Breeders Books

Virginia Lanier's bloodhound series opens pretty convincingly in this book which has enough plotting and subplotting to fill three books. We're introduced to feisty JoBeth Sidden, a near-thirtyish trainer of bloodhounds who also has her own company which does search and rescue operations for local police authorities. In this debut, JoBeth is involved with an abusive ex-husband; the mysterious will of her deceased artist father; a handsome new lawyer in town; escaped criminals; missing children; a handsome private investigator; and lots more. JoBeth is even framed for the attempted murder of aforementined Bubba, her ex! While it takes a little patience to get into this book, once you do, you'll find yourself rewarded. Lanier has a flair for Southern life, and her characters are sharply drawn and developed.
I'm looking forward to further adventures with JoBeth and her hounds!

"Death in Bloodhound Red" is the first in the Virginia Lanier "Bloodhound Series." It is a great book and so different from most mysteries that I am surprised that I had not heard of the series before.

This is a series to buy all at once because once you start reading = you will not want to stop.

"Death in Bloodhound Red" is difficult to classify even though it is a mystery. It is not a superficially light book and there are parts that will make you laugh and parts that are very somber.

Jo Beth Sidden raises and trains bloodhounds and utilizes them for tracking in a small county in Georgia. Her life is rather interesting. Her deceased father became a famous artist when she was a teenager, while most of her childhood was spent in dire poverty. Her childhood though, is in many ways very mysterious.

Yet by working continually, Jo Beth has built a kennel and bloodhoumd business. Businesses and law enforcement agencies hire her and her dogs to seek out drugs and criminals.

Jo Beth is rather a tough woman because she has had to be. But she is working at addressing the vulnerabilities in her life and this dialogue is reflected as well. She is a very ardent feminist because she has had to confront countless prejuidices in her life of work.

Virginia Lanier has topped my list for new authors.

A Must read series - All of Viriginia Lanier's books. The characters come alive on each page. Her description of loving and smart bloodhounds will endear you to them forever. You can't wait to read what happens next. A true treasure of a character is Joe Beth, a woman detective and her bloodhounds.

The sub-genre of "dog mysteries" is not nearly as extensive as "cat mysteries" for reasons I will never understand. (After all, do cats really care what human beings do to each other? I don't think so.) In this specialized arena, Virgina Lanier's Bloodhound books are definately best in show. "Death in Bloodhound Red" is one of the best novels -- in or out of the mystery genre -- I've read in a long time. Yes, the plot is meandering and convoluted, the conversations are of a length only southerners can aspire to, and the language is as dense and atmospheric as the scent of jasmine on an early summer day. But what matters in the end is how completely Lanier manages to submerge us in the swampy world of southern Georgia and the wonderful profession of search-and-rescue with her beloved bloodhounds. If all the following books aren't always as over the top excellent as the first, who cares? They are all great and the bloodhounds get even more time on stage as the series goes on. What more could you want?

This is an incredible first book of a series, that sadly is behind a couple years. The books are; 1996-Death in Bloodhound Red, 1997-The House on Bloodhound Lane, 1998- A Brace of Bloodhounds, 1999-Blind Bloodhound Justice, 2000-Ten Little Bloodhounds. I'm not sure why we don't have books for 2001 and 2002, but after you read the first book and then run out and buy the next four that continue without dropping the pace and excitement, you'll mourn the gap in the series. Especially using the recommendations, its not that infrequent I get a new author 'can't put me down'er. However this was one of those I read through as fast as I can because of the tension and mystery, and then start right over again to read for the wealth of information and the beauty of the text.

I can't think of anything this book doesn't have. There is a strong female protaganist, and one that hard to work her way from the ground up as well (as I did) that I really appreciate. As a now breeder and trainer of bloodhounds, Jo Beth is a complex character with sometimes warring qualitis, but one that acts consistently within the defined pesonality. The tension with the maniacal ex husband catches you quickly, but the mystery picks up and holds you as you go on. Additionally I love a book that provides some other new knowlege and this book is rife with knowlege about 'The South', the Okenofree swamp, and Bloodhounds. I've checked some of what I learned here with a friend who has been in the swamp and the South and it's been checking out. As an animal lover as well, you really get to love the bloodhounds and the knowlege of scent tracking and bloodhounds in particular is wide and varied.

