Rescues and Shelters Books

this is a good book, I have adopted and hope to adopt more dogs in the futre to me adopting and rescuing animals is the only way i will get them, to many animals with potential are being put to sleep, it's murder, fix or nueter your dog at the eirliest possible time PLEASE!!!!

Gardens of the Streets is a simple-looking, yet deceptively deep and poetic "window in" to the hearts, minds, dreams, and dignity of America's most easily dismissed, disrespected, and disregarded populace...the myriads of souls we call "the homeless" and "street people".

Mr. Clark provides his readers a colorful contemplative, and soulful perch from where he acquaints us with several "Lost Americans". His descriptions draw the reader into a full, florid, and multi-dimensional acquaintance with each subject.

This is not a light read...but nor is it morbid, dark, or depressing.

Mr. Clark is more the poet than author, in my opinion...his writing style being one likely to resonate with both mind *and* heart.

The author's love and respect for those he writes of is palpable, yet never maudlin.

A fine book, but not for everyone.

But, for those Wounded Poets, Romantic Realists, and Cynical Idealists out there...you'll likely be fond of this little treasure.

A. Bos

My son loves Jackpot! He loved the way the story was written from the dog's point of view! I highly recommend this book!

"Where Do Dingoes Come From?" is an enjoyable children's storybook. It tells the tale of "Dingo the dog ... a fictional story about a real dog."

The storybook is a literary component of the Dingo the Dog Project. The project offers support to local animal shelters, and is a clever voice to promote pet adoption from these shelters. It also strives to educate children on the proper care of pets.

The storybook itself centers on a child's persistent request to hear her mother recite the story of where dingoes come from, specifically her own dog, Dingo. The mother complies and relays the story of how she used to care for Dingo when he lived in a special home for dogs, until one day she decided to bring him home.

The story is told in words that a child will comprehend and enjoy, plus it will touch on their emotions as they hear about Dingo's loneliness and desire to be loved and cared for.

The vibrant illustrations are very appropriate for the age level of the content, and add even more enjoyment to the reading experience.

This is a charming story with a very important message. I will definitely read this to the wee ones in my life.

I am dog lover and animal rescuer, have been through the horrendous anguish of having beloved animals die or be euthanised....I wanted so much to cry my way through this book. But it was a dispassionate laundry list of "how I felt" and "what we did". Instead of investing the writing with the gut-wrenching feelings that we go through, Mr. Levin wrote these third party "through the retrospectragraph" descriptions. "We were saddened." Yeah well duh - pull my heart out, make the tears fall - give me the words that provoke the feeling - don't tell me what you felt....make me FEEL IT for pete's sake. The cover of the book was more passionate than the writing.

I'm not much of a book reader...........but after hearing favorable reviews on Shawn Hannity's radio talk show, I decided to purchase Mark Levin's "Rescuing Sprite" hoping that it would help my wife and I to deal with the recent loss of our beloved cat Cheyenne. The book was all that Shawn spoke of and more. Mark wrote this book from the heart and as any animal lover can attest to..........losing a beloved pet is one of the most difficult things in life to go thru. If you love your pet, or have recently have had to deal with the loss of one.........you must read this book.

A beautiful, moving story about an animal that is an important, very much loved part of the family.

Extremely touching tale of a dog and his family. Sprite was rescued as an older dog and taken in to a loving home. Through the words of Mark R. Levin we grow to know and love Sprite and his fur-brother Pepsi. Both dogs immediately make their way into our hearts and we travel along with Levin and his family (both furry and human) as they struggle with medical issues and the sadness of letting go.

The book was hard to put down and yet so difficult to read at times. I found my heart breaking along with Levin's. Yet at the same time, my heart swelled with happiness in knowing that Sprite had such a loving home.

It's a sad, yet beautiful tale of a dog and his affect on the lives of those around him. Having two dogs of my own, it doesn't surprise me how much joy an animal can bring into our lives. I'd recommend this book to all dog lovers, and especially those that have lost a loved pet in the past. But be sure to have a tissue or two handy as there are definite teary-eyed moments.

This was a great book. Even though it was very sad, it was also very touching. It was very sweet to see how attached to Sprite the author was. It was nice to know there are other true dog lovers out there!

