The Reading Warehouse

Section I: "The Dog in Our World" starts with the domestication of dog and the development of breeds, explores the dog's place in world religion, folklore, and popular culture, and analyzes how the dog fits into our society in terms of rescue, animal welfare, legal matters, and ethical and social issues.

Section II: "A New Dog" is a new owner's primer to deciding upon the right dog, whether purebred or mixed breed, the requirements of keeping and caring for a dog, and various considerations before choosing a dog (children, size, energy, etc.). Individual chapters on finding a dog (from breeders, shelters, and rescue programs), preparing for the homecoming (puppy-proofing, supplies, safety), and bringing the dog home.

Section III: "Life with a Dog" discusses pet-care partners (from doggy day care to boarding kennels to pet sitters), emergencies, lost-dog protocol, traveling with a dog, senior years, and activities with a dog. The expansive activities chapter covers agility, flyball, sledding, weigh pulling, canine freestyle, lure coursing, herding, field trials, dock diving, Schutzhund, tracking, showing, therapy, obedience trials, and more.

Section IV: "Breeds" is the largest section in the book, providing an alphabetical catalog of over 250 purebred dogs, from Affenpinscher to Yorkshire Terrier, including all of the most popular breeds in the world as well as many little known breed. Each breed is represented by a full-color photograph and an article detailing alternative names, country of origin, kennel club group, history of breed's development, physical description, height/weight, temperament, activity level, health concerns--all information necessary for owners to determine which breed would make the best companion for their life style and family.

Section V: "Health" extends over 100 pages and covers establishing a veterinary regimen for a dog; infectious diseases and vaccinations; canine anatomy and bodily systems; reproduction and breeding; chronic disease and conditions; and diagnostic tests and techniques.

Section VI: "Daily Care" provides owners with fundamental information about grooming dogs, including breed-specific needs, history of grooming, and home grooming requirements. A chapter titled "The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Dog" addresses essential canine nutrition, including selection of the right food, safety, special needs, supplemental, obesity, and owner precautions.

Section VII: "Training and Behavior" could be a complete book unto itself, discussing canine communication, the importance of socialization, puppy training, house-training, specific kinds of training methods, equipment, adult-dog methods, and trick training. A chapter on solving behavioral problems covers difficulties owners might encounter with their pets, from barking and separation anxiety to aggression, eating, housetraining, and health-related problems.

Section VIII: "Dogs and Work" includes a chapter about dogs who work and a chapter about people who work with dogs. The text discusses the many jobs dogs do in our society, from ancient roles like herding, guarding, and military work to more contemporary jobs like search and rescue, film acting, and detection work. The careers chapter catalogs jobs caring for dogs (veterinary-related, groomers, day-care), protection and advocacy jobs (humane societies, animal control), and training and handling jobs (obedience, behaviorist, working dog handlers).

The book concludes with an extensive glossary, a 50-page resource section of books, websites, and magazines, and a complete index.