THE DOG :: David Alderton

This book is billed as "Finding Your Forever." First, it's a well put-together book, easy to use, beautiful photos on slick pages. Second, please, please, please don't use this book to pick your forever dog.

This book is easy to use, which is great. But finding the right dog isn't as easy as turning to the "Family Friendly" section or the "Good Mixers" section. The latter, for example, sends the reader to, among other dogs, the Spinone Italiano. Granted dog lovers may be acquainted with the breed, and the book does point out its "stamina must be appreciated." But to put a working dog in a section for "good mixers" and then provide some details in the fine print doesn't seem fair to the looker or the dog.

Ease of use does not mean proper use. Finding the right breed shouldn't be easy. So if you use this book, it might be a great place to start, but it shouldn't be your decision-maker. The quizzes at the end, intended to send people to some recommended breeds based on answers to certain questions, would have me own a German Shepherd. I love Shepherds, but they would NOT be the right dog for me, especially at this point in my life.

Pointing new dog searchers to the Lagotto Romagnolo (an Italian truffle-hunting breed) doesn't do anyone any favors. If you're curious about breeds and stats, rifle through this. There is some good information and great pictures. But use it as a jumping off point, don't take a short quiz and go shopping. And my ultimate recommendation? Think hard about what you want in a dog and visit your local rescues.(The book does, to its credit, discuss mutts). They often have foster programs and those people know what their dogs are like. Want a running partner? A dog you can leave alone at home? Kid friendly? They'll usually know if you have a reputable company. I love purebreds. I've had several. I've also had numerous rescues and I've loved them all. There are hard parts and easy parts to each. It is, or should be, a lifelong decision. I'll get off my box now, but I'll be honest that this book irked me a bit.

HERO DOGS :: Wilma Melville

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is reprinted here with permission.

The 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., killed 168 people. When retired teacher and grandmother of six Wilma Melville showed up with her search-and-rescue dog Murphy, there wasn't much to be done. At the time, there was a woeful nationwide shortage of search teams--only 15, a fraction of what was needed. Knowing more dogs would save lives, Melville created the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation with an unspoken goal of certifying 168 SAR teams--one for each soul lost in Oklahoma City.

Hero Dogs: How a Pack of Rescues, Rejects, and Strays Became America's Greatest Disaster-Search Partners is the astonishing story of how one tenacious woman, helped by a legendary dog trainer and some willing firefighters, fashioned a three-dog pilot program that revolutionized disaster response. Without funding for selectively bred dogs, Wilma was forced to turn to the rejected and allegedly defective. Though she "[doesn't] exactly share their sense of humor," Wilma ended up with three golden retrievers--a twice-rejected guide dog that terrorized wheelchair users, an abused stray and a washed-out field trial competitor.

With co-author Paul Lobo, Melville shares her story in straight-talking prose that evokes the tension and emotion reflective of the high stakes. She is also slyly funny, ironic considering her position on golden retrievers. When the pilot teams are thrust into the national limelight during their first real-life disaster on 9/11, the results are both triumphant and throat-closing. A fascinating read for animal lovers, thrill-seekers and rescue-hounds alike, Melville's work is proof that some good can rise from the ashes of catastrophe.

STREET SENSE: Even as a lifetime dog lover, owner and trainer I was not really expecting to be as fascinated with this book as I was. It goes a little deep into training, but I don't think one has to be interested or proficient in dog training to "get it," particularly with the the stakes at hand. Despite Wilma's tough-as-nails veneer, she cracked me up regularly, intentionally or not. (For example: "So I did what anybody does when you need a meeting with one of the highest-ranking OES officials in the state--I kidnapped him.") This is one I'll keep on my shelf.

A FAVORITE PASSAGE: When they weren't searching, the dogs became the face of relief for the other rescue workers. They were the unofficial therapy dogs of Ground Zero. When you traverse a landscape of destruction for twelve hours a day, where everything wants to cut you and a misstep could mean serious injury, a soft, warm creature is a welcome sight. When your daily mission involves scouring destruction trying to find anybody alive, a friendly snout and a soul who will do nothing but sit by your side is more powerful than any medicine. The dogs provided hope and a return to normalcy.

