After a devastating diagnosis at the age of 39, Maureen Maurer was given a second chance at life. Giving up her successful career as a CPA, she took a leap of faith to pursue her childhood dream: teaching dogs to help people with disabilities. She founded two nonprofit organizations, Assistance Dogs of Hawaii and Assistance Dogs Northwest, and unleashed the potential dogs have to help people with special needs. In Wonder Dogs, Maureen shares her story of discovering God's true purpose for her life and the amazing adventure that followed. She also tells the triumphant stories of her beloved dogs and their inspiring partners as they overcome incredible challenges to live life to the fullest. These heartwarming and uplifting accounts show what's possible when we focus on abilities rather than disabilities. Dog lovers everywhere will enjoy this fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at what goes into selecting and training assistance dogs. Anyone who loves stories about second chances and overcoming challenges will find in Wonder Dogs a whole pack of kindred spirits.

TV vet Dr Katrina Warren, one of the country's most recognised and loved veterinarians, has teamed up with professional dog trainer Kelly Gill and the Wonderdogs -- Willow, Jordie, Jinx and Flynn. Wonderdogs teaches 20 fun tricks ranging from easy to advanced, and every trick is accompanied by straightforward step-by-step instructions and photographs. You'll find everything your dog wants to learn: from sitting, staying and fetching to dancing, spinning and spelling. Plus, there is a puppy guide to help set up your puppy for life. By learning the secrets to successfully training your pet, you'll strengthen the bond you both share. With love, patience and a few minutes a day you'll have your very own Wonderdog.

"Journey back in time for a look at Sammy's Family Tree. From early cave dachshund Ugga Ugga Bark Bark to a modern-day computer whiz, you'll meet incredible inventors, brave heroes, and even an artist who have paved the way for Sammy, inspiring him to be the dachshund that he is today!"--Front flap of jacket.

Capturing the rollercoaster ride of Fresno State's unlikely victory in the 2008 NCAA College World Series, this account tells their story through more than 200 color photographs, radio play-by-play excerpts, and comments from the players themselves. The Bulldogs, originally ranked 89th in the country, triumphed over elimination through six weeks of unprecedented upsets to become the lowest seed ever to win the NCAA baseball championship. Told in the unique style of the team's radio announcer, this is an exhilarating and inspirational tale of the metamorphosis from adversity into achievement.

With Wonderdog, Inman Majors brings us the unlikely Dev Degraw, son of the iconoclastic governor of the state and former child actor on the historically bad television drama "Bayou Dog." Dev inhabits Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, ferocious wiener dogs, butter-eating contests, jackleg lawyers, and one-eyed stalkers. It's in this funky Southern milieu that Dev moves among the denizens of Tuscaloosa's local watering holes, the political bigwigs of the state capital, and the sundry elements of B-movie Hollywood. As the story unfolds, Dev is trying his underachieving best to stay out of his father's heated bid for re-election, as well as a co-star's incomprehensible plans to organize a "Bayou Dog" cast reunion. Fortunately for the reader, his efforts to remain uninvolved in the political fray and as far away as possible from his TV alter ego are foiled by one comic entanglement after another: star-crossed love affairs, a halfhearted legal practice, and an ex-wife dating a male cheerleader. As he tries to rectify past glories with more recent foibles, we come to know the Dev who, knowingly or unknowingly, gets thrust upon a career path that will at last begin to define him. The result is a tour de force of American revelry. Written with verbal energy, lyricism, and a knife-sharp eye for comedic detail, Wonderdog is a hilarious Dr. Frankenstein concoction of Henry the IV, Kingsley Amis, and John Kennedy Toole. But Inman Majors has created a comedy all his own, one that springs from a love of human speech and compassion for the minor geniuses in the dusty corners of life. Here, with Wonderdog, Majors sets out to examine the comic vagaries of the human condition. What he ends up with is a wholly original work of fiction, breathing new life into the Southern comedy along the way.

