she is interested in is why we've not drawn food animals into our concern and just what we do know about the minds and lives of chickens, cows, octopuses, fish, and more. Rooted in the latest science, and built on a mix of firsthand experience (including entomophagy, which, yes, is what you think it is) and close engagement with the work of scientists, farmers, vets, and chefs, Personalities on the Plate is an unforgettable journey through the world of animals we eat. Knowing what we know--and what we may yet learn--what is the proper ethical stance toward eating meat? What are the consequences for the planet? How can we life an ethically and ecologically sound life through our food choices?

We could have no better guide to these fascinatingly thorny questions than King, whose deep empathy embraces human and animal alike. Readers will be moved, provoked, and changed by this powerful book.

When Chris McDougall agreed to take in a donkey from an animal hoarder, he thought it would be no harder than the rest of the adjustments he and his family had made after moving from Philadelphia to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. But when he arrived, Sherman was in such bad shape he could barely move, and his hair was coming out in clumps. Chris decided to undertake a radical rehabilitation program designed not only to heal Sherman's body but to heal his mind as well. It turns out the best way to soothe a donkey is to give it a job, and so Chris decided to teach Sherman how to run. He'd heard about burro racing--a unique type of race where humans and donkeys run together in a call-back to mining days--and decided he and Sherman would enter the World Championship in Colorado.

Easier said than done. In the course of Sherman's training, Chris would have to recruit several other runners, both human and equine, and call upon the wisdom of burro racers, goat farmers, Amish running club members, and a group of irrepressible female long-haul truckers. An entire community comes together to help save Sherman and, along the way, Chris shows us the joy of a life with animals.

As suggested by its title, this ridiculous book is a sleeping aid which harnesses the relaxing power of cute animals. Well, wait--haven't you heard? The secret to a happy and fulfilled life is to just get eight hours of sleep per night. Except there's one big catch: getting a good sleep is borderline impossible in our current snoozing climate. We've got smartphones forever by our bedside--complete with the blue-light temptation of scrolling through social media till sunrise. There's only one solution: turn off the phone, and flick instead through this therapeutic book of snoozy animals. They will coo you into sleepy submission.

As its title subtly suggests, this book is literally just pictures of snoozing animals. Some of the lil' sleepy sweeties featured include resting raccoons, cats having a catnap, napping numbats, siesta-ing seals, drowsy dingoes, slumbering sloths, and zebras catching some much-needed Zs. Toward these furry angels we must turn in these dire times of sleeplessness to get a good night's sleep of our own.

This book is the follow-up-of-sorts to the hugely successful and totally adorable This Book Is Literally Just Pictures of Cute Animals That Will Make You Feel Better.

We often consider dogs to be our enduring sidekicks but the truth is domestic pigs have played a role in our lives for nearly as long.

Pigs are highly social and smart. They like to play. They're inventive, crafty and belligerent - and incredibly singleminded.

Ultimately, we have far more in common with these creatures than we like to admit.

Here is a charming ode to one of the most common, yet surprisingly intelligent, animals populating our landscapes. In this gentle and illuminating study, Matt Whyman embarks on a journey to uncover the heart and soul of an animal brimming with more energy, intelligence and playfulness than he could ever have imagined.

In his bid to understand what makes a pig tick, having climbed a steep learning curve as a keeper himself, Whyman meets a veterinary professor and expert in pig emotion, as well as a spirited hill farmer whose world revolves around hogs and sows.

Packed with fascinating research and delightful anecdotes, this entertaining and informative celebration of all things porcine covers everything from evolution, behaviour and communication to friendship, loyalty and broken hearts - uncovering a surprising notion of family along the way.