Owners of beloved dogs will universally agree that, sometimes, it seems their pet understands everything that is being said around them. In this fantasy, Chipper provides some answers to the question: What adventures might a dog have if he could actually read words and understand what is being said by those nearby? Sit down and shake a paw with this special canine as he grows from a clumsy pup to a crime-stopping member of the local police force. Along the way, he learns to read. He is dog-napped, injured and almost euthanized. He becomes a dog who counsels other dogs...and he uses a special computer to tell the story of his adventures. Join Mary Anne and Chipper, together with their good friend Monty and his dog, Maggie, as they create a training school for dogs - The Learning Lab - whose results amaze and mystify the owners of the dogs in attendance. But these undertakings can't even compare with the superlative life-lessons Mary Anne and Chipper learn from Mom and Dad and Mr. Robb, their wise and kindly neighbor. This quirky canine is sure to find his way into your heart. He may not be able to speak, but Chipper's waggy-tailed escapades will keep you wondering, "...and what else can this dog do?"...

A photographic tribute to mixed breed dogs of all varieties along with notations about what makes them so unique to their owners.

From Alexandra Horowitz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Inside of a Dog, an eye-opening, informative, and wholly entertaining examination and celebration of the human-canine relationship for the curious dog owner and science-lover alike. We keep dogs and are kept by them. We love dogs and (we assume) we are loved by them. We buy them sweaters, toys, shoes; we are concerned with their social lives, their food, and their health. The story of humans and dogs is thousands of years old but is far from understood. In Our Dogs, Ourselves, Alexandra Horowitz explores all aspects of this unique and complex interspecies pairing. As Horowitz considers the current culture of dogdom, she reveals the odd, surprising, and contradictory ways we live with dogs. We celebrate their individuality but breed them for sameness. Despite our deep emotional relationships with dogs, legally they are property to be bought, sold, abandoned, or euthanized as we wish. Even the way we speak to our dogs is at once perplexing and delightful. In thirteen thoughtful and charming chapters, Our Dogs, Ourselves affirms our profound affection for this most charismatic of animals—and opens our eyes to the companions at our sides as never before.