Table of Contents
For My Father
Who Inspired This Book
and My Love for Dogs
FOREWORD
DOGS ARE SUCH A PART OF MY LIFE that I cannot imagine being without them. There are those days, while cleaning up the vomit on the Moroccan rug, or protecting the UPS guy from attack, that my devotion is tested. But one walk with my dog, Haggis, and all is forgiven. The expression on her face when she runs to catch up with me on the beach will get me out of any self-absorbed bad mood. She seems to reach a state of suspended animation over the sand as her back legs reach under and ahead of her front legs, her nose jutting forward like a fighter jet.
Because Im a veterinarian, I have the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of dealing with dogs and their guardians every working day. There has been a recent flurry of press clippings, television shows, and veterinary journal articles suggesting a new level of connection between dogs and humans. The only part that is new is the presss interest. People and dogs have had such an intimate connection from the furthest reaches of archaeology to the present day that it is impossible to separate our common histories. Did a woman on a farm in rural America 300 years ago love her dog less than a woman living today? Our lives and stresses have changed over time, but our dogs loyalty has remained constant. One of the secret pleasures of my job is to observe this bond between my clients and their dogs. It stretches from the lady who requests that her dog be bathed in Evian water to the dog who provides direction for the blind man.
A common element of our association with dogs is this simple, unwritten contract: The dog provides the devotion, love, companionship and work, while we accept the responsibility for providing food, water, shelter, healthcare in life and death, and hopefully some love in return. Unfortunately, we as people often fall short. Dogs rarely do. Tracie Hotchner has written a book that will help us keep up our side of the bargain.
When I first met Tracie, she was surrounded by a mad flurry of three dogs. They all seemed to move as one unit. I was not surprised to learn later that she was writing a book about dogs. While reading one of the chapters of this book, I found out why she always brings the whole gang to the vet (you will have to read it to find out!). I wanted to suggest that that sentence be omitted from the bookbecause my practice would quickly be overrun with every vet visitbut her advice made too much sense. Many vets, breeders, pet-store owners, and people on the street believe so strongly in supporting and promoting their particular belief that it can be hard to wade through the conflicting advice while making decisions for our dogs care. It seems as if no two people can ever agree on how to care for a dog. Tracie puts forward a refreshingly common-sense approach. There will always be disagreement and a different way to do things. On the balance, though, this book will ride that line of providing the most up-to-date, mainstream thinking without being afraid to challenge the status quo. Tracie has that special quality of having strong thoughts and ideas but also the ability to remain completely open to new information that makes sense.
While talking with Tracie a few days ago, she mentioned to me that she wanted to empower people with information about dog care so that they may make informed choices. This is exactly how I feel. My job as a vet is to give people all the information I have, put it together in a plan of action with options and possible outcomes, and then let the client decide what is best. The paternal, secretive approach to veterinary medicine rarely results in the best care. You are your dogs advocate. Your dog lives with you, not Tracie, me or the breeder. This book will give you what you need to make your life together with your dog the best it can be.
Barry C. Browning, BVM&S, MRCVS
Sag Harbor, NY
November 17, 2004
INTRODUCTION
THIS BOOK IS GOING TO CHANGE YOUR DOGS LIFE.
It will explain how she thinks, feels, develops and communicates, so you can get the most out of each others company...
It will give you the truth about the different ways and places to get a dog, so when you make a decision it is a fully informed one...
It will give you all of the most reliable information about health care, nutrition, training and everything else that pertains to the practicalities of a dogs life, so that you can make good decisions for your dog based on your own situation...
It will cover every possible problem you might encounter with your dog and give you choices in how to handle it...
It will help you safely introduce your dog to new situations and people, to babies and children, to other dogs and to cats...
This book is going to change your life.
If youve picked up The Dog Bible, then you have a dog, you want to get a dog, or youre close to someone who falls into those two categories. You may already have discovered that no book exists that covers everything a dog-lover needs to know.
I wrote this book because I went looking for it and couldnt find anything like it. I wanted a book I could reach for when I had any questions or problems with my dogs, to find quick ideas and suggestions, remedies and advice. Theres never been a book like this, and we dog people needed it. So I embarked on the research of every aspect of a dogs life and covered all the bases. I read the latest medical and nutritional journals. I interviewed vets and dog trainers, consulted breeders and pet-store owners and dog owners, asking them what they would want to find in an encyclopedic book about dogs. And here it is.
When I was researching this book, people frequently assumed I was relying on the Internet for information, but the opposite was true. Even though there are dozens of sites affiliated with dogs on the Internetand what seems like a river of informationmuch of it is superficial and/or unreliable. Every so often Id come upon something interesting, however much of it was simplistic and the origin of the information was unclear. We all tend to forget that the Internet is not just a free encyclopedia or Yellow Pages in cyberspace: its a place where money changes hands at various levels. Many canine sites are venues to sell dog-related merchandise. There is nothing inherently bad about thatafter all, commerce makes the world go aroundbut you certainly wouldnt want to make any important decision about your dogs life based on anything you surfed on the Net. Having said this, there are some good Internet sites for canine health and wellness issues: any address with .edu means a site is affiliated with a university or veterinary school.
Youre going to want this book because it has in-depth, objective, thorough facts; because it understands the different ways that dogs are dear to all of us and our desire to get the most out of sharing our lives with them; because it gives you an encyclopedic tool you can reach for when you want information about anything to do with your dog. With all due respect to the late great Benjamin Spock, MD, you can think of this as the Dr. Spock for your dog, the has-it-all book that you reach for in times of need or curiosity.
Until The Dog Bible came along, there was no reliable place to turn with questions and concerns about pooches. The typical dog owner knows so little about this creature who basically lives for us, yet there is a mountain of information about every aspect of humans sharing their lives with canines. Researchers are discovering nuances about the nutritional, developmental and emotional needs of dogs. Our devotion to our dogs means that the standard of luxury and care for dogs is constantly being raised. Scientists and doctors are developing medical tests and treatments for dogs that were unimaginable a decade ago. In this book you can find out the latest information about what makes dogs tick; how to enhance the human-dog connection; learn the optimal conditions in which to raise a dog; advances in medical care; what choices you have in feeding a dog; the special needs of very small and very large dogs; healthy living with a dog in the city; how to manage canine health for maximum happiness and longevity; and, eventually, how to deal with the options available for bringing a dogs life to a dignified and serene close.
