From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2011:

The Exultant Ark
by Jonathan Balcombe
Univ. of Calif. Press
(2120 Berkeley Way,
Berkeley,  CA  94704),  2011.
214 pages,  hardcover.  $34.95.

Jonathan Balcombe begins The Exultant Ark by examining the range and depth of animals’ feelings.
That animals feel pain,  though disputed by some people in animal use industries,  is well studied and documented.  As Balcombe summarizes,  animals in pain “shriek or bellow,  they avoid and retreat from the sources of pain.”
Less understood is animal pleasure.  The pleasure of animals obviously differs in some ways from what we experience while laughing through a funny movie.  Yet animals do experience pleasure,  Balcombe explains,  supporting his contentions with stunning color photographs.  Eight sections cover play,  food,  touch, courtship/sex,  love, comfort,  companionship,  and a variety of other pleasures. An interpretation accompanies each set of photos. Read more

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2011:

Speaking up for Animals:
An anthology of women’s voices
Edited by Lisa Kemmerer
Paradigm Publishers (P.O. Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605),  2011.
224 pages,  paperback.  $24.95.

Speaking up for Animals:  An anthology of women’s voices is a dandy collection of stories by women who have been touched in unique ways by animals.  The contributors may never meet one another but animals across the globe benefit from their dedication and commitment. Read more

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2011:

Defending the Defenseless:
A guide to protecting
and advocating for pets
by Allie Phillips
Rowan & Littlefield
(4501 Forbes Blvd.,   Suite 200, Lanham MD 20706),  2011.
272 pages,  paperback.  $34.95.

Defending the Defenseless:  A guide to protecting and advocating for pets is well researched,  albeit a bit verbose,  but offers nothing new for those who work in the animal field. What progressive shelter manager doesn’t know the benefits of foster care and promoting adoptions?  Thousands of shelters now transport animals to save lives,  especially after disasters. This technique came into vogue after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  Just about everyone involved in animal rescue knows the misery of puppy mills,  a frequent topic of media exposés and fundraising appeals for more than 50 years. Read more

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2011:

Gabriel’s Angels:
The story of the dog who inspired a revolution
by Pam Gaber
Gabriel’s Angels, Inc.
(1550 E Maryland Ave.,  Suite 1,
Phoenix,  AZ 85014),  2011.  Paperback,  $19.99.

My adopted dog Luke died in 2010.  Earlier,  Luke and I were a therapy team with Gabriel’s Angels from 2001-2008.  Gabriel,  the founding dog,  slobbered on my cheek a few times and I think the organization is super.

Gabriel’s Angels:  The story of the dog who inspired a revolution is founder Pam Gaber’s memoir of how she and Gabriel and a chance visit to a group for abused children led her to start an organization that changes the lives of maltreated children.  A former business executive,  Gaber became unhappy with travel,  endless meetings,  and conference calls.  One day in 1999 she quit and began her new career as a volunteer at the Crisis Nursery in Phoenix, nurturing abused and abandoned children.  The Christmas party approached and Gaber asked executive director Marsha Porter for permission to bring her one-year-old Weimaraner to the party. Initially Porter wavered,  then said “Why not?” Read more