Granted, Winograd is a lawyer and not a writer, but the book is still interesting, well written, informative, alarming, infuriating, heartwarming, and inspiring. It is also fantastic because not only does it expose extreme irresponsibility and ineptitude on a grand scale, it offers sound advice and step by step instruction for remedying and improving the situation. It calls one to action rather than riling you up just to say "Doesn't this suck? Yes, it does! The end." It tells us how to end the killing, how to improve the lives of shelter animals, and how to reduce the number of animals entering shelters in the first place.

I highly recommend this book. I finished it in two days because it was just so hard to put down. Really illuminating and inspiring.

A No Kill nation is within our reach, if only we demand it. The animals deserve nothing less!

Finally, someone with a vision for reducing shelter deaths, a methodology to implement that vision, and the strength to share his dream through his writings...despite the naysayers! Compassion, not killing. What a breath of fresh air!

Shelters are ensnared in their own failed methods. Mr. Winograd explains the failed methods, and provides a ray of hope or the future. No longer need any companion animal be killed as a result of defeatist attitudes rooted in the past.

Feral cats have been maligned and persecuted for centuries...they definitely do not need to be rounded up and killed. Thank you for speaking up for cats!

Our society has been punishing animal lovers instead of allowing them to become part of the solution to homeless pets. Limit laws, mandatory sterilization laws, oppressive pet fees and restrictions are all counterproductive. Foster care, public outreach, offsite adoptions, low cost high volume sterilization clinics, cooperation with volunteers and rescue groups...all part of the equation to reduce or even eliminate shelter deaths.

Los Angeles has seen a 31% increase in shelter intakes since they passed their punitive mandatory sterilization law a year ago. Punitive, draconian laws are not effective in reducing shelter intakes...in fact, they produce the exact opposite effect...an INCREASE in shelter intakes.

Mr. Winograd, on behalf of the many animals whose lives you have saved, THANK YOU!

This was a complete eye opener and should be a must read for every person, be they a pet lover or not.
It should definitely be read by every person employed and volunteering at a rescue, shelter, local 'pound'. It proves that there is so much more that we can and must do.

Winograd presents a compelling history of the animal-sheltering movement along with an argument for the move toward what he terms the No Kill Equation. It is a quick, interesting read, and his passion is evident. Overall I would recommend it to others interested in the subject, but with a few reservations.

On the positive side, the history of the ASPCA was very informative. I never knew about the origins of the organization, nor was I aware of how far from its roots it has strayed. It seems that things went wrong once the ASPCA took animal-control contracts from cities; at that point, it became all about the money rather than the animals. And that is why today we see depressing shelters run by bureaucrats, who often shun offers of help from idealistic volunteers.

Winograd's central thesis seems to be that the high kill rate of most shelters is indicative of massive system-wide failure. He backs this up with details of shelters' success stories. When radical changes were made, positive results were achieved. Such changes included a focus on adoption to compete with commercial breeders, with more convenient hours of operation, better customer service, and clever PR; a focus on preventative measures, with low- or no-cost spay/neuter operations made available, counseling made available for behavioral problems, and funding made available for TNR; and a paradigm shift in which employees who clung to the old model of sheltering were fired.

As a law-school grad, Winograd deftly dismantles some of the logical fallacies clung to by those mired in institutional inertia. Unfortunately, he engages in some of this sloppy rhetoric himself, most notably when he makes statements without citations and expects the reader to accept them as factual. There is also a rather embarrassing use of my favorite logical fallacy, reductio ad Hitlerum.

There are scads of quotations and passages that are not attributed to their authors, and there are studies that are mentioned but not cited. For me, the biggest disappointment was the chapter on TNR (the trap/neuter/return method for the humane management of feral cats). In addressing the concern that feral cats have negative ecological impacts, Winograd mentioned a few studies with flawed methodology and attacked them on scientific grounds. There was usually enough information for me to be able to find these studies if I did the research -- however, negative evidence is not evidence. I wanted references to the scientifically valid studies that have apparently shown a benign effect that feral-cat colonies have on local ecosystems. Winograd, however, does not reference them. I can only assume that they're included in the 12-page bibliography, but I'm not going to locate and wade through every single one of those manuscripts to find the confirmation that I want. If this were a work of true scholarly merit, the author would have included citations, footnotes, and references to peer-reviewed scientific studies.