Yet Virginia Lanier sneaks the information in without any long boring solioquies. She always manages to get the right amount in to help you appreciate the story and does it in a way that goes with the story, like say explaining something to a new person, and then drives back to the plot before you could get bored. And she makes it fascinating. As I said earlier I was interested enough to talk to people till I found one that had been in the okenofee swamp, and I've got bloodhound research on my list of things to look into as well. As far as the south in concerned, I feel she does a good job of showing the pros and cons, the beauty and surface graciousness on the surface, and the misogeny and the racism underneath.

Myra once again covers topics that are not addressed in other books on breeding and whelping. If you want to give a weak pup a chance to go BIS someday, this is the book for you. The DVD at the back of the book is a superior visual aide in teaching how to tube feed, etc. Lots of room for notes.

A very good book. The DVD is the next best thing to having someone show you how to do the techniques in real life, very well done.

Like I said about the companion volume, don't forget to review recommendations with your vet.

Our anticipated (via x-ray) litter of 1 Boxer puppy was born healthy on 6/6. Although I did not need this book (this time) it was definitely a worthwhile read and has much information. The DVD is a bit slow and very repetitive but I'm sure if I had needed to care info it would have been helpful. I loved the warming bed box and will be incorporating that for next time. Thankfully we did not need this book, but perhaps a little advance knowledge made me simply excited and not worried made all the difference. It is a book I shall keep in our library.

Although this is a very good resource book for welping puppies, and the care of the mothers, I believe the author's suggestion of complete intervention by humans during the welping process is taking control away from the mother. Her suggestions on how to indentify puppies in distress after welping is invaluable for all breeders. It is an excellent resource and I highly recomment this book!

If there is any one book that any breeder, whether it is an occasional family pet or professional breeder, this would be the one to have. It goes into details and is easily understood. It contains information that may save a puppies life. I have had my book for sometime and recently ordered one for my grandson. He lost an entire litter which I believe could have been saved if he had read this book.

Ms. Lanier grabbed my attention with the very first book I read of hers in this wonderful series of mysteries starring her beloved bloodhounds. Her details of how they are trained could be boring, but she cleverly puts them into the story, showing why she picks a particular hound to do the tracking required in each case. Almost makes me want to own one of the wonderful breed. I couldn't wait until I could get my hands on the next book in the series, and now I have all of them. Hope she writes more very soon.

I hope nothing has happened to Virgina. this a great series. A new book would be great.

I just learned that my new favorite Author has died. I had just finished a Brace of Bloodhounds and was looking for the next installment. Mrs. Lanier died while I was reading this book. I was late in finding this great series and I will miss this character greatly. Thanks Mrs Lanier for a great series.

This is *NOTE* the third book of a series. It is well done enough that you can pick up the series here but it will be more enjoyable if you start from the beginning. The books are; 1996-Death in Bloodhound Red, 1997-The House on Bloodhound Lane, 1998- A Brace of Bloodhounds, 1999-Blind Bloodhound Justice, 2000-Ten Little Bloodhounds. I'm not sure why we don't have books for 2001 and 2002, but after you read the first book and then run out and buy the next four that continue without dropping the pace and excitement, you'll mourn the gap in the series. I have a review in on the first book that gives you an idea about the series, which I won't repeat the basics.

It took the first two books to teach me to REALLY not start them on a work night because no matter how hard I try I am NOT going to sleep until its done and it's hard to debug unix on four hours sleep. This time I managed to wait till friday night to read it, and did i mention these are a healthy sized book, the kind a serious reader who reads very fast needs. A thin or medium sized book I can read in a couple hours and is more like an appetizer to me, and you'll see me always score short story collections as 4 or less because there just isnt time to do a 5 story in one. While not a thick as 'Dune', all her books are a serious read and very satisfying to the mature bookaholic with a substantial habit going. Speaking of addiction, this is not the first but one of the cream of crop of books that makes me sigh that I can only read a few thousand words an hour , I scored six hundred with 100% retention in high school, 30 years ago and am several orders of magnitude faster now though I don't know exactly HOW fast. This kind of book makes you regret you cant IV it directly into your veins!

