Connie’s Book Club - Winter 2011/2012

Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe

Andrews McMEel; 2011

By Jeremy Greenberg

Ever wondered why your dog commits seemingly vengeful acts of destruction in your home while you’re away? Or why they roll around crazily on the stinky who-knowswhat smeared on the grass? Writer and stand-up comedian Jeremy Greenberg provides his best guess to these and other important questions in Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe (and Other Heartwarming Letters from Doggie), a collection of hilarious and endearing letters set alongside photographs of our four-legged friends at their most mischievous. These imagined missives provide hilarious answers to why dogs do the crazy things they do, while answering the question of why we let them get away with it—they’re just so darn cute.—SL

Dogs Make Us Human

Penguin; 2011

By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Art Wolfe

New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson teams up with famed
photographer Art Wolfe to create this heartwarming book of stunning photographs of
dogs from Tibet to New York and everywhere in between. In the accompanying reflections,
Masson explores the relationship between dogs and humans, a bond that is unlike
any other, crossing continents and spanning more than fifteen thousand years. While
the mysteries of this enduring cross-species friendship remain, Dogs Make Us Human
reveals the uniqueness and universality of a bond understood around the world.—MM

Drinking With Miss Dutchie

Thomas Dunne Books; 2011

By Ed Breslin

In this heartfelt, moving memoir,
Ed Breslin, a former editor,
publisher, and senior vice
president of HarperCollins,
recounts his time spent with
his most faithful companion—
a black Lab named Miss
Dutchie. Breslin captures the
depth of communion and
companionship some us are
lucky enough to experience with our dogs. Throughout her lifetime,
Miss Dutchie managed to be both a teacher and a steady
friend to Breslin, even during his battles with clinical depression
and addiction. Breslin poignantly illustrates the impact that our
canine companions can have on us and how truly fortunate we
are to have them by our side. Even in Breslin’s darkest moments,
Dutchie was steadfast in her devotion, and ultimately, she
showed him the true joy that can be wrung from life.—GM

The Dog Cancer Survival Guide

Maui Media; 2011

By Dr. Demian Dressler, with Dr. Susan Ettinger

Caring for a dog with cancer can be
overwhelming. Is surgery the best
option? What about chemotherapy?
Or alternative care? At this troubling
time, having The Dog Cancer Survival Guide by your side is like
having both a knowledgeable and a caring friend beside you.
Written in plain English for the layperson, this comprehensive
book provides expert advice on the entire spectrum of cancer
in dogs. It offers the latest research on everything from possible
causes such as carcinogens in the air and soil, to the role of free
radicals and antioxidants. Importantly, for the health of your
dog and for your own peace of mind, The Dog Cancer Survival
Guide gives you a down-to-earth appraisal of treatments that
have been proven to work. This includes a realistic evaluation
of conventional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and
radiation to alternative methods such as plant-based nutraceuticals.
It includes a thorough discussion of the major cancers
found in dogs as well as the main chemotherapy drugs, so you
can better understand what you and your beloved pet are facing.
Significantly, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide shows you how to
care for yourself so you can face tough decisions with a clear
mind and a steady heart. This valuable and compassionate guide
is a must-have for anyone caring for a dog with cancer.—LJ

Chewed

Ideal World Books; 2011

By Arne Svenson and Ron Warren

While some might interpret
the photographs
of mutilated chew-toys
as a violent representation
of an animal’s baser
instinct, many others will
see something deeper:
love—destructive love, perhaps,
but love nonetheless. Each of the toy-cadavers in Chewed
represent the infatuation and adoration lavished upon these playthings
transforming into something quite other than the cheerfullooking
toy they began as. Photographer Arne Svenson, and Ron
Warren, authors of Sock Monkeys (200 out of 1,863), brilliantly
characterize each dog’s undying devotion for their once intact
playthings, an enthusiasm evidenced by the stray hairs and
random teeth marks found on each stuffie, one-legged duck,
and now headless bear. The formal photography elevates these
transfigured companions into a cheeky questioning of beauty and
attachment and even what qualifies as art. Among the famous
contributors penning accompanying short stories inspired by
the photographs are Augusten Burroughs and Todd Oldham.
Highlight: the “Chewed Classifieds.” Talk about looking for love
in all the wrong places…—SL