Book Reviews
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1995:
CANINE CLASSICS
War Against The Wolf : America’s
Campaign to Exterminate the Wolf, edited by
Rick McIntyre. Voyageur Press
(POB 338, 123 N. 2nd St., Stillwater,
MN 55082), 1995. 495 pages; $24.95
cloth.
Between the grim subject and the
brick-like heft of War Against The Wolf,
we weren’t looking forward to the
read––but it was in the office less than an
hour when we first used it as a reference.
A compendium of news coverage and relat-
ed historical documents, it doesn’t exactly
include all the best writing about wolves or
all the most important details of recent pro-
wolf campaigns. Omitted, for instance,
are any mention of either Jack London,
Farley Mowat, or Friends of Animals,
respectively wolves’ leading image-makers
past and present and the leading organiza-
tion in the defense of Alaskan wolves.
Enough important stuff is included, how-
ever, to make War Against The Wolf a
worthy addition to wildlifelibraries.
Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide
to Natural Health for Dogs &
Cats (second edition), by
Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM,
Ph.D. & Susan Hubble Pitcairn.
Rodale Press Books (33 E. Minor St.,
Emmaus, PA 18098), 1995. 383
pages; $15.95 paperback.
Perhaps as many A N I M A L
PEOPLE readers swear by Dr. Pitcairn as
would admit to occasionally swearing at
their animals over spillage, breakage,
chewing shoes and barfing up hairballs in
the middle of the dinner table. This new
edition of Pitcairn’s decade-old classic
guide is sure to become even more popular
with concerned and conscientious pet own-
ers. Added is an extensive and sensible dis-
cussion of the merits and demerits of vege-
tarianism for both humans and pets; more
material on animal applications of folk
remedies recently rediscovered and given
New Age cachet; and much just plain prac-
tical advice. But don’t make Dr. Pitcairn
your sole reference on any possibly serious
condition: our own Zooky, could she talk,
could contradict his opinion that dogs don’t
really get Lyme disease. If she didn’t have
it, she had the most striking set of lookalike
symptoms since Lazarus was mourned for
dead.
Choosing A Shelter Dog: A
Complete Guide to Help Yo u
Rescue & Rehome a Dog, by
Bob Christiansen. Canine Learning
Center (POB 97, Carlsbad, CA
92018), 1995. 140 pages; $12/paper-
back.
A book that could be sold both
profitably and usefully by every shelter that
has a boutique, Choosing A Shelter Dog
covers everything the first-time adopter
needs to know about dogs in general, pick-
ing the right dog for his/her home and fami-
ly, basic housebreaking and obedience,
dealing with maladaptive behavior, and
otherwise making the adoption succeed.
The unusually detailed table of contents
permits quick reference. Author Bob
Christiansen is so thorough and accurate in
most of his presentation that it’s particularly
jarring to see him claim repeatedly that U.S.
shelters euthanize 4.7 million dogs a
year––a decade-old estimate, triple the cur-
rent figure.
The Complete Book of Flea
Control for you, your pet, and
your home (third edition), by
Ted Kuepper. TKEnterprises (3600
South Harbor Blvd., #514, Oxnard,
CA 93035), 1995. 77 pages; $6.95,
paperback.
One of my probable distant rela-
tives was former major league infielder Flea
Clifton. Good curves killed him. My sister
Nicole Felice, a.ka. Nicole Fleas in grade-
school, is more often finished by bad jokes.
When breaking balls and wisecracks get
you nowhere, Ted Kuepper has many bet-
ter ideas that can save you and your pets
from the 2,000 known varieties of flea
without resorting to poisons. He stresses
prevention rather then killing, and offers a
wealth of important information about fleas
and flea-borne diseases. He also provides
much specific advice about using each of
the various popular poisons safely, if you
do opt to go that route.
Who’s Who of Dogs, edited by
John Breen. Workman Publishing
(708 Broadway, New York, NY
10003), 1995. 504 pages; $7.95 paper-
back.
In 1992 John Breen proved that
vanity transcends the species barrier with
the Who’s Who of Animals, a directory not
of famous animals so much as of animals
whose owners were willing to submit
biographies of them, and perhaps buy the
resulting product. It sold so well that he’s
now split it up into separate volumes for
dogs and cats. Humane societies should
start publishing fundraising regional edi-
tions of something similar, before Breen
corners the fast-growing market.
FARM ANIMALS
The Pig Picture, video from The
Humane Farming Association (1530
California St., Suite 6, San
Francisco, CA 94109), 1995. 18
minutes. $15.00.
Contrasting the behavior of
domestic piglets raised in Swedish pas-
tures and woodlots with that of close
cousins on a model U.S.-style factory
farm, The Pig Picture is both watchably
dramatic and suitable for any audience.
It doesn’t show any worst-case scenar-
ios––just pig-rearing “by the book” in
nations with sharply conflicting attitudes
toward livestock well-being. That
should be quite shocking enough to any-
one capable of empathy toward other
species.