The reason I call this a 'friday night only' book is that she achieves the kind of realism where the idea of having to get up in three hours for ten or twelves hours of work, even vigourous brainwork, is a vague and unimportant concept once you start reading. Virginnia Lanier's books are filled with such a wealth of information and such an interweaving of the elements that after reading 1, then 1 again, then a pause before I found 2, and read 1 and 2, then 2 again, that it was only a few weeks before I found 3, and then read 1, 2 and 3! And im VERY ADHD so I get bored easily, but not with these books. Like only a few authors Virginnia Lanier manages to hold onto several themes at the same time (like life) and weave them in together so well that anytime you hit a low point at one you hit a high point elsewhere and the book never lets you go without being artificially extravagent, which never works for me. The story has to hold together well for things to happen within the realm of possibility of the definition of the characters and the environment and these stories definitely do that.

The main theme of this book is a murder. But what makes this a different murder mystery? One reoccurring theme that comes up is here is a mystery that has clear warning signs come up that a SMART woman would back off. However while Jo Beth is smart, she is both stubborn and ruthless in her way. There is just a point where she don't give a rat's behind and goes on anyway cause it's RIGHT, which is why I **LIKE*** the character. And no matter how compelling the story is otherwise I can't stand reading a story about someone I can't stand. Well, unless they are in a serious hailstorm of.. you know. But even then they can't be the main character or I just won't want to bother reading it. I know enough of THEM in real life.

So anyway, this book the main theme is a murder, but there are many others and skillfully woven in. Like life, nothing else waits while you work on your biggest priority. The lightning just keeps coming. And sometimes Jo Beth has to bail her boat pretty hard in the rain, which makes me like her and the series MORE. I've had to do some serious bailing myself, more often then not in fact I've been bailing out more then one leak and so does Jo Beth. I like Jo Beth because she has made herself a sucess AGAINST all odds, not because things just worked out her way easy. Also because she is smartmouthed ... tough broad that is willing to take the consequences of speaking her piece, even if they can be fairly serious.

Of course by the strict definition of success a lot of people would not think she is a sucess, she works dang hard, long hours and doesnt have fast cars or serious jewelry (funny, like me). She does have a house (at the edge of a swamp) but then she did have an inheritance I didn't. But Jo Beth has none of the icons of success in the current world, most especially a husband. To a lot of the world she is just more white trash. But **I** think she is a success and that is all the thinking that **I** care about even if I am just 'more shanty Irish'. And if Jo Beth and I both blew some chances because we just had to tell someone where to go, sure but we're still laughing at the look on his or her face years later, not crying cause I'm 'trapped' in my nice house and wasn't 'allowed to be myself'. Which is actually something Jo Beth had and walked away from. I never had it so I don't know if I'd meet the test and give it up, but then Jo Beth is fiction and I STILL really LIKE her. I don't know what kind of background Ms Lanier has, but she sure created a tough gal that this 'worked her way up alone from minimum wage' reader can appreciate without rolling her eyes at the lack of realism.

The intrepid Jo Beth Sidden and her lovable, talented bloodhounds continue their daring exploits in this third suspenseful mystery of the series. This time our heroes deal with the kidnapping of a child, a murderous judge who's carrying on nefarious deeds in the woods, a bank robbery perpetrated by two drunken locals, and a rampaging alligator. And, yes, psycho ex-husband Bubba is still around. Add dangerous treks through the Okefenokee Swamp and stakeouts in the forest, and you've got an absorbing, unputdownable thriller. Unconventional characters, exciting subplots, vivid descriptions, humor, Southern atmosphere and, above all, those irresistible canines make for a most enjoyable read.

