“For the rescuers who rescue us too, by bringing dogs into our lives…”
Edie Jarolim has produced a real gem in her soon to be classic “Am I Boring My Dog? And 99 Other Things Every Dog Wishes You Knew“ 
What appears as an unassuming little book of 230 pages turns out to be the next ”gotta have it” reference for your personal library.
When I read it, I felt a little disoriented – it reminded me of Dr. Who’s Tardis, the time traveling spaceship that defies the laws of physics by being tiny on the outside and huge on the inside. Such a small book – how could it contain so much useful information? I would advise every shelter, rescue, and good breeder that this book should be cost-factored into each and every adoption. No kidding. It’s that good!
Save dogs from being returned to a shelter. The first weeks after adopting are crucial for keeping a dog in the home. “Fixes” can be easy if you know where a problem is coming from. It’s generally a lack of understanding or information that causes adopters to get fed up and want to return a dog. This book would go a long way to relieving the frustration of adopters by providing answers to frequently encountered problems.
Beautifully and simply organized, it is easy to see exactly what the focus of book is: It’s about you and your dog. From the moment you’re thinking of getting a dog, the vetting, general care, feeding, training, grooming and various particulars of old age, to how to decide when “it’s time”, this book has the smart answers wrapped like a gift just for you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting your first dog, or your last. This book is a primer for the neophyte, as well as a handy reference to those with years of dog caretaking experience.
Important details like shelter and good breeder adoption contracts are found at every turn of the page. The problems with food safety, spay/neuter and what it means to your pup, puppy mills as sellers of puppies through pet shops, dental care, the tools you’ll need, like collars, leashes, harnesses and others appropriate and those not so appropriate are discussed, detailed, and defined. Even traveling with your dog, doggy shrinks, and safe cleaning products for use around dogs are topics of exploration. The book is surprising in it’s depth given the broad topic range.
The writing is clean, spare, but never dry, lifeless or, dare I say, boring. Jarolim’s sense of humor, which I know well from reading her blog Will My Dog Hate Me?, is there in the form of puns and deftly placed quips. Don’t forget to read the footnotes – lots of funny, interesing bits! For transparency’s sake, Edie Jarolim is a twitter and blogging pal. We have talked via email and on the phone a couple of times about our dogs, book signings, and blogging. I’ve seen several reviews of her book, one notably on video by an excellent dog trainer, all of which were most enthusiastic. Now I see why!
You can get the book here at Amazon for less than $11 in paperback. Makes a great gift, too!
San Diego can go meet Jarolim and her dog Frankie for Canine Cocktails, book signing and Padre home game viewing from 5 to 9pm at Hotel Indigo’s Phi Terrace Bar, a rooftop indoor/outdoor hotspot with a clear view of home plate at PETCO Park.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting the great book review. And thanks Edie for such a non-boring book!
Thanks for stopping by, Peggy!
Thanks so much, Mary. I love the idea of the book being compared to a space ship that defies physics. I've got to admit to never having watched Dr. Who so the first association I had was with Dr. Seuss and Horton Hears a Who and I wondered where you were going with that (though it was clearly someplace pleasant).
More important — I'm very pleased to have you, as a member of the shelter community, praise my book, Mary. If it can save dogs from being returned by diminishing frustration, I'm thrilled.
Hey Edie, I had fun checking out your book! I just changed things up a bit here adding more to the review. I took part of your dedication quote and used it as the intro line, changed the title too (what will Google think
It's always a problem being too "inside" an industry – what is obvious to insiders needs to be said out loud to those who are not! Your comment drove me to rearrange the deck slightly!
So bummed I missed the book signing since my home and where I train dogs is San Diego. Would have loved to meet Edie in person… but have a home in Taos, NM as well & spend a portion of my time here….
Never the less, as a professional dog trainer who spends much of my time showing people that their dog is actually quite wonderful though it did have problems and had to be rescued… simply because someone else didn’t take the time to deal with the little quirks… which we all have… dog, person, it doesn’t matter…. this book will be a recommendation on my blog, to my clients and in those areas where I can make a difference in the rescue world.
We’ve all been rescued in a our way…
Wag more!
Hey, that's a great idea and a wonderful thing to do! I think it really is about giving people the tools and references they need to get over some of the bumps in the road, and certainly having a book like Edie's would make things easier. There's nothing worse than having all kinds of questions and no quick place to go for a reliable answer. Having a reference is a beginning and helps people take the next step, and the next. Thanks for stopping by!
I am definitely going to check out this book! Thank you so much for the recommendation… I've had dogs all my life, but I know there's always more to learn.
Thanks for stopping in, and Welcome! Yes, we all learn from each other here, too – there's so much stuff out there we couldn't possibly find it all by ourselves!
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