A. J. Dawson's epic story of Finn, a faithful Irish Wolfhound who accompanies his owners through myriad joys and hardships. The story famously demonstrates the dedication, love and fortitude of this unique dog breed. Beginning with a narration of the life of Finn's mother, Tara, we hear about the Master and Mistress who own the wolfhounds. We are introduced to pastoral scenes, where roams in the country fields and woodlands are frequent. Rural England's rich landscape and lifestyle are an ideal environment for Finn to thrive, and the sensitivity and care of his owners ensure he can fulfill his duties as a companion. Uniquely for a fiction of its era, Finn the Wolfhound demonstrates an authentic and believable scenario. The knowledge of the author is amply shown by his descriptions of the Wolfhound's courage and hunting prowess, and the caution of Finn's owners - who take care not to drive the dog too hard or take unnecessary risks - offer the reader lessons in proper canine care.

While the past decade has seen a surge of research regarding canine cognition, this newfound interest has not caught the attention of many philosophers. Studies pertaining to dog minds have been pouring out of canine cognition labs all over the world, but they remain relatively ensconced within the scientific, sociological, and anthropological communities, and very little philosophical thought on dog cognition exists. Philosophers certainly have not shied away from theorizing about the nature of nonhuman animal cognition generally. Theories range from Cartesian disavowal of all nonhuman intelligence to arguments that even fish have complex minds and therefore humans should not eat them. Serious philosophical considerations about dogs and their relationship to humans, however, remain incredibly rare. Even less common, if not entirely nonexistent, is a critical examination of the question "What are dogs thinking?" and what asking and attempting to answer this question reveals, not so much about dogs, but about us. With Minding Dogs Michele Merritt attempts to fill two significant gaps in the philosophy of animal cognition. First, she adds to the growing discussion on canine cognition, which has been overlooked until recently and requires more consideration. Second, she takes seriously our dynamic collaborations with our canine friends as crucial to understanding both their minds and our own.

If you have the eyes and heart to see, you've seen the suffering before. Karen Scott, an animal lover, shares her experiences with Sweet Pea, a homeless, feral mother dog in her neighborhood who caught her eye and captured her heart. The quest to gain this wounded soul's trust proved to be one of the best learning experiences of Karen's life. Sweet Pea's full past and story will never be known, but thanks to Karen's efforts, her future will be a much happier tale. The odds of a feral animal and a human building a relationship are frighteningly small, and success in such an effort is extremely rare, but when Karen saw an emaciated, terrified mother dog foraging for food, she knew she had to at least try. The clever survivor had successfully eluded animal control for months and had earned her deep fear of humans. In her homeless years, Sweet Pea endured and survived many injuries, including a dislocated shoulder and several broken bones. She lived in excruciating pain and fear for years, and gave birth to at least two litters. Karen watched helplessly as neighborhood boys tortured the terrified dog, and vowed to change this innocent creature's life. On the fateful day when Karen saw Sweet Pea, her teats heavy with milk, she knew that somewhere, her puppies depended on this pathetic and abused animal. Little did she know that both of their lives were about to change forever.

Poking a sleeping tiger with a stick is not always a wise thing to do, but that act, along with rescuing animals from abusive or neglectful owners, is what this book is about. A house full of rabbits running loose, wolves sloshing around in flooded cages at a so-called sanctuary, and people with odd and unusual pets are all stories that the author has encountered during his more than thirty-year career as an SPCA inspector. Who knows what animals their neighbor is keeping in their house, garage, or garden shed? Perhaps a six-foot long boa constrictor is loose in the crawl space, an adult cougar is tearing up the sofa, or the house is full of Pomeranians These are the animals that make up some of the fascinating stories shared in this book by a man who has spent a lifetime working with and on behalf of all animals.