The subtitle of this book is "the true story of Baby and the mission she inspired to help dogs everywhere." Baby was a puppy mill breeder, the kind of dog which is confined in a tiny cage, forced to have litter after litter, and then "disposed of." Because of the abuse, Baby had only three legs when Jana found her through petfinder.com. She decided to adopt Baby, and flew from Chicago to California to pick up the 9-year-old poodle. This book also has some celebrity commentary on animals, and makes the reader aware, in a fairly gentle way, of the conditions to which animals purchased at a pet store or online may have been subjected. Jana also brings up the provocative question: Where does society draw the line for cruelty? I particularly liked two of the quotes in the book. The first is from Dr. Albert Schweitzer: "Until man extends the circle of kindness to all living creatures he will not find peace." The second is from Gandhi : "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

RESCUE RESCUE RESCUE - yes - please RESCUE a dog. This book is amazing and anyone who even THINKS of buying a dog should read this book first!

The author needs to make distinctions. Breeders are not the bad guys if breeder has a few dogs, shows the dogs and breeds after dog has gained status and only with carefully selected partner. A puppy mill, on the other hand, is something to be outlawed. There must be a distinction. A person (breeder) who competes in shows with one or two dogs, worries about their diet and coat texture, makes sure every dog is trained and socialized, takes years to decide on the right mate (if that decision is ever made), cannot be lumped together with a person who treats their 150 dogs like chickens in battery cages just popping out profit like eggs from a hen. Read that line "a friend who worked in animal welfare, and she was horrified that I would even consider buying a dog from a breeder". Horrified to get a dog from a breeder? That is where we part company. Also, has anybody every looked at some of the nastiest puppy mill operators, the Amish, for example, who treat their animals so badly they shame us all. The Amish dump uncounted puppies into the system every year for profit...and where are the controls for any of these puppy mills? Overall a well written book and on a subject that needs to be in the public eye. But, let's get rid of the puppy mills and not the honest and caring breeders. There is a very big difference.

If you love animals, especially dogs, buy this book(the proceeds go to the Humane Society in the fight against puppy mills.) I bought several for family and friends and everyone loved it. Some even gave money to donate to the Humane Society who are working with Jana to make puppy mills illegal.

This is a must read book. This is an important and compassionate story about a woman's journey to find a dog. In a search for her dog Baby she encountered the horrible conditions dogs endure at the hands of unscrupulous breeders. As a result Jana became inspired to do something about it. She and the now famous Baby, her three legged dog, travel the United States to speak to groups about changing the laws that allow puppy farms to exist. An inspiring story that moves one to action. Bravo, Jana Kohl.

Interested in breeding? This book should be the first thing you purchase and study it good! It is amazing! It packed with so much information on breeding, kennels, showing, picking puppies, raising puppies, behavior and I could go on and on. I have a lot of books on breeding and showing and I know I could have this book only and a book on canine genetics and would be just fine! Study this book, your breed standard and genetics and you will be WAY ahead of the rest of the pack!

Of note,the print is small (and pages are filled top to bottom-there is that much info), but if it is hard for you to read small print, then just bear that in mind when purchasing.

Laymans genetics is a good term for this book. I am 4 years new to the dog world and this book laid out important information in a way that kept me interested! Most books are either so complicated as to be boring or so simple that you come away with nothing but verification of something you've already read. Not this book - it is perfect and the advice is invaluable. I will keep this book forever!

A magnificent source of history, technique, philosophy and guidance for the serious dog breeder and exhibitor. Examines history and trends in many breeds. Acquaints you with the greats on four legs as well as two. Not a light read, but definitely worth the effort.

This book has taught me and has had me understand just what it takes to be BORN TO WIN :BREED TO SUCSEED a must read for all dog people of all experiences.The way Mrs. Trotter has wrote this book anyone can understand just how to get the job done.

