The Art and Science of Collies------- in art, obedience competition and therapy work.

I don't know who came first, Lassie or Lad, but Lad of Sunnybank, as represented by Albert Payson Terhune in his series of books about his collies, has probably had more to do with, not just my deep love for collies, but for writing too, and my sense of justice, nobility, kindness. The collies themselves remain my icon for beauty.

When I decided that animal assisted therapy would be an excellent option to explore as a means of service, I set about finding a dog for that purpose. I came to the conclusion that if I needed support there would be no one I'd rather see come through the door than Lassie...

We create ourselves in books. It will be interesting to see who this generation of kids who have grown up on Harry Potter will be. They will, no doubt, value magic...

Here are some of the dog books I would hand to any child with enthusiasm. (I re read them still.)

These are some of the breed books I have returned to over the years to remind myself of names, or to look up how to trim an ear. On History, health, grooming they are great, but often the sections on training are woefully outdated.

The past 10-15 years have seen a revolution in training. Choke chains and negative reinforcemnt (get in heel position and I'll quit jerkin on ya), the method that came wholely out of military training, used to be THE way. But behavioral science, as well as a changing vision of who dogs are, has moved the dial to a more positive reinforcement base.(When you look at me, even though temptation to look elsewhere calls, you will get a piece of scrumdiddlyumptious liver.)

Otherwise...these books are splendid and have stood the test of time.

I'd love to hear of other, newer books that folks like.

*Collie Connection* by Bobbie Roos is not offered by Amazon (hello????) but is another favorite. Try Ebay.