Animal Books I've Read

My experiences taking the Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technology programs at Penn Foster.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 , the wee hours

The Man Who Talks to Dogs

Long story short, I loved reading The Man Who Talks to Dogs by Melinda Roth. I thought it would be sappy, or sad, or sort of treacle-y (the word Nancy and I use when something seems emotionally manipulative), but it ended up just being a wonderful and informative read about an every-day guy who does the best he can to make a difference. There’s a lot of information about feral dogs here, including information on pack relationships and relationships with people, but I think I was most fascinated by the the relationship between feral dog populations and the local economy. Basically, the worse the economy, the more prevalent stray dogs, yet it happens for so many complicated reasons. I’m using the words “feral” and “stray” interchangeably here but that’s really inaccurate, and the book explains why. I loved reading about the individual stray dogs, most of whom were saved but some of whom didn’t make it, and I loved getting to know Randy Grim, the very human, very fallible “hero”. Grim is an unlikely hero, suffering from social anxiety disorder, and really, any anxiety disorder you can name, as well as having issues with self-confidence and a variety of phobias. He takes pills and chain smokes, and while the dogs help him to become “stronger”, he doesn’t have some artificial epiphany where he’s cured of all his woes. At the end of the book he’s still a nervous man who’s uncomfortable with the media, who worries he looks fat, and who prefers animals to people. I love him, though… I love him for putting to words to what I’ve always felt, that someone needs to do something to help the animals, so it might as well be him. I love his sense of responsibility, because I’ve always felt it too. Grim sticks to his values and gives of himself because he thinks it’s the right thing to do, and he makes a difference. At first, just a small difference, but now a big difference with his charity, Stray Rescue of St. Louis. I’m looking forward to reading his new book, Miracle Dog, even though I could have lived without the knowledge that dogs in many areas of the country are euthanized in gas chambers. Holy crap, people—what the hell’s the problem? Let’s spend a little less money lining the pockets of Halliburton, and at least give unwanted animals a calm, peaceful death (as goodness knows it would be such a burden on the country to keep them alive, or worse, for people to spay & neuter so there weren’t so many animals in shelters in the first place). Anyway, thanks for being such a cool guy, Randy Grim—I raise a Xanax in your honour :)

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/29 at 12:38 AM
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Sunday, May 15, 2005 , the wee hours

Because They Matter

I don’t remember how I stumbled across Because They Matter by Cindy Traisi, but it was so enjoyable I had trouble putting it down! The book is a collection of chapters which can each stand-alone, and together they provide an in-depth look at the day-to-day happenings at a wildlife rehabilitation center. I think what makes the book unique is that the individual stories are so “mundane” on the surface, yet those of us who love animals will cheerfully devour a book describing baby bobcats at play, the demanding gluttony of baby birds, and the antics of a mischievious crow. The real joy of being around wildlife isn’t found in the big dramatic moments, but it’s in the tiny things, like watching an orphaned coyote contentedly suckle on a bottle, or knowing that you made the last few hours in the life of an injured rabbit peaceful and pain-free. My wildlife rehab skills are limited to orphaned baby birds, but even then there’s an incredible satisfaction in removing a splint from a sparrow and knowing it will be able to fly again, or in having a tiny finch open its mouth to be fed when it sees you enter a room. I always felt a mixture of awe at the fact the animals were allowing me into their lives, and humility because of their trust. If you’re curious about wildlife rehab or just love true animal stories, this book is a real treat. Not all the stories have happy endings, but they’re all written with humour and love.

And on a related note… here’s an entertaining blog entry for those of us who don’t mind going the extra mile to help a little critter in need: Sparrows do not belong at the library.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 05/15 at 12:11 AM
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Sunday, March 27, 2005 , early evening

The Cat Who Cried for Help

I’ve owned cats for almost 20 years, yet with the recent addition of three “second-hand” cats to our household, I’ve discovered that I’m just not very familiar with the strange ways of felines. I think I’m a good pet owner, but know I could improve my knowledge of cat behaviour so that the cats’ lives are more enjoyable, and that’s why I’ve purchased a couple of cat behaviour books. I just finished reading the first of these, The Cat Who Cried for Help, by Dr. Nicholas Dodman. I read Dr. Dodman’s book about dog behaviour many years ago, and remember it as being an interesting read and helpful, and the cat book is very similar. Even if your cat doesn’t have any of the problems described in the book, the anecdotal client histories keep things entertaining. It may make you realize that your personal “psycho kitty” really isn’t “psycho” at all when compared to some other cats, and it helped to explain some of the issues behind my late Sweet Pea’s “dominance aggression”. It may have also helped me head off some potential problems in our three cat household where the litterbox is concerned. The case studies in the book are described so thoroughly that it’s possible for some behaviour modification techniques to be tried by the reader without any further veterinary consultation (how to introduce a new cat to the household, for example), but Dr. Dodman does often rely on pharmacological assistance for his clients, and they’re often treated with drugs like Buspar in conjunction with behavioural therapy. If you have a cat with issues like self-mutilation, aggression, spraying, etc., I’d definitely suggest reading this book for an overview of the problem, but expect that you’ll still end up seeing a vet for some medical support.