Patricia Craige, who ranges from top Norweigan Elkhound breeder to top dog show competitor, shares her insights in the canine field to a new audience eager to eat her every word. Why do I give this author such high acclaim? For three simple reasons:

a). Mrs. Craige shows the reader many examples of dogs who have succeeded inm both the show ring and the whelping box. Many dogs, ranging from the top-producing dog of all time to the dog with the most Best-In-Shows (the highest honor at any dog show), are shown, with in-depth study on how the greatest of dogs made their way to the top.

b). The book is very well understood thanks to the authors' personal experience. Mrs. Craige is an owner-handler, the lowest on the totem pole in the canine realm. However, one of her glorious Elkhounds became the top dog all breeds in the year 1970. This astounding tribute to the hard work and dedication she put into breeding and raising top dogs is followed up with a string of top dogs of any breed. She also bred, owned, and handled the top Elkhound of all-time and one of the top winning hounds of all-time with sixty-six all-breed Best-In-Shows. Her last big winner was shown from 1993-1995, daughter of the top winning Elkhound and two-time Westminster Hound Group winner (Winning at Westminster is the highest honor any owner, handler, or breeder can aspire to). Despite all of this, the author's down-to-earth writing style solaces the reader, allowing the reader to thoroughly enjoy the book.

c). Why don't you tell me? THere are so many reasons to applaud this book. I am sure that if you were to add it to your collection, you'd find your own reasons to back up the notion that this book truly is BORN (err, published) TO WIN!!

This was a good book. It kept my interest although a little slow getting started. There were several typographical and geographical errors in the book, however, it was a good read. The insight on the Quarter Horse industry was well done.

"Wine, Dine and Death Down Under" takes the reader on an exciting international adventure involving a mysterious murder in the Australian outback, and introduces a Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century, Chet Lake.

Multiracial, multicultural, multilingual, and multitalented, Chet Lake is an urban planning consultant of Native American, African-American and Mexican-American background who speaks Spanish, French, and Arabic. Born in Oakland, California, Lake was a star athlete at Oakland Tech and later at UC Davis -- where he majored in economics and anthropology -- enjoys the Napa Valley and Chez Panisse, sometimes sports an Oakland A's baseball cap, and maintains his offices for urban planning consulting in a location on the Oakland-Berkeley border.

But that's just Chet's storefront and day job. Under the cover of overseas consulting, Chet is an operative on foreign missions for the CIA, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the State Department. Danger is no stranger to this urban planner.
Chet's undercover work brings him to the Australian wine country, where an old, multi-million dollar wine fortune has become the center of family infighting, international plotting, and murder. The twists and turns of the plot are ripped from today's headlines, mixing the old, traditional world of the Australian outback with the new, dangerous world of biowarfare and terrorism.

Through Chet's eyes, the reader experiences situations loaded with racial and sexual tension that often span different classes and cultures. In these situations, Chet Lake is a maestro. Mustering to his advantage his varied educational and professional experiences and training along with his multifaceted personal background, Lake moves like a chameleon across cultures and classes. That skill, combined with his familiarity with and access to modern spy technology, gives Chet a remarkable ability to navigate situations that would confound others.

Again and again, the Chet Lake character delights the reader with his ability to solve difficult problems in unconventional ways.

I loved the way the story played out in this book! Completely unexpected turns--I could not put the book down. Great job building the characters. I feel like I know them. Waiting for the second book in the series....

I couldn't put this book down. I loved all of the details involved in showing horses. In some of the chapters I felt like I was actually in the barn with them. I highly recommend this book to anyone, horse lover or not, for a good story.

While I've always loved horses and love to ride, this book was my introduction to the world of showing horses. Everything in the book was written in a way that was easy to understand. The book did NOT read like some frilly novel steeped in fantasy. It was very real to me and grabed me right into the world the authors had created. I'm really looking forward to the next book by these two. I certainly hope that they haven't put their pens to rest. The only problem I did have was having to put the book down to go to work. I wish I had started it on the weekend.

With so many titles to choose from, I am happy to simplify your search by recommending this book.
This has an easy to find index, complete information for each phase of the breeding process, and an in depth discussion of problems, remedies, and the total cycle of choosing the mate for your dog, to happy healthy puppies.

If you breed dogs once or many times, you need to have this book in your library. Our vet receommended we purchase it prior to our 10th litter. Even though we have many books on breeding, this by far is the best. It is no nonsense & very specific. I am very glad we purchased it.

in a well cross referenced format. It is easy to find what you need in a hurry. It is very detailed with just enough physiology and anatomy for the details to make sense. I used it during my last whelping and found it very useful. It was also useful for breeding timing and care of newborn pups.