COVER NERD SAYS: I'm not sure how I feel about this cover, which probably means it lands in the category of "accurate and serviceable but the content called for more." I'm not sure there's anything about this image or the font to set the book off from another dog book. The rubble pile is dramatic, the dogs beautiful, but perhaps a more urgent skyline would have given it some pop. Despite the sometimes difficult subject matter, it is a story of hope and resilience, so maybe that was the aim. It's a solid cover, no doubt, I just wanted a bit more for these incredible creatures.

LOYAL :: Rebecca Ascher-Walsh

Those of us lucky enough to have a dog (or two, or more), particularly a therapy or service dog, are so used to being surrounded by the cocoon of support the relationship provides that we begin to become inured to just how special those bonds can be. It's not that we take them for granted, it's that we semi-forgot what it's like to be without them.

We can all stand to be reminded just how far and wide the bonds between canine and human can be stretched. Dogs are infinity, and in Loyal: 38 Inspiring Tales of Bravery, Heroism, and the Devotion of Dogs, Rebecca Ascher-Walsh provides 38 fabulous reminders of just how lucky we humans are to have such willing and capable companions.

Journalist Ascher-Walsh is also the founder of the Deja Foundation, an organization that works with rescue groups to assist with the adoption of dogs from high-kill shelters. In writing the prequel to Loyal, a book entitled Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life With Dogs, Ascher-Walsh learned that dogs do more than provide comfort to individuals at the end of a long day. Dogs connect us and bring us together as a larger community. Loyal was borne of that ideation.

Using stories about more than fifteen different breeds (or mixes) of dogs scattered across 21 of the United States (with stops in Puerto Rico and Australia for good measure), Ascher-Walsh shows how dogs better our lives by helping us create better and more diverse communities in myriad ways. Dogs provide assistance that allows a wide variety of individuals to gain (or regain) ground previously unavailable, including kids and adults limited by medical conditions, emotional needs, or physical restrictions. And they guard penguins to boot.

Dogs also help prove we all have a place in the world. The dogs highlighted in Loyal are not all perfect breed standards or dogs raised and trained to provide service. They are also dogs thrown away and found in high-kill shelters, dogs with deformities and physical limitations of their own, dogs trained by prison inmates and dogs who simply proved a knack for a service that could not be denied (i.e., honing in on people who have cancer).

The most fervent dog fan will still learn something from Loyal. If you knew about Conservation Canines, raise your hand. This program at the University of Washington turns rescue dogs into detectives helping to locate endangered species for identification and study. If you knew that one, I know I'll stump you with PHARM Dog USA, a Missouri non-profit that trains dogs to work with disabled farmers. The boundaries of the dog/human connection seem boundless, but Loyal is a great cross-section of the realm of possibilities.

The book itself is really well done, what we have come to expect from a National Geographic publication. It's what I would consider a coffee table book despite it's somewhat diminutive size, perfect for a corner display where it can be flipped through at leisure. The glossy pages are full of color photographs and numerous side columns containing breed facts or general dog-related information. Loyal would be a perfect gift for a special dog person in your life, or anyone who is interested in the world of human-animal connections.

I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of a the blog tour for Loyal set up by Trish at TLC Book Tours. A list of all the bloggers who are chiming in on this lovely book can be found here.

STREET SENSE: A fun, feel-good, and informative look into the world of canine assistance and how dogs allow us to create better communities.

A FAVORITE PASSAGE:  I loved this passage about pit bull service dog Jericho, since it is a myth-buster when it comes to the way many people unfortunately view the breed:

When Smith's Maryland home was invaded in the middle of the night, Jericho alerted Smith to the fact that something was wrong. Since Jericho was naturally a quiet dog, Smith had had to train him to bark. So when Jericho barked that night, Smith knew something was wrong. Smith went to the door, and a man started pushing his way into the house. "We were fighting--I was beating him with my crutch, and it was getting louder," Smith describes. "Jericho ran behind my wife and peed on the floor."

COVER NERD SAYS:  Spare and to the point, the cover image of a gorgeous black lab is tough to fault. The theme does feel a bit patriotic to the United States (blue background; red, white and blue collar and red, white and blue ribbon with stars on it), which may provide a bit too much of a military feel to it, particularly since most of the stories don't deal with the military or law enforcement and some of the dogs highlighted are located outside the U.S. But I'm picking nits, the cover is of a beautiful dog and who can find fault in that?