What happens when one dog roams the countryside and makes a home for himself in every house? How can so many different people find themselves drawn together and become friends? What is it about this dog that makes people love him, whether they want to or not? Bailey is a city dog brought to the country, and he finds that it suits him better. Before long hes roaming the woods and fields of the Hill, making friends everywhere that he goes. Wherever he visits he finds sadness and grief, but when he leaves, peoples lives are changed forever. Whether its the old man who lives alone or the grieving widow who looks for happiness in a bottle of wine, Bailey comes into their lives and shakes it up, making them better people just because hes there. Each person believes they are the only ones that Bailey visits, but just how long will it be until he gets caught? And what will happen when everyone learns the truth? Based on the life adventures of a real dog, The Secret Life of Yellow Dog is a tale of love, acceptance, and understanding as people collide and clash, all over a single dog.

Carefully selected from more than 6,500 essays, this wonderful collection of more than 80 stories reveals pure, common wisdom at its best, shared by ordinary people who look at life in an extraordinary way. From heartbreaking accounts to amusing snapshots, The Best Life Stories will leave you feeling hopeful, resilient, and optimistic that happiness can be found even in the darkest moments. Born out of a Reader’s Digest Facebook contest that challenged readers to write their life stories in 150 words or less, this book features the editors’ Top Picks, such as the inspirational tale of . . . one father’s desolation and the renewal he found in his family’s faith and love. one woman’s ability to let go of her abusive past after rescuing an abused dog. a mother’s pride in a life-changing decision made by her autistic daughter. a breast cancer patient’s realization that her identity goes way beyond her diagnosis. a free-spirited woman’s choice to live on her own terms. a young girl’s proud recognition of her grandfather’s simple but profound legacy. Plainspoken and honest, The best Life Stories will help you discover the meaning of life, the simple joy in the every day.

Maxim, a curious border collie, can sense trouble a mile away. His keen eyes and ears lead him from one dangerous case to the next. Surrounded by his friends, animals look to him to right the neighborhood wrongs, proclaiming him the Dog Catcher. In pursuit of the truth, he often finds himself at odds with his mistress, who is unaware of the ordeals associated with his secret life. Implicated in the death of his archenemy, deception and intrigue unfold as Maxim fights to clear his name.

From working with dogs to horses to elephants, there is a job out there for every person who loves working with animals. And the ones in this volume don't require college! Giving readers all the tools they need to begin a career working with animals, this text is filled with exciting and colorful animal photos, informative sidebars, and some information from individuals who work with animals in real life. It covers résumés, cover letters, job searches, and giving a good interview as well.

A fresh and funny story about a boy learning to become the brave hero of his own life, perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and The Fourteenth Goldfish. My secret life is filled with psychic vampires, wheelchair zombies, chain-rattlin’ ghosts, and a one-eyed cat. But they’re nothing compared to my real-life stalker: a sixth-grade girl named Kandi Kain. . . . Lincoln Jones is always working on the latest story he’s got going in his notebook. Those stories are his refuge. A place where the hero always prevails and the bad guy goes to jail. Real life is messy and complicated, so Lincoln sticks to fiction and keeps to himself. Which works fine until a nosy girl at his new school starts prying into his private business. She wants to know what he’s writing, where he disappears to after school, and why he never talks to anybody. . . . The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones is a terrifically funny and poignant story about a boy finding the courage to get to know the real characters all around him—and to let them know him. Praise for The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones: Winner of the Josette Frank Award "Van Draanen's engaging story is characterized by clever writing, a palpable affection for her characters, and a deep understanding of what's important about life. Readers will love Lincoln Jones."—Kirkus Reviews "Van Draanen skillfully wraps up her tale, offering a realistically happy ending. A story with a perfect balance of mirth and poignancy." -- School Library Journal "Lincoln is a delightful narrator." -- Booklist

A primer on the underlying technologies that allow computer programs to work. Covers topics like computer hardware, combinatorial logic, sequential logic, computer architecture, computer anatomy, and Input/Output. Many coders are unfamiliar with the underlying technologies that make their programs run. But why should you care when your code appears to work? Because you want it to run well and not be riddled with hard-to-find bugs. You don't want to be in the news because your code had a security problem. Lots of technical detail is available online but it's not organized or collected into a convenient place. In The Secret Life of Programs, veteran engineer Jonathan E. Steinhart explores--in depth--the foundational concepts that underlie the machine. Subjects like computer hardware, how software behaves on hardware, as well as how people have solved problems using technology over time. You'll learn: How the real world is converted into a form that computers understand, like bits, logic, numbers, text, and colors The fundamental building blocks that make up a computer including logic gates, adders, decoders, registers, and memory Why designing programs to match computer hardware, especially memory, improves performance How programs are converted into machine language that computers understand How software building blocks are combined to create programs like web browsers Clever tricks for making programs more efficient, like loop invariance, strength reduction, and recursive subdivision The fundamentals of computer security and machine intelligence Project design, documentation, scheduling, portability, maintenance, and other practical programming realities. Learn what really happens when your code runs on the machine and you'll learn to craft better, more efficient code.

