The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Spring 2022 | Page 61

Shapiro visit classrooms and veterinary and animal conferences , but mostly they support dog rescues , especially fund-raising for those rescues filled with special needs individuals .
You can read more about Piglet on his Facebook page ( https :// www . facebook . com / pinkpigletpuppy ), or the Dodo story on YouTube , his appearances on TV , even People magazine . It ’ s hard to believe a traumatized tiny survivor of a hoarder can transform the world , but perhaps the reader may recall the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan . — Skye Anderson , M . S ., CPDT-KA CTDI
Gabby , the Little Dog That Had to Learn to Bark
Written by Barby Keel Published by Citadel Press / Kensington Publishing Corp ., 119 West 40th St ., New York , New York ; released in 2020 ; first published in 2018 by Trapeze , an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group , Ltd ., Great Britain ; 224 pages . Where to purchase : Amazon , $ 8.74 paperback , Kindle , free for Unlimited , $ 22.74 Audio CD ; Barnes and Noble , $ 15.95 ; Walmart . com , $ 9.52 paperback
It must be hard to author a book : I have the utmost respect for anyone who undertakes such a task because I know I could never do it . Having said that , a good book needs a good story plus magical writing . Or maybe just magical writing is sufficient if the story is ordinary . “ Gabby ” is a good story ; however , this reviewer never felt she was part of the story but only on the outside , looking in at adorable Gabby .
The Sanctuary : In 1971 , Barby Keel bought four acres in England to start an animal sanctuary that today temporarily houses 500 animals of many different species with about seven new animals arriving and leaving each day . Having lived through the bombing of World War II and been raised by a distant mother , Barby ( short for Barbara ) had a rather difficult life up to the founding of the sanctuary ( more like a shelter in the U . S .). And even though she still had a rather challenging life afterwards , she remains an incredibly thankful person — thankful for being able to be of service to animals and thankful for her wonderful volunteers .
The Dog : Gabby is an enigma — eight years old but not housetrained , and afraid of her shadow , never having set foot on grass . She lived with an elderly couple and three other dogs , two of whom were large and afraid of nothing . Gabby ended up at the sanctuary when her people went to live in a retirement home . She was going to be fostered but Keel fell in love with the little dog and her big eyes . If you think housetraining a puppy is difficult , try housetraining an eight-year-old dog . Keel knew to be patient with Gabby but housetraining still took months . Grass and car rides were things to fear and even communication was difficult with this little one who never whimpered , whined , or even barked .
Much of the book relates to Keel ’ s story , her background , the volunteers at the sanctuary , the other animals , the summer Open House and the winter Bazaar fundraisers , and her recovery from surgery . “ Gabby ” is the story of a woman , her childhood and family , and the sanctuary she founded . Gabby might have been the little rescue dog , but the reader will find that it was Keel who also needed rescuing . I wish it had been more about Gabby the dog — and maybe shorter .
“ Gabby ” is one of Keel ’ s Foster Tails series , which includes “ Will You Love Me ?” ( Sept . 29 , 2020 ), “ The Puppy No One Wanted : The Little Dog Desperate for a Home to Call His Own ” ( June 29 , 2021 ), and “ A Dog Without Hope : Neglected , Unloved and Abandoned , the Puppy That Just Wanted to be Loved ( May 26 , 2020 ). To learn more about Keel , visit her website : https :// barbykeelanimalsanctuary . org / — Skye Anderson , M . S ., CPDT-KA CTDI
Dragons , Unicorns , Chimeras , & Clickers :
How to Train Your Fantastic Beasts
Written by Laura VanArendonk Baugh , CPDT-KA , KPACTP illustrated by ZJ Bickel Published by Aeclipse Press , Indianapolis , Indiana ; released in Dec . 19 , 2019 ; 73 pages . Where to purchase : Amazon , $ 7.99 paperback , Kindle , $ 3.99 ; Barnes and Noble , $ 9.99 ; Walmart . com , $ 7.99 paperback ; Dogwise , $ 9.99
At First Glance : I picked up this little book , one of three in Baugh ’ s Training Great Dogs series , which includes “ Fired Up , Frantic and Freaked Out : Training the Crazy Dog from Over the Top to Under Control ” and “ Social , Civil , and Savvy : Training and Socializing Puppies to Become the Best Possible Dogs ,” and figured I could read it in one evening , one sitting — and then I wondered if it would be worth the 10 bucks I paid for it ( about a dollar a chapter or approximately 16 cents a page ).
Second Glance : I was right on both accounts — it is a fast read , combining a story and entertaining education . I am now going to give it to all my dog training clients to reinforce what we go over in our sessions . It is an especially fun read for kids , a story with real and imaginary creatures ( Chupacabras , dragons , mandrakes , and banshees ) spread out across 12 brief chapters that illustrates training and tells you how to apply this type of training ( clicker or positive reinforcement training ) to your own dog .
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