Dog Science

“How we interact with animals has preoccupied philosophers, poets, and naturalists for ages,” writes Susan Orlean. Since the age of six, when Orlean wrote and illustrated a book called Herbert the Near-Sighted Pigeon, she’s been drawn to stories about how we live with animals, and how they abide by us. Now, in On Animals, she examines animal-human relationships through the compelling tales she has written over the course of her celebrated career.

For those who enjoyed Amazing Gracie or Merle’s Door, here is a completely new tale of a rescued dog who becomes the unlikely purveyor of a powerful gift. What if most people have it wrong, and miracles are not the exception but the norm? Flash’s Song is the true account of how one person discovered the secret of miracles. It is a story of the power of laughter, the power of family, and, ultimately, the power of love to get us through life.

When Danielle Geller’s mother dies of alcohol withdrawal during an attempt to get sober, Geller returns to Florida and finds her mother’s life packed into eight suitcases. Most were filled with clothes, except for the last one, which contained diaries, photos, and letters, a few undeveloped disposable cameras, dried sage, jewelry, and the bandana her mother wore on days she skipped a hair wash. Geller, an archivist and a writer, uses these pieces of her mother’s life to try and understand her mother’s relationship to home, and their shared need to leave it.

Prince of Dogs returns listeners to the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre and the intertwined destinies of Alain, raised in humble surroundings but now the count's heir; Liath, who struggles to unravel the secrets of her past while evading the traps set for her by those seeking the treasure she hides; Sanglant, believed dead by those who could save him but actually a prisoner in the city of Gent; and Fifth Son, who now builds an army to do his father's bidding - or his own!

When Agony is spirited to the middle of nowhere, things get dicey for them both. The dangers are not contained to the glittering city lights. Some old scores can never be forgotten. Our tenacious twosome did just fine by themselves before they ran into each other, but the world has changed, and they can't go back to the way things were before they met. They'll need more than their usual shoot first, ask questions later tactics to get through this in one piece, and reunite.

Journalist Josh Dean tells the story of a lovable Australian Shepherd, Jack, on his novice tour through the exciting world of professional dog showing, following Jack from his first competitions in local school gymnasiums all the way to the great granddaddy of them all, the Westminster Dog Show. A veteran journalist, Dean shines a warm, steady light on the trials that Jack and his plucky, dedicated owners come to face, and uses their story to explore the larger histories of dog shows themselves and our complex, heartfelt relationships to the pets we grow to love.

This is the story of Normal Kint, who is on the run from his wife's wrath after selling her dog, Ringo, to a Martian. The Martians love dogs – as a delicacy. Normal hopes to lie low till his wife's anger has cooled down. But there is no escape for him. Apparently, Ringo is not your average dog, he carries an important secret. Now, everybody (but not their dog) wants Ringo – and Normal. Will Normal's wife forgive him? Who are the people after Ringo? What do they want? And what lengths will they go to get what they want?

Thirteen-year-old twins Vick and Tara have built an incredible machine - a loyal robotic watchdog named Daisy. But, when local crime boss Ms. Alba schemes to add Daisy to her robot army, Vick and Tara must go to great lengths to protect their prized pet. Because Daisy is more than just any robot - she's their constant protector, and together the three make a great team.

Dogs are the most social animals on the planet, second only to humans in their ability to read and understand emotion. Even chimps and bonobos, our closest genetic relatives, are no match for dogs when it comes to social cognition. Jennifer Arnold understands this better than anyone, having spent the past 25 years training service dogs for people with disabilities at Canine Assistants. She is a pioneer in the emerging field of "bond-based" dog training.

Following a game warden’s adventures from the woods of Maine to the swamps of New Orleans as he and his canine companions investigate murder, search for missing persons, and rescue survivors from natural disasters, this is a memoir that reads like a true crime novel. A Good Man with a Dog explores Roger Guay’s life as he and his canine partners are exposed to terrible events, from tracking down hostile poachers to searching for victims of violent crimes,

It's midsummer in the small town of Llanfair, and there's been an influx of pagans who are here for the festival. In the middle of all the joy, a small child goes missing. He's found quickly, but he's different now. Changed, somehow. A changeling? Such an accusation drives a wedge between Bron and Maddie, but as events take a darker turn, they must work together - against the clock - to rescue the soul of the boy...and the heart of the town.

Do you ever wonder what your dogs are thinking? How they feel? What they’re dreaming about as they run, whimper, bark, and growl in their sleep? Who or what they’re playing with when they romp around all by themselves? What they’re looking at when all you see is a blank wall or an empty doorway? Will we see them again after they’ve gone? What if they wrote and sent you a story from the great beyond? This Dog’s Afterlife answers those questions.

The army does not want you to listen to this book. It does not want to advertise its detention system that coddles enemy fighters while putting American soldiers at risk. It does not want to reveal the new lawyered-up Pentagon war ethic that prosecutes US soldiers and marines while setting free spies who kill Americans. This very system ambushed Captain Roger Hill and his men.

When Grant the Genie is cast out of Genie World, he lands on Earth with a big, fat bump! Without a lamp to call home, he has to settle for an old cracked teapot instead. Grant is very lonely until he meets the puppy, Teeny. Then Genie and Teeny are kidnapped by the evil purple-loving Lavinia Lavender, and find themselves on-course for a rollercoaster of an adventure—when all they really want is a place to call home.

Monty was just like any other dog. A scruffy and irascible Maltese terrier, he enjoyed barking at pugs and sniffing at trees. But after Monty has yet another dramatic confrontation with the local Rottweiler, Anthony McGowan realizes it’s high time he and Monty had a chat about what makes him a good or a bad dog.

When John Tovey lost his sight at the age of 42, he thought his life was over. He was wrong, it was just beginning. John had followed a bad path drifting in and out of trouble. He was sent to improvement schools, a young offenders institute and eventually a prison. John was on self-destruct and thought nothing or no one could help him. Then he became the victim of a vicious attack by a notorious train ‘steaming’ gang. John knew he had to take the witness stand.

Every year, young princesses and princes arrive at Mrs. Paws' Magic Pet Shop to pick a perfect unicorn pet. But this year, Princess Ava arrived too late. There are no unicorns left...only Pugicorn! He's short and hairy. He can't sit still or gallop gracefully - and he certainly can't leap over rainbows. Can a pugicorn ever be a princess's best friend?

While Thierry is away, the Morrigan will play. Snatching the crown from her daughter-in-law's head wasn't the motherly thing to do, but Thierry doesn't mind trading the throne in Faerie for the ratty couch in her Texas apartment. The old crow is welcome to it. But ruling one world is not enough. The Morrigan wants an all-access pass to the mortal realm too.

New York Times best-selling author Jon Katz offers us a deeper understanding of the inner and outer lives of animals and teaches us how we can more effectively communicate with them, made real by his own remarkable research and experiences with a wide array of creatures great and small.

Hig, bereaved and traumatised after global disaster, has three things to live for—his dog Jasper, his aggressive but helpful neighbour and his Cessna aeroplane. He's just about surviving, so long as he only takes his beloved plane for short journeys, and saves his remaining fuel. But, just once, he picks up a message from another pilot, and eventually the temptation to find out who else is still alive becomes irresistible. So he takes his plane over the horizon, knowing that he won't have enough fuel to get back.