Mark has no special talents. He thinks. Except talking. His best friend in Calgary had a nickname for him: Marvelous Mark Olsen and the Mighty Moving Mouth! That was then. At his old school he was the life of the party; now he's friendless. His parents are busy; his baby brother, Ryan, is a pest; and Grandpa Olsen, who used to be nice, has become an old grump ever since he lost the ability to walk. Life is terrible. Then Mark meets Jet, one not-so-swift cow dog who growls when he's happy. He's foolish. Daft, says Mr. McGinness, the cattle rancher. Rather play than work. He spends all his time chasing birds. About the only thing he likes better than birds is people. He'll never amount to anything much. I need this dog, Mark told his dad. Life gets better. Then Jet has a close encounter with a tractor. Dear God, don't let that be my dog. Please. Would Jet lose a leg? What good is a three-legged dog? In the end Mark discovers that if he can love a worthless, good-for-nothing dog, well, maybe God can love a boy who talks too much.

It was love at first sight. Amid the frenzied barking and prancing of a house full of Great Danes, one pup was shivering in the corner. Gracie. But when Dan Dye reached her, she struggled to her feet like a clumsy foal, raised her forehead to his, and announced, as clearly as if she had actually spoken the words, You know I'm the one. Now get me outta here! By turns funny, moving, tender, and inspiring, Gracie's tale is a treat for every dog lover. There is Gracie's first morning, racing around Dan in the snowy yard. Gracie's first determination to prove to her step-sisters, Dottie the Dalmation and Sarah the Black Lab, that she's one of the girls. Gracie's defiant romance with a pint-size charmer named Byron, a Boston Terrier from the wrong side of the fence. Then born of necessity, the eureka moment: When Gracie's delicate constitution starts turning into anorexia, Dan teaches himself how to cook, and in three days is baking her the cookies that will spur her appetite, launch Three Dog Bakery, and transform their lives forever. Courage. Compassion. Kindness. Soul. Tenacity. And joy, above all, joy. These qualities Gracie possessed in abundance, and shared with everyone, human or canine, who had the good fortune to cross her path.

Mark has been in and out of hospital his whole life - and he's fed up. So when his cancer returns, he decides he's had enough. Running away with his dog Beau, he sets out to climb a mountain - and it's only when he's left everything behind that Mark realises he has everything to live for.

From the time Dr. Mark Goldstein was a little boy—even before he had his first dog—he was fascinated by creatures both domestic and wild. After graduating veterinary school at Cornell University, he became a veterinarian in clinical practice, then director of zoos in Boston and Los Angeles, then head of a progressive humane society where he advocated for animal welfare. During his extraordinary 30-year career, Dr. Mark has accrued a lifetime of experiences working with all sorts of animals and the people who care for them. Dr. Mark's life with animals taught him more than how to be a great doctor, it taught him how to live life. The stories in this book reflect those lessons; they will make you laugh and cry as they entertain and amaze you. Each real-life experience sheds light on the challenges and hard work of the talented individuals who work in the world of animal welfare. These are stories that illustrate the tremendous impact animals have on our daily lives—they are hallmarks of the sacred importance of the human-animal bond. On your journey through the exhilarating life of Dr. Mark, you'll meet some of the finned, furred, and feathered animals who offered him invaluable insights—Harold the hamster, Sasha the Siberian tiger, St. Francis the German Shepherd, Ralph the buffalo, Gus the stallion, Frank the goldfish, and many more fascinating creatures!

I'm Rusty, I'm 12, I'm a preacher's kid, I like hockey -- and I hate hospitals! No privacy! So embarrassing! But I certainly don't want to lose my toes or go blind or something, so here I am. Wait -- let's go back. I was falling asleep in class. I had to [blush] go to the bathroom all the time. I couldn't think straight. My living room walls were tipping sideways. Then I fainted. Now I have to endure the tender mercies of Miss McDonald, the vampire nurse with a heart of stone and a needle of steel. I don't like pain. Or blood. But they've got to find out what's wrong with me. Meanwhile, I'm learning important stuff about God and prayer and self-control and relationships and courage. I still don't like needles, but I'm growing. Well, here's my story. Come and grow with me. Book jacket.

The many ups and downs in the life of Jacob are dramatized in compelling stories for elementary students, with simplified versions for tiny tots. This volume includes splendid illustrations, maps, photographs of artifacts from ancient times, and a comprehensive glossary that brings a forgotten age to life. There is something here for every member of the family.

Please God, I whispered. Not another moose. I couldn't stand another moose. I reached forward to pull on Auntie Teresa's coat, but it was too late. The growl erupted into an enormous roar. I glimpsed something dark racing down the path straight toward us. It threw itself into the air and banged into my chest, knocking me to my knees. I let out a horrible scream. Maybe is a big gray, mule who wins races and Sarah Lee is a big-and-tall 12-year-old who's not happy with her size. Her family is headed for the Canadian Rockies for a trail ride. She prays: Dear Jesus, please keep us safe tomorrow. I don't want to be chased by a cougar or a bear. And Jesus, please make me a different person--someone who isn't fat. Amen. When Maybe and Sheba, Mom's snow-white Arabian horse, are spooked by a crash in the underbrush, they disappear, leaving Sarah and Mom stranded in the woods. Now what? God, please take care of Maybe, prays Sarah. As they hit the dusty trail, Sarah Lee learns a few things about mules. And prayer. And self-esteem. And why God lets bad things happen. And how much she has to be thankful for.

This “informative account” of canine evolution will “appeal to dog lovers with a curiosity about the origins of their favorite companion.” (Publishers Weekly) Many have made the case that dogs have evolved from wolves but the evolutionary link between wolves and dogs remains a mystery. In How the Dog Became the Dog, Mark Derr posits that the dog’s evolution from wolf was inevitable due to the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship between wolves and hunter-gatherer humans. How the Dog Became the Dog presents the domestication of the dog as a biological and cultural process that began with a reciprocal cooperation between dogwolves and humans that evolved over time, from the first dogs that took refuge with humans against the cold at the end of the last Ice Age, to the 18th century, when humans began to exercise full control of dog reproduction, life, and death, through centuries of natural and artificial selection that led us to the many breeds of dogs we know and love today. “A transporting slice of dog/wolf thinking that will pique the interest of anyone with a dog in their orbit.” —Kirkus Reviews