The Grace of Dogs

The Grace of Dogs
Author: Andrew Root
Publisher: Convergent Books
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 0451497619

In the bestselling tradition of Inside of a Dog and Marley & Me, a smart, illuminating, and entertaining read on why the dog-human relationship is unique--and possibly even "spiritual." Dr. Andrew Root's search for the canine soul began the day his eight-year-old son led the family in a moving Christian ritual at the burial service for Kirby, their beloved black lab. In the coming weeks, Root found himself wondering: What was this thing we'd experienced with this animal? Why did the loss hurt so poignantly? Why did his son's act seem so right in its sacramental feel? In The Grace of Dogs, Root draws on biology, history, theology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), and paleontology to trace how in our mutual evolution, humans and dogs have so often helped each other to become more fully ourselves. Root explores questions like: Do dogs have souls? Is it accurate to say that dogs "love" us? What do psychology and physiology say about why we react to dogs in the way that we do? The Grace of Dogs paints a vivid picture of how, beyond sentimentality, the dog-human connection can legitimately be described as "spiritual"--as existing not for the sake of gain, but for the unselfish desire to be with and for the other, and to remind us that we are persons worthy of love and able to share love. In this book for any parent whose kids have asked if they'll see Fido in Heaven, or who has looked their beloved dog in the face and wondered what's going on in there, Dr. Root delivers an illuminating and heartfelt read that will change how we understand man's best friend.

The God-Dog Connection

The God-Dog Connection
Author: Marti Healy
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Total Pages: 71
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 0979127750

Readers will be delighted by Healys 25 true stories of pets, and the connection between her dual passions: animals and God.A great gift idea for the animal lover, believer, or seeker. The parallels Healy draws between animal and human behavior are thought provoking and moving, and will give readersespecially those with strong bonds to their dogs or catsa new way of picking up the pieces of faith-based wisdom these animals impart, just by being themselves. This slim, attractive book also features photographs of many of Healys canine and feline friends.Stories that illuminate spiritual truth and speak to people of many different faiths. A devoted animal lover, Healy finds meaning in her pets exploits, whether its Pookey the dog babysitting a cocker spaniel puppy, Kate the cat becoming a ventriloquist, or Trouble getting loose from the safety of the backyard. While based on primarily on Christian principles, people with many types of religious backgrounds will appreciate the lessons Healy learns from animals.

The Dog That Talked to God

The Dog That Talked to God
Author: Jim Kraus
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2012-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1682998339

A wonderfully quirky, heart-breaking, heart-warming and thought-provoking story of a woman's dog who not only talks to her, he talks to God. Recently widowed Mary Fassler has no choice except to believe Rufus, the miniature schnauzer, who claims to speak to the Divine. The question is: Will Mary follow the dog's advice, and leave everything she knows and loves? Is this at the urging of God? Or is it something else? Will Mary risk it all or ignore the urgings of her own heart?

Dog Blessings

Dog Blessings
Author: June Cotner
Publisher: New World Library
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2008
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1577316169

With heartwarming, funny, silly, and sad tributes, "Dog Blessings" honors the special connection between people and their canine friends. The essays collected here wax eloquent on subjects ranging from dog days at the beach to the lives of rescue and shelter dogs.

The Divinity of Dogs

The Divinity of Dogs
Author: Jennifer Skiff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2013-08-27
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1451621590

A moving collection of amazing stories that will make you laugh and cry, show just how much dogs bring to our lives.

Rescue and Jessica

Rescue and Jessica
Author: Jessica Kensky
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-04-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763696048

A 2019 Schneider Family Book Award Winner Based on a real-life partnership, the heartening story of the love and teamwork between a girl and her service dog will illuminate and inspire. Rescue thought he’d grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog — it’s the family business, after all. When he gets the news that he’s better suited to being a service dog, he’s worried that he’s not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue.

Love Is All You Need

Love Is All You Need
Author: Jennifer Arnold
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2016-08-23
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 0812996186

