Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do: What Your Dog Can Teach You about Living a Happy Life

What a delightful read, especially for an animal lover as myself, this book was top of the line. Did you ever wonder what your dog was thinking, or why they were doing certain things? This book will answer those questions for you. Chock full of adorable pictures of many different dogs, you'll find yourself smiling before you even read the first word. You won't be able to stifle the 'ah' coming out of your mouth or the urge to share one of these photos with someone else. Great visual aid to an informative read. The authors take a close look at the antics of our furry companions and explain in a fun way just what they are up to. Do they follow you from room to room? Find out why. Are dogs truly good judges of character? This book says yes, and I believe it's true. If you are an animal lover, or just want to have a real treat in a read, you will love this book. See the world from a dog's eye and you just might make some changes, realizing maybe something's aren't as important after all. Don't believe me? Just ask Fido, after all he doesn't seem to have a care in the world. A big thumbs up on this one. Shirley Johnson

Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do is the most unique book I have ever read about our relationship with his best friend. Almost any dog lover would adore this book, and fans of William Wegman's photographs of weimaraners will feel like they have died and gone to heaven.There's no book quite like this one. Here's the structure: The book is divided into 67 brief lessons. Think of these as being the equivalent of what you might teach your dog, except that these lessons require you to think about dogs and apply what you learn to yourself: It's what you can teach yourself. The lessons are very much in the spirit of self-help books, especially those with a meditative or Zen orientation. Each chapter leads with a thought-provoking (and usually humorous quote) that encompasses the lesson frequently from a famous person ("My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to ninety-nine cents a can. That's almost seven dollars in dog money." -- Joel Weinstein). Many of the lessons are also introduced by an outstanding black-and-white photograph of a dog or dogs exhibiting the lesson's key element. I thought the