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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
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