From the New York Times bestselling author of Through a Dog’s Eyes—the inspiration for the PBS documentary—a paradigm-shifting approach to living with and loving our dogs There are few people who understand dogs better than Jennifer Arnold. Twenty-five years after she founded Canine Assistants, a nationally recognized nonprofit that raises and provides service dogs for people with disabilities, Arnold had an epiphany. She’d always approached the education of dogs with kindness and compassion—eschewing the faux science of fear and domination-based training methods. And she’d always understood dogs to be uniquely, uncannily attuned to their human companions; in fact she depended on it—she knew that the bond that developed between a person and their service dog was the single greatest predictor of that partnership’s success and, conversely, failure to bond brought about anxiety and distress in dogs. But it wasn’t until recent scientific findings confirmed her hands-on experience with dogs’ intuitive social skills that she was willing to put this bold idea to the test: Dogs who bond with us completely and unconditionally will seek to please us and, with minimal cues, can learn to make remarkably sophisticated decisions about their own behavior. Sure, dogs can be taught commands such as “sit,” “stay,” and “heel,” but even the kindest reward and punishment models were merely manipulating dogs’ behavior, rather than unleashing their unique social genius and innate ability to navigate the world. In this groundbreaking, persuasive, and heartfelt book, Arnold shows us how every dog—no matter their age—can thrive through Bond-Based Choice Teaching. Her proprietary method has been hailed by leading canine behavioral scientists and is being adopted by notable dog trainers, advocates, humane societies, and puppies behind bars programs across the country. For this liberating, revolutionary method to succeed, Arnold says, love really is all you need. Advance praise for Love Is All You Need “Jennifer Arnold, who has trained service dogs for the past twenty years for people with physical disabilities, offers a window into the world of ‘man’s best friend.’ Arnold, who believes that dogs are attuned to their owner’s needs and emotions, shares tips she thinks every dog owner should know.”—ABC News “[Arnold] takes pride in facilitating the powerful relationship between every service dog and its owner—a bond that is as much about companionship and comfort as it is about health and safety.”—Everyday Health “Within the world of dogs and canine behavior there are only a handful of people who truly ‘move the needle’ when it comes to innovation, novel approaches, and intuitive thinking—Jennifer Arnold is one of those rare few. Constantly pushing boundaries of traditional thought, she not only provides fresh perspectives about how we interact with and learn from man’s best friend, she fearlessly forges new paths that stimulate and engage dog lovers as well as behavior experts and explores possibilities which previously may have seemed out of reach.”—Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog and CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training

Hounded by God

Hounded by God
Author: Joseph Gentilini
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2017-10-05
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1457519615

Hounded by God, the author writes about his struggle to integrate his homosexuality with his personality and his Catholic-Christian spirituality. Born in 1948, he grew up in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s when homosexuality was considered either a mental illness or a major sin. In 1968, he had his first homosexual experience. Feeling shame and trying to repress his feelings, he spent over six years in therapy. Raised a strict Roman Catholic, Joseph confessed his many “sins” to a priest and attended Mass daily. He felt hopeless in accepting his homosexuality and living happily as a gay man, repeating nightly, “If it gets too bad, I can always kill myself.” By 1974, he knew that therapy was not changing his sexual orientation and felt desperate. Joseph experienced God as hounding him to accept his gay identity and to believe that God loves him as he is. His autobiographical journal reveals his gradual awakening to live his vocation, not only as a gay man in relationship with his partner and with God, but also as someone willing to share his journey with those who struggle with their homosexuality and their faith.

The Hour Between Dog and Wolf

The Hour Between Dog and Wolf
Author: John Coates
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2012-06-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1101583630

"Brilliant." - David Brooks, The New York Times "A profoundly unconventional book...So absorbing that I wound up reading it twice." - Bloomberg Finalist for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year What happens to your body when you take risks? What happens to it when you make or lose a lot of money? In this startling book, physiologist and former Wall Street trader John Coates vividly illustrates what happens to your body when you engage in risk taking. You transform into a different person, a change Coates refers to as "the hour between dog and wolf." He tells a gripping story of a group of traders caught in a bull market and then a crash. As the excitement builds he takes us inside the traders' bodies to see the biology of risk taking at work, a biology shared by athletes, politicians, soldiers - anyone who ventures beyond their safety zone. Coates also discusses how men and women excel at different types of risk; how the stress of failure damages our health; and how we can train our bodies so that they help rather than hinder our risk taking. Revealing the biology behind bubbles and crashes, The Hour Between Dog and Wolf sheds new and surprising light on issues that affect us all.

Waking Up Slowly

Waking Up Slowly
Author: Dave Burchett
Publisher: NavPress
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2017-03-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1496419022

What if we are stubbing our toes on the sacred every day and not realizing it? We are the most connected culture in history but arguably the most disconnected from the awareness of God’s presence. Waking Up Slowly is author Dave Burchett’s personal challenge to live “in the moment” and find the everyday joys he misses in disconnected busyness. What moments of joy do we inadvertently miss as we stare at our screens? What performance idols destroy our ability to appreciate God’s gifts? Dave Burchett sets out to find out how life might look differently if he awoke each morning consciously looking for the easy to miss “postcards from God.” Waking Up Slowly is an intimate, warm, and touching story of discovering how to more fully appreciate living in the moment. During his discovery, the author finds regular reminders of daily joys from his Labrador pal, Maggie. Waking Up Slowly challenges the reader to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the ways that God reveals himself daily. Through regular people, everyday situations, cuddly creatures, and stunning nature, God’s presence is real and discoverable. We just need to wake up to it.