My third book in the Must Love Pets Set

GR Cleanup Read in 2011

This is a book for a dog trainer or serious and dedicated dog owner who is facing guarding resource problems (getting all growly, bitey over food, people, furniture, etc.) This book isn’t for the casual pet owner because it’s far too technical and dry for a brand new pet owner but I’d recommend a copy for anyone who has done some obedience work and fosters, rescues, etc. because you really never know what you may face until you get the dog inside your home.

The author lists step-by-step techniques and guidance to help a dog become a safe(r) member of the family and society and addresses only guarding problems and body handling issues. One of the desensitization programs has 40+ steps and dogs can backslide (there are tips for this) if you go too fast, so this is no quick fix people. But it’s a great alternative to euthanasia or negative /harsh training methods.

Personally, though I find the steps and the information in the book extremely helpful I didn’t care for the overly technical jargon the author uses. It made the book deadly dull to read from cover to cover (which I did) but I will keep it and I’m sure I will find it incredibly helpful when faced with a dog exhibiting these issues but then I can just skip over to the chapter helpful to me at the time.

I really like this author's perspective. She says that people expect dogs to live their lives without ever losing their temper and says that's like expecting a person to go through life never getting angry and raising their voice. Well, I would've been put down at 13 if that were the case ;)

I also appreciated the chapter on preventing these situations in the first place by socializing, touching and grooming a puppy. These chapters should be mandatory reading for everyone bringing home a new puppy. There is only a small window during puppyhood to do this and it’s soooo important and something so many dogs don’t get to experience thus the issues with nail clipping, vet handling and growly behavior. I can’t tell you how many dogs I groomed in my short stint as a groomer who bit, peed, screamed and were absolutely petrified to be touched in any way.

His tongue was "stuck" this way for a good five minutes! Monday's are the hardest, lol.

One quick sniff and I knew that BLTs were in that basket. BLTs were an odd human invention, sandwiches filled with weird tasteless stuff no one in their right mind would be interested in -- except for the bacon. In case you missed that, I'll mention it again: bacon!

This is just cute. That's all there is to it. A cute MG novel, featuring a nice little girl with a lot of spunk and her new dog, Bowser. A fun mystery novel with a lot of heart.

Birdie Gaux is an 11-year-old mix of Flavia De Luce, Izzy Spellman, and Inspector Gadget's niece Penny (from the original cartoon, natch). Fiery, spunky, determined, far too curious and independent, a little too comfortable with shading the truth/outright lying, with a clever dog friend. While her mother works on an offshore oil rig for months at a time, Birdie lives with her grandmother and helps in the family's struggling bait shop. She doesn't remember much about her father, a police detective killed in the line of duty when she was very young.

After getting Birdie her late birthday gift, our new friend Bowser, Grammy and Birdie stop at the bait shop to discover they've been robbed, while the comic relief employee napped a bit. The only thing taken was Grammy's stuffed marlin -- a family heirloom passed down from her father after his return from World War II. The adults -- Grammy, the Sheriff, and the napper are ready to write the marlin off as a lost cause, but Birdie's not.

Birdie and Bowser are galvanized into action -- she's sure she smells cigar smoke in the shop, and Bowser finds the remains of a cigar nearby for her, convincing Birdie that she's right. The Sheriff is a nice enough guy, who's more than willing to listen to Birdie's thoughts about the case (listen -- not really act upon) -- but he's not going to invest too much energy into investigating the theft of a dead fish, no matter the sentimental value. So Birdie, with the help of some friends (including the Sheriff's son) and a nice -- and easily confused -- woman from the local retirement home, sets about hunting for the missing marlin (and some secrets that may be hidden within).

There's a little danger, peril and excitement along the way, but nothing inappropriate for the age group. Bowser gets the worst of it, honestly, while Birdie is mostly safe. There's some hints of problems looming for Grammy, some dark events in Bowser's past, and that sort of thing. The sharper young readers will catch that, others won't -- it'll either add some nuance and flavoring to the experience or it won't -- nothing that will affect the understanding of the story.

Quinn is much beloved around here for his series of novels about Bernie, the P. I., and his partner Chet the Dog -- narrated, as this book is, by Chet. For the sake of diversity, I was hoping that Bowser wouldn't narrate the novel in Chet's voice. But he does -- which is mildly disappointing for me, because I'd rather get the original. But as for attracting new readers -- particularly a new demographic? It's perfect. And while sure, I grumbled occasionally while reading -- and here -- about Bowser being Chet without the Police Dog Training, it's still a fun voice. One that you have little trouble imagining would belong to a dog.

Not the most demanding of reads, nor the most complex of mysteries, Woof is a pleasant introduction to a new series that I hope will be around quite awhile, I look forward to getting to know Birdie, her dog, her friends and family a lot better. I imagine that soon enough, I won't be alone, and that Quinn has found himself a whole new fan-base.