At my old residence I trapped all of the feral and stray cats, took them in for sterilization, and released them back onto my property. I enjoyed watching them from a distance and observing their behavior, and knowing that I had made a difference was incredibly rewarding. Ferals and strays came to occupy a special place in my heart, and when I moved away I even took one of the friendlier ones with me -- he is a spoiled house cat now. Despite my love for feral cats, however, I'm not in denial about the potential impact they have on native wildlife. Maybe where I live, in an urban center, the impact is not so great, but even at the outskirts of my town feral cats have been connected with the deaths of some endangered bird species. I was delighted when Winograd pointed out that humans are the original invasive species, and I agree with his outlook. Feral cats exist only alongside humans, and we are responsible for far more habitat loss and species decimation. As long as there are human settlements, there will be feral cats, and extermination will not solve any wildlife-management quandaries.

Still, in discussing this matter Winograd actually sunk so low as to play the Nazi card. In a common association fallacy, he connects a concern with maintaining native species to racism, claiming that native-plant gardens gained popularity in Nazi Germany. I don't know whether or not that's true (there was no citation), but even if it is, that is hardly relevant. The Nazis championed lots of things, vegetarianism included, but that doesn't automatically imbue an idea with evil. Nazis' gardens are not relevant; the scientific consensus is. And the current consensus is that invasive species are a threat to biodiversity, pure and simple. This means that feral cats, depending on where they live, are indeed a potential threat to biodiversity. Of course, humans are the original threat, and the cause of the feral threat.

Another problem is the obvious lack of any editing. (If this book did have an editor, s/he should be fired.) I'm not just talking about the frequent descent into repetitive wordiness that could have been tightened up, or the irrelevant paragraph about Nazis that should have been removed altogether. I'm not just talking about the occasional sloppy and confusing wording that should have been rewritten and clarified. I'm talking about the abysmal copy errors. Misspellings; subject-verb disagreements (to his credit, this only happened with tricky words such as "criteria" and "data"); split infinitives (OK, no one cares about those anymore); and the biggest offender by far, the myriad punctuation errors. Sometimes there would be entire stretches of text in which errors appeared on every page. Maybe Winograd's ideas are valid, but the bad editing makes it seem like the work of an amateur.

These flaws combine to detract from the perceived credibility of the material. I cannot, for example, use this text to argue with a TNR opponent, because Winograd gives no citations and I wouldn't want to use such an amateurish work as a primary source. I hope to see a second edition in which the repetitive screeds are tightened up or eliminated, footnotes and references are attached to quotations and statements of fact, and the text is expanded to include references to solid scientific studies.

One criticism of this book is that No Kill shelters only push more responsibility for killing onto traditional shelters. This misses the point, because as Winograd shows, there are positive steps we can take to make things better than they are now. Even if 100 percent No Kill will never be achieved, it doesn't mean we can't abandon old models and move forward. The status quo is an obvious failure and a paradigm shift is greatly needed in order to reduce unnecessary suffering. The author gives us hope that we really can make things better.

Don't be mislead by the subtitle. This book does nothing to the debunk the "myth" of pet overpopulation. It also doesn't talk about the "no kill revolution."

The author's entire argument that overpopulation is a myth is based on his insanely simplistic calculation that the number of owned animals that die or run off each year far outnumbers those that enter shelters each year, so the real problem is simply proper marketing of shelter animals as replacements for those who die or run away. (Let's just ignore that the bulk of potential adopters, and the bulk of shelter dogs, may not be geographically anywhere near one another.)

Know what? There's also enough food to feed everyone on the planet. Why on earth are people still starving? Because MATH is not a SOLUTION. And wishing something DOESN'T make it so.

I'm not saying shelters aren't horrible at marketing their animals - most are. There is huge room for reform in animal sheltering. Humane Societies in particular have an obligation to focus on reducing intake numbers and increasing adoption numbers. So, what about this "no kill revolution?" How do we make this work?

The author doesn't say. For nearly 200 pages, I clung to the hope that somewhere, at some point, he would stop attacking the "old school" shelters and national humane organizations long enough to outline the No Kill Equation, detail HOW it was implemented in San Franciso and, later, in Tompkins County, and present a replicable plan for implementation around the country. Never happened. Apparently, he waltzed into Tompkins County, declared they would never kill another animal, and instantly there were enough volunteers, donations, and participating vets to implement all the programs (TNR, fostering, remote adoptions, rescue outreach, low-cost spay/neuter) that make up the No Kill Equation.

