BOOKS: For Love of Dogs

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2013:

For Love of Dogs
by Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc.
Landauer Publishing Co. (3100 NW 101st St., Suite A, Urbandale, Iowa
50322), 2012. 208 pages, paperback. $24.95.

For Love of Dogs is a companion book to For Love of Cats, also
produced by the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. It is just as well
written and informative as the book on cats.

The opening page features Duke, a mastiff mix who was shot by
persons unknown and thrown into a river. Two strangers saved him. With
intervention from the Iowa State Veterinary College and the ARL, Duke
was adopted. He toodles around in a donated doggie wheelchair and has
served as a spokes-dog for ARL fundraising events.
For Love of Dogs includes a chart of American Kennel
Club-recognized dog breeds and their popularity ranking based on AKC
registrations. As only a small percentage of dogs are from registered
litters, the AKC rankings tend to be distorted both by transient fads
for particular breeds and by the omission of pit bulls, now the second
most numerous breed according to the annual ANIMAL PEOPLE surveys of
dogs advertised for sale or adoption.
For Love of Dogs includes discussion, however, of “designer
breeds,” some of which are also quite popular and also not recognized
by the AKC. “Designer breeds” are basically mixed breed “mutts.”
Shelters are often full of them, yet “designer” breeders sell them
for extraordinarily high prices.
All dogs need grooming, some more than others. For Love of Dogs
points out that a collie or other longhaired dog will need more grooming
than a short haired dog.
The behavior section covers house training, preventing
excessive barking, walking dogs on leashes, and preparing for a
newborn to enter a home with dogs. Physical punishment will never
correct bad behavior in a dog, say the co-authors, who offer training
classes and manage a puppy kindergarten on the ARL premises. For Love
of Dogs offers tips on how to deal with an escape artist and dogs who
dig, howl, and chew. Written descriptions of training methods are
augmented by a DVD and excellent color photos. Shelter dog photos and
individual rescue stories strengthen the book’s appeal.
For Love of Dogs recommends supplies that will be needed for a
new dog, and suggests the purchase of an emergency kit. And the ARL
strongly encourages that pet dogs should be sterilized.