Amitie came from Corsica to Canada to escape poverty and start a new life, and eventually entered the lives of Karla and David. Strong bonds were formed amongst all three until life's challenges changed everything. This is a story about love, and loss and grief. And about choices, though the reasons for those choices may not be so clear, not even to themselves.

Sequel to The Maxim Chronicles, A Year with a Champion Poodle, this book continues the story of the Jordan family and their beloved dogs who gave so much richness to their lives. Follow Hallelujah, the beautiful white bitch, as she herself goes to 'The Show', wins armfuls of ribbons and prizes, then retires to making puppies. The journey repeats as Halle's best black bitch, Valmara's Highland Fling Bonnie Doon, also wins Best Puppy in Show, and thrills her family all over again. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about Poodles, grooming, breeding, obedience training, encounters with vermin, and vets. But this is not just a book about dogs. It is also about people, families, and relationships, laced with irony and humour. Interspersed in all this dog lore the author explores ideas in philosophy, religion, consciousness and life. Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows already the truth of Will Rogers declaration: 'If there are no dogs in heaven, I don't want to go there.'

A story about a year in the life of a dog and his various families. Maxim was a Standard Poodle who lived for a time in Israel only to return to Ottawa as a 'teenager' and learn to accept a whole new family. A memoir full of humour and information as Max and his family enter the world of conformation shows, and finally becoming a champion, in more ways than one. Clearly narrative therapy, it may also prove therapeutic to the reader as well.

Management is the art of influencing others to achieve organization goals, and in the bargain, achieve the manager's, and the employee's, personal goals. As the book makes clear, management is not for everybody, but if a career in management looks like the path you want to take to achieve life satisfaction then this book may help you understand what management - and leadership - really is, and what it takes to master the dynamics of influencing others.