I have many books on dog breeding on my shelves. This one is different in several ways. It is written in textbook fashion with a FAQ section at the front of and a "Test your understanding" quiz at the end of each chapter. It uses color photographs to show you what the author is talking about when describing specific conditions or situations. It is written in laymans language making it easy to understand and yet it is comprehensive enough for the long time breeder to learn something new.

The author has the educational and practical credentials required to write this type of book and uses a style of writing that's easy to read without being condescending.

In my opinion this book is a must have for any dog breeder and I strongly recommend it.

This is a good book that covers a wide range of subjects in aclear & concise manner. The beginner will learn a lot and the more advanced reader will still benefit from reading this book.

This is a very good book. Some authors fill their books with jargons and make the books difficut to read. But Soucek writes in plain language. She makes professional knowledge of parrot breeding understandable to a parrot lover like me. Photos are clear and illustrative. I considered this book is the best one among books of similar topics.

Well being a hobby breeder I must say that I had learned somewhat through the years. I walked into a book store and took my husband's advice for once, it turned out to be most rewarding. The Parrot Breeder's Answer Book is filled with so much information which answered alot of my questions concerning my current breeding. Most of all the book is fun to read and the amount of pictuers add alot as well, far from boring like other related books. I must say taking my husbands advise did work out this time since it never ends up good. I would recommend this book to my fellow bird breeder's especially my mother in law she can really use this book as a Christmas Gift.

Yours Truly

Martha Ferrer

This is an excellent book for those who are looking into breeding parrots. It gives good information on the pros and cons for breeding, and comes with excellent pictures and illustrations. This is such a wonderful guide to breeding parrots RESPONSIBLY. It is incredibly honest and straight forward on the benefits and pitfalls of breeding. Very easy reading and informative. Also comes with a reference guide in the back. Highly recommended.

Very informative, I've been a breeder for 11 years and learned a few things I didn't know!

THE PARROT BREEDER'S ANSWER BOOK was written by Gayle Soucek, who has been breeding and training parrots for a number of years and maintains a flock of 70-80 birds at her Chicago home. The fact that she has been able to raise baby parrots in such a cold hostile environment is amazing, especially when she informs the reader that at times she must transport the babies to work because they require "round-the-clock"feedings, just like human babies. Of course she is hand raising the birds she feeds herself. Parent raised babies are cared for all day by mom and dad, but hand raising birds is the key to training them to be friendly animal companions. Reading this book one wonders where Ms Soucek finds the time to care for birds as she works full time for a bird supply business, is involved with a number of bird organizations and writes articles and books. Soucek says "you will never travel again" if you get into this business, and she has a point, although she undoubtedly travels to various locations to speak and lecture.

Soucek covers all the important aspects of baby-bird raising including parent nutrition and avian reproduction; preventive health care, including when to call your vet and when to "do it yourself"; baby nutrition including diets and hand feeding; housing, including cage requirements (do you know the difference between an incubator and a brooder?), air, water and light requirements; characteristics of birds reproductive systems including the difference between DNA sexing and the more invasive laproscopic sexing.

As a full-fledged bird breeder, I found this book highly informative, and recommend it to anyone who thinks bird-breeding is a "hobby."

The Smarty Jones story comes to life in this funny and informative book. I had ordered a copy for the holidays, and have now purchased another as a father's day gift. This is a new edition of the book, with bigger print, larger size, nice photos, and some new information. You will laugh, be amused, and just plain feel good as you read this book. It has lots of facts and quotes that make you feel like you were there for Smarty's ride to greatness. This is more than a horse humor book, it's a story that will make you say, "Smarty is one of us!" This is an excellent book for grown ups and kids who like to read. If you are looking for some prime summer reading to take to the beach or up in the mountains, this book will make your day.

