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THE DOG WHO LOVED TOO MUCH

Name: THE DOG WHO LOVED TOO MUCH
Author: Nicholas Dodman
ISBN: 0-553-10194-3

TALES, TREATMENTS, AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOGS

by Nicholas Dodman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 1996

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Though the title may be a little perplexing, this is primarily an animal behavior book—and an animal behavior book par excellence. As director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dodman has spent years studying and treating dogs with behavioral problems. His clinic is often the last resort for owners about to have their ``problem'' animals put to sleep. (According to Dodman, one and a half million dogs are euthanized each year because of unacceptable behavior.) Dodman's treatments include many commonly accepted approaches, such as changes in diet, exercise, and environment, as well as obedience training, desensitization, and behavior-modification. But he also often prescribes human psychoactive drugs, such as Prozac and Valium—and that's where his methods diverge from those of many of his colleagues. According to Dodman, dogs are ``prone to mental disturbances similar to the ones that affect people . . . many parallels can be drawn between the behavioral problems exhibited by dogs and equivalent problems exhibited by human beings.'' (A good example cited by Dodman is the similarity between compulsive paw licking by dogs and compulsive hand washing by people.) Dodman has incorporated drug therapy into the treatment of a wide variety of canine behavior problems, such as extreme aggression (as with Rocky, a dominant Rottweiler that bites its meek mistress), fearfulness (Elsa, the dog of the title, a Laborador Retriever mix who suffers from both separation anxiety and anorexia), panic attacks, eliminating in the house, or odd phobias like being afraid of garbage trucks or men in white beards. A well-organized, clearly written (albeit somewhat technical), and useful resource for the owners of problem pooches.

Pub Date: March 11, 1996

ISBN: 0-553-10194-3

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Bantam

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.