Yeah. I don't think so.

Not only does he fail to share how these programs came to be successful, he fails to suggest how to keep them successful. San Francisco did not stay "no kill" once its visionary director left. Southern Hope (an Atlanta rescue that made great strides in Fulton County) lost their contract to a lower bidder. How do those who have embraced no kill, keep it? He doesn't say.

Sadly, I feel at this point that the author did not intend in this book to promote "no kill"; rather, he wanted a very public outlet to vent his frustrations with animal shelters, humane societies, and most especially the HSUS. He does so throughout the book, using manipulative word choices, partial quotations possibly taken out of context (who knows? he doesn't cite his sources), and unreferenced "studies" galore.

On the very last page (barring the appendices, which seem afterthoughts), Mr. Winograd gives the only recommendation in the entire text (and I'm going to do him the courtesy he did not do others, by quoting the entire sentence): "Consequently, the most important single act - and the crucial first step - in achieving a No Kill nation is firing the current leadership of shelters across the country."

That's great. Now we all know exactly what to do. Thanks. Anyone who truly wants to work toward no-kill will need to look elsewhere for guidance (the Model Programs at Best Friends Animal Society's No More Homeless Pets page are more helpful and uplifting).

The book was well written and I enjoyed it. It was a very quick read and I was disappointed at the price I paid for how quickly it was read and the individual stories seemed very short. This would be a good book for children 4th - 6th grade. Personally I would wait till it showed up at your local library or borrow it from someone.

Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale - you'll laugh, you'll cry, but you won't be able to put this wonderful little book down.

If you've done transports you will find yourself saying "Been there, Done that!!!"

Deborah has captured the essence of pet transport - thru bad weather (try carrying 9 dogs in 2 cars thru torrential rain on I-40 in TN) and good. This book will help you remember nearly every transport vividly (yes, I still remember carrying two labs, who we discovered didn't like water, thru 6 inches of water in a driving rain in a MacDonalds parking lot to their next ride). This book will bring those memories back vividly.

And if you aren't a transporter - follow the directions in the book and join the fun - and the sadness, for there will be times of sadness in a transport. A recent cocker transport I was involved with included a very sick 10 year old senior. But there was a silver lining. Tho she didn't make it, crossing over the bridge 3 days after the transport, she at least was in a loving home when she left us.

This little book will bring all of these memories flooding back. Enjoy - I did.


AB

Anohter great read ... highly recommended for kids. Tells of the actions being taken by such dedicated animals lovers to getdogs/cats/etc. into their forever loving homes that they all deserve. Great read for kids!

This is a beautifully written book that will certainly touch your heart! It did mine! The pictures are truly heartwarming as well! This is a must read for dog lovers everywhere! Debbie has a heart of gold, and I am so proud to call her a friend!
Well worth every penny!

This book is fantanstic. Everybody needs to be educated about the plight of dogs that are abused and neglected. These stories will touch your heart !

As a dog trainer who has been specializing in family pets for over 10 years, I've been recommending this book to dozens of people who have all agreed that it is extremely helpful.

Not only does it provide lots of tips for what to look for in a shelter dog, thereby making the best match for your family, but it also provides insight into helping the dog adjust to his/her new home as well.

Be a responsible pet owner... read this book before getting a dog. It will help ensure a great relationship for many years to come!

Bob Christiansen presents the facts very well.He cited the scenario on its real perspective. Anyone who reads this will have no second thought of owning a shelter dog. I am touched from the story of Harry Oakes, the internationally known K9 Search and Rescue trainer and of course his hero and K9 partner, newfoundland mix Ranger who succumbed from hip dysplasia after serving SAR for many years.

This is the best book I've ever seen about shelter dogs. As a rescue organization that works with the county shelter and sees the day to day plight of shelter animals, part of what we try to do is educate the public on responsible pet ownership and what to expect, especially when getting a shelter animal who has been through so much trauma already. This book addresses all the issues someone will face and how to deal with them. Everything from choosing the dog, preparing your home for him, acclimating him to your other pets, handling him, especially in the early days in your home, health, training, etc. Every person that adopts a shelter dog should get one of these books. It's like "follow-up" care the doctor sends home with you. Everyone should have it and our organization recommends this book to everyone! Thank you Mr. Christiansen!