Smarty Jones' story is not told in this book. Instead, you hear what Smarty thinks about all he's done from his own humorous point of view. I laughed at his technique and small jokes that made the book so loveable. Although, of course, the book is not written by Smarty, I appreciate the author's attempt and, I have to say, did a good job of it. This book is nothing serious. Although at numerous points it tries to be. This book is delightful to all readers, despite your association with horses or not. I have to say, this is the only book that makes you think for a moment you're in school and should be paying close attention. So, before you read this book, make sure you take out a notebook and pencil, fore, as Smarty says, "There will be a quiz at the end of the book". His is a fun ride, a pleasing class. Have fun, everyone.

This was a delightful read. It is light and funny, and very insightful in places. The author obviously had access to Smarty's connections, and so is able to give us a realistic glimpse into Smarty's daily life. There are some very cute photos too. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the print quality of the photos is very poor. It looks like they were reproduced on a xerox machine. Even so I still recommend this book for all Smarty Jones fans.

I am a fan of Horse racing but first and foremost a horse lover. I love to see them run and be free , the way they were meant to be. Over the years we have seen many great horses come and go and we were lucky enough in our lifetime to get to root for the ancestor of the Great champion , Secretariat , The one and only Smarty Jones, just the name brings a smile to my face. I'll never never forget the excitement of watching Smarty run his way to the top and into our hearts. I wanted Smarty to win the Triple Crown just as badly as anyone but when our wish didn't come true our heart's all felt the dissapointment. Smarty's loss taught us one thing , as long as you do your best, that is all that counts. Smarty made our blood pump as we watched him sweep the preakness and warmed our hearts when we realized just like the people we love sometimes we will be dissapointed by those we love but we love them anyway. Bob Merz's book brought it right back, except this time we get it straight from Smarty! his ride to the top , his brush with near death and his recovery. We see inside the soul of our hero Smarty Jones. The book is filled with great a great story line, easy to read for even kids and has lots of pictures of Smarty in all kinds of situations ( I love the bath ones!) what a beautiful,pampered boy he is! The book goes behind the scenes telling the inside sccop about the Chapman's, John Servis, Stewart Elliot and all the behind the scenes people like his groomer Mario who keeps him looking like a million bucks and made it all happen thru faith in Smarty and lots of hard work. I smiled as I fondly remembered the happiness and excitement Smarty brought into my life as well as the lives and hearts of America. If you love Smarty Jones and love to laugh, you will love this book!! All the Horse lovers should have one under their Christmas tree this year.

I read this book and then gave it to my 10 year old daughter. We both laughed. It's funny to read it as if it were coming from 'the horse's mouth."
It also has lots of inside stuff on Smarty Jones that wasn't in the press.
It's sort of like listening to a modern day Mr. Ed. Good pictures with funny captions too.

Wells' book can be read just for the story of her life with corgis or it can be read for the inner journey she takes in understanding motherhood. Short, but much food for thought. Well worth reading twice.

This book is moving, scrupulously honest, and sharply--perfectly--written. And it is original. I've never read another book quite like it.

The book impresses me as a spiritual autobiography, "spiritual" being, like most words, a metaphor, but gesturing toward the sacred in the widest sense. Life is sacred in that sense, and this book is about life and death. It reads as if the author has journeyed all her adulthood to find the sources of life, freedom, and joy, until she and those sources at last find each other.

The author seems to be inviting all her readers to share this deep discovery with her, whether they be family or friends or strangers. The concepts of "mothering" and "maternal" can often take on so much cultural baggage that their vital reality becomes obscured. In Brood Bitch: A Mother's Reflection, Celia Townsend Wells re-discovers bedrock realities through innovative and courageous introspection-and through fine writing.

A great tale for those committed to (=in love with) dogs and the trials and tribulations of life with them

A graceful and poignant meditation on mother love, mother work, the parent-child relationship, and the human-animal relationship. With great sensitivity and insight and no self pity, Wells reveals her own experiences first as a married and then single mother of a daughter, and as the surrogate mother of puppies who survive the death of their mother minutes after the puppies' birth. This book will move readers interested in the bonds between parents and children or humans and animals and the complexes of emotions and attitudes associated with these bonds.