The Secret Life of Cats is a groundbreaking book, written by a cat lover, for cat lovers, and its informal, yet utterly authoritative approach makes it the purr-fect guide to modern cat care. Cats are the most mysterious of creatures, whose behaviours often confuse as much as they delight -- here at last is the fascinating key to fully understanding and sharing your life with them! For many cat lovers our pets are our best friends. They are wonderful companions that bring endless comfort and amusement. But how well do we really know them? What do they want? In this incredible book, Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau, uses her years of experience to tell us exactly how to better communicate with and look after our pets. We learn what those miaows mean, how to read cat body language, tell their likes and dislikes plus much more -- this book really is the ultimate guide to cat care. Written out of the belief that the more you understand your cat, the more fulfilling life will be for both pet and owner -- this wonderful book shows you how to fully appreciate your cat's natural behaviour and help it live its life to the highest standard. Also covered in depth are the health issues that affect cats and how to ensure they are in the best shape physically

Honest and heart-warming account of the highs and lows of life as a vet, by lovable TV star Rory Cowlam. Rory Cowlam, otherwise known as Rory the Vet, has had a passion for animals for as long as he can remember. As a young boy, growing up in the countryside, he fell in love with the creatures that could be found both at home and in the neighbouring farms and fields. There was never any doubt in his mind as to what he wanted to do when he grew up. Now Rory's dreams of becoming a vet are a reality. He works in a busy London practice where his honest and emotional relationships with the animals and their owners have made him the relatable and approachable face of veterinary work. But, as Rory describes here with a mixture of his trademark openness and humour, what he couldn't have known as a small boy with his heart set on becoming the next James Herriot, was what becoming a vet really entails. In an era when doctors and nurses are talking more openly about the realities of saving human lives, Rory shows what a vital service vets offer in caring for the animals that often form the very heart of the household. He describes the demanding experience of veterinary school, and offers a very human take on what it's like to treat animals, and the little talked about mental health implications that this pressured life or death industry holds. This is a frank and heart-warming account of chasing a childhood dream and learning to love the reality.

A gripping family drama that brilliantly explores the relationship between a young girl and her dog—and the mysteries that lie within. At the heart of this psychological suspense novel is the haunting depiction of a family’s fall and the extraordinary gifted dog, Caity, who knows the truth. As the drama unfolds Caity evolves from protector to savior, from scapegoat to prop, and eventually, from avenger to survivor. She is an unselfish soul in a selfish world—and she is written with depth and grace by authors Ketchum and Mckee, who display a profound understanding of a dog’s complex emotions. With her telling instincts and her capacity for joy and transformative love, Caity joins the pantheon of great dogs in contemporary literature. Eleven year old actress Delia Cross is beautiful, talented, charismatic. A true a star in the making. Her days are a blur of hard work on ­set, auditions and tutors. Her family—driven, pill­-popping stage mother Pat, wastrel dad Bart, and introverted twin brother Robbie—depends on her for their upscale lifestyle. Delia in turn depends on Caity, her beloved ginger Queensland Heeler—and loyal friend—for the calming private space they share. Delia is on the verge of a professional break through. But just as the contracts are about to be signed, there is a freak accident that puts Delia in the danger zone with only Caity to protect her.

"His life had come to this: save a few deer from the jaws of dogs. He was a small man sent to perform a small task." Howard Elman is a man whose internal landscape is as disordered as his front yard, where native New Hampshire birches and maples mingle with a bullet-riddled washer, abandoned bathroom fixtures, and several junk cars. Howard, anti-hero of this first novel in Ernest Hebert's highly acclaimed Darby Chronicles, is a man who is tough and tender. Howard's battle against encroaching change symbolizes the class conflict between indigenous Granite Staters scratching out a living and citified immigrants with "college degrees and big bank accounts." Like the winter-weakened deer threatened by the dogs of March--the normally docile house pets whose instincts arouse them to chase and kill for sport--Howard, too, is sorely beset. The seven novels of Hebert's Darby Chronicles cover 35 years in the life of a small New England town as seen through the eyes of three families--the Elmans, the Salmons, and the Jordans--each representing a distinct social class. It all starts with The Dogs of March, cited for excellence in 1980 by the Hemingway Foundation (now the Pen Faulkner Award for Fiction).