Great pictures, easy reading...this wonderful book offers a realistic, positive view of choosing one of the most grateful pets you'll ever own. This book was instrumental in helping my husband and me decide to adopt a shelter dog through German Shepherd Rescue. Share a copy with your local animal shelter--mine loved it.

This book covers the basics of adopting a shelter dog. It is heavy on trying to convince the reader to adopt - a significant part of the book is "testimonials" from owners who have adopted. I expected more information on rehoming and reorienting the adopted dog. The book is somewhat amateurishly put together - not too well organized, only black & white photos.

What a wonderful story as seen through the eyes of a shelter dog. I loved it and will be reading it to many children And to my 2 sweet pitbulls..

This book was purchased as a gift for my young niece, whose parents are ardent pit bull lovers and supporters. The story in the book is an important one, and I appreciate the author donating some of the proceeds from the book to charity. But for $20, I expected a better quality book - hardcover at least. The artwork looks photocopied onto the page. Overall, the production is very amateur for the price. I'm sad to say I'm disappointed with my purchase.

Max, The Shelter Dog I bought 2 copies of this book for my grandchildren and they love it. We have read it together and I was able to answer questions about dogs in the animal shelter system. It gave my grandchildren an appreciation for stray animals and what they go through.

I love this book, it is so touching and shows you the good heart of any shelter dog. This is my sons favorite book, I read it to him over and over!I highly recommend this to any animal lover!

This book is really good, and super cute! It really puts pit bulls into a different light, and shows them for what they really are: sweet and loving pets. They are just unfortunate to be owned by a lot of bad people. But, the author shows that a lot of good people own pit bulls too, and how amazing they really are!

As we all know working in rescue, no one sets out to do this. This book is full of just those stories, the dogs who found the author when he wasn't ready and how he made do with each situation. He talks about the experience being in New York for 9/11 and evacuating New Orleans for Katrina. I have had this book sitting on a shelf for the last year and finally got to read it while I was recently on vacation and just couldn't put it down. It read just as if I were talking with any of my rescue volunteers about their rescued pets. Ken Foster does a great job of articulating the emotions and struggles involved in animal rescue. I think it is a great read for any of us as a reminder of why we do what we do.

Got the audio book. I was not thrilled with the individual who did the reading, but Ken's stories in the book were easy for me to relate to. He succinctly put into words some of the emotions involved when one is performing animal rescue, including the initial denial that an animal is meant to stay with you. Also, I think he does quite well at capturing the essence of just being one of those people who can't look away when you see an animal in need. It's a state of mind that only a certain type of person really seems to understand.

- C.A.Wulff author of Born Without a Tail

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It makes you think about all those dogs out there that need a home or ones who are out there that are being mistreated. I think it is great what Mr. Foster is doing for all those poor dogs out there. Especially Pit Bulls. I also liked all the informative information on shelters, rescues, etc in the back of the book.
The only problem that I had with the book was the writing style. It wasn't written very evenly and took me longer to get done than usual. All in all it would be a book I recommend.

I took this book with me on a recent vacation and started reading it on the plane. I am a true dog lover, I have 5 of my own, but this book did not hold my interest at all. And in fact, it really bothered me. It seems to me that he assumes that if he finds a dog, especially if the dog is in need of a combing or such, that there isn't an owner that is frantically looking for that dog. He just seems to assume the dog was "abandoned" and doesn't make any real effort to find the owner, who may be heartbroken. He is very quick to judge, i.e. when he found the 23 year old woman's dog and made judgements as to her worthiness as an owner, without having all the facts.
He also seems very reluctant to take a dog in/rescue it, because it may inconvenience his life or he doesn't have room.
In one case, he took the dog he found, clear into ANOTHER state to turn it into a shelter. As someone whose petsitter lost my dog while I was on vacation, this kind of thing infuriates me! Unbelieveable. I will not be finishing this book.

Not bad, as far as dog books go, just didn't make me want to keep reading. Foster did not hold my interest so he's 1 author I can scratch off my list.

It's OK, just not as good as others I have read. This book took me a while to read through because I kept putting it down and getting back to it later. Oh well.