Bob was an average-looking collie puppy in every way, except for his bobbed tail . . . and maybe that’s why the Brazier family named him Bob, or Bobbie. But he was average in no other way. In 1923, Bobbie joined Frank and Elizabeth Brazier for a cross-country drive from Silverton, Oregon, to Indiana, Frank’s home state, where they planned to visit family. During a stop in Indiana, Bobbie was chased off by loose dogs, and after a week of searching and placing newspaper ads, the broken-hearted Braziers had to give up and start the drive home. Six months to the day after he was lost in Indiana, a very thin Bobbie was spotted on a Silverton sidewalk, his coat matted, his paws raw from wear. Unbelievable as it seemed, the three-year-old dog had WALKED almost 2,800 miles to get back home. Though weak and tired, Bobbie went berserk with joy when he was reunited with his family, and from that day, all of their lives changed. In the weeks and months that followed, his story tore across the country in newspapers and even in a hardcover collection of pet stories. He was the main attraction at an Oregon home-builders convention in Portland, where thousands lined up to pet him, and he starred in a short feature film. Also, the Braziers eventually heard from people along Bobbie's homeward-bound route, places where he’d stopped long enough to recoup, and then he was gone again. These stories verified their thinking. Bobbie had done the impossible. When Bobbie died, he was buried in Portland, Oregon, by the Oregon Humane Society. Rin Tin-Tin was there to lay a wreath at his funeral, which was officiated by the mayor of Portland. This incredible story is all true, and the origins of Lassie Come Home are said to be traced to the story of Bob of Silverton, also known as Bobbie, the Wonder Dog, a Scotch collie mix.

Howl with laughter at dozens of the very best dog jokes ever collected--and made even funnier by the comic color illustrations that enliven every spread. Eleven hilarious sections capture every facet of canine humor: A Dog Walks into a Bar, Wonderdogs & Underdogs, Good Breeding, Dogs Gone Postal, Doggy Haiku; Man’s Best Friend, Cat’s Worst Enemy; Shaggy Dog Stories, Fetching Follies, Doggie Limericks, Puppy Love, and Kibbles & Bits.With its unbeatable subject matter, attractive package, and great price, it makes a terrific gift for all of Fido’s fans.

A celebration of dogs, the scientists who've lived alongside them, and how canines have been key to advancements in science for the betterment of all species. Almost everywhere there are humans on planet Earth, there are dogs. But what do dogs know and understand of the world? Do their emotions feel like our own? Do they love like we do? What do they think of us? Since our alliance first began on the hunt and on the farm, our relationship with dogs has evolved considerably. And with domestic dog population rising twenty per cent in the last decade alone, it is a bond that will continue to evolve. In order to gauge where our relationship with dogs goes from here, author and zoologist Jules Howard takes a look at the historical paths we have trod together, and at the many scientists before him who turned their analytic eye on their own four-legged companions. Charles Darwin and his contemporaries toyed with dog sign language and made special puzzle boxes and elaborate sniff tests using old socks. Later, the same questions drove Pavlov and Pasteur to unspeakable cruelty in their search for knowledge. Since then, leagues of psychologists and animal behaviourists have built upon the study of dogs and their much-improved methods have fetched increasingly important results: dogs have episodic memory similar to ours; they recognise themselves as individuals; and, in addition to their expert sense of smell, dogs’ noses can even detect thermal radiation. With the help of vets, ethologists, neurologists, historians and, naturally, his own dogs, Wonderdog reveals the study of dogs to be key in the advancement of compassion in scientific research, and crucial to making life on Earth better for all species.

Life isn’t perfect, but dogs certainly make it better Meet the incredible dogs in this inspiring collection of true stories, championing the often underestimated role of man’s best friend Daisy, the tiny Dachshund who put her life on the line to save her humans from a bear. Charco, the veteran sniffer dog who has saved countless human lives, and yet still keeps his tail wagging. Delta, the dog who died trying to protect her young owner from a volcano – after already having saved his life three times. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that dogs are pretty great. But when it comes to facing peril, these loyal creatures always seem willing to step up to the mark and become true doggy heroes. Whether they’re saving humans from dangerous people or situations, helping the sick, fighting crime or just following their animal instincts to do good, the true stories featured in this expanded and updated collection prove that dogs aren’t just man’s best friend – they’re also inspirational, courageous and selfless companions to us all.