My criticisms are pretty minor. Parts of the book seems slightly outdated even though it was only published 6 years ago, so the reader should keep in mind that many of the experimental therapies and treatments described are now commonplace, and have been refined to achieve maximum success. For example, Dr. Dodman talks about cat depression and how it can lead to hepatic lipidosis, but his opinions on the survival rates of cats with hl are very grim. He talks of treating these cats with anti-depressants, but doesn’t mention therapeutic techniques like the esophagostomy which worked so well for our Chelsea. I’ve also always had a “pet peeve” with Dr. Dodman about his hypothesis that cat emotional problems are caused because most North Americans don’t allow their cats to roam outdoors. He feels that when cats are forced to stay inside their entire lives, it prevents certain forms of biological expression, and this repression is what leads to stress and behavioural issues. He then points out that it’s not safe to let your cat roam free if it’s not spayed or neutered, and also warns owners against letting their pets out near high traffic areas, so I think that means the indoor/outdoor cat lifestyle is only possible for a small percentage of cats who live in the country on farms. I just think it’s unfair to let cats roam outside, where they could be exposed to predators and poisons and other dangers, and think it’s entirely possible to give a cat an enriching indoor life. Dr. Dodman and I will just have to agree to disagree on this point, as I’m not changing my mind.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 03/27 at 07:08 PM
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Thursday, March 24, 2005 , evening

The Big Year

I’m still cheating and not reading books on my “Now Reading” list to the right. Oh sure, I could change the list, but I really intend to read those books (or finish reading them, as I’ve started two titles), so I’m leaving it as is. For now, I’ll write about the book I completed last night, The Big Year by Mark Obmascik. I didn’t even know this book existed or I probably would have read it when it was released last year. It’s subtitled, “A tale of man, nature, and fowl obsession”, and it chronicles a year (1998, to be specific) in the lives of three men who compete in a bird-watching competition. Called, “The Big Year”, the competition begins anew every January 1st, as birders try to be the person who can spot the highest number of bird species in a single year. Serious birders will devote an entire year of their lives to this venture, travelling tens of thousands of miles and spending tens of thousands of dollars on airfare, boat excusions, tour guides, etc. It does require 365 days of committment, and the current record of 745 birds is unlikely to ever be broken for a number of reasons—it was set during an El Nino year when many non-native species turned up in North America because of unusual weather patterns, travel to the Aleutian island of Attu is no longer permitted by the US military, and last-minute airplane travel to spot rare species has become more difficult since September 11th. After you read this book you’ll probably be glad you have an excuse to not attempt a Big Year, anyway, as just reading about it is exhausting! I like the concept of bird-watching, but competitive bird watching seems to take some of the joy out of it. I think it’s best left to the people who like to turn everything into a game, rather than those of us who just like to relax and kick back. While I’d still be interested in keeping a “life list” of all the birds I’ve seen in my lifetime, I’ve no desire to race against the calendar to do it. So, the book convinced me that competitive birding isn’t the life for me, but it did remind me to pay more attention to the birds flitting around in our backyard. I even tried to take a picture of a beautiful purple finch yesterday, but it flew away as soon as I took the camera out—that’s why you got a photo of a spider instead ;)

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 03/24 at 08:15 PM
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Saturday, February 05, 2005 , evening

Providence of a Sparrow

You will either love Providence of a Sparrow, or you will despise it. Judging from reviews I’ve read there’s no in-between, because you’re either the type of person who’s excited by 300+ pages of minutia about sparrows, or you’re not. To put it another way, if you sometimes stand on the sidewalk and watch an ant carrying a cracker crumb, you’ll love this book. On the other hand, if you’ve got the exterminator on speed-dial because you want the neighbourhood pigeons poisoned, well, you can skip this title.

I, of course, adored this book. It’s a slow, quiet read—it makes you feel like you’ve taken some Valium and then have gone to sit in a Zen garden to listen to the afternoon breeze. It’s serene and peaceful in mood, while also being amusing and gentle. The author, just an everyday “joe average”, finds a baby sparrow which he nurses to health and then ends up keeping as a pet. Deciding the sparrow needs company, he buys finches. He then ends up with canaries, and eventually he’s living in a household with innumerable birds who rule the roost. The book must have incredible scientific value because of the detailed observations the narrator is able to make as interacts with his birds, but the story is never dry. After reading, you’ll perhaps come away with a newfound respect for sparrows and their intelligence, or at the very least, you’ll hopefully realize the connection it’s possible for humans to have with other species, even tiny ones. In short, I loved this book a lot, thought it could easily be my life, and am glad to know there are such compassionate and caring people in the world.

Sorry, now closed to new comments because of spam.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/05 at 09:38 PM
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Friday, January 28, 2005 , late at night

Psycho Kitty?

Time to get caught up on the all the books I’ve finished reading and/or perusing lately. Psycho Kitty? is a fascinating little book by “feline behaviourist” Pam Johnson-Bennett, who’s probably great fun at parties because of all the stories she has to tell. I’m sure that if she even left out all the stories that involved litterboxes, she’d still be good for hours of entertainment. Psycho Kitty? is a collection of reports about cats who seemed to their owners to be acting “crazy”, but who were ultimately found to have perfectly understandable—and fixable—reasons for acting psycho. It’s not really the book about generalized cat behaviour that I was hoping for, but it was an interesting read and made some good points about how cats react to change and stress. When it comes right down to it, I know next to nothing about cats, and having three of them in the house has been a bit of a puzzle. I’ll still probably look for a more generalized book about cat behaviour, especially one about how cats interact in groups. I’ll probably try to pick up a copy of Johnson-Bennett’s Cat vs. Cat and see if it can enlighten me as to how the little beasts think. I use “little beasts” as a term of endearment, really.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/28 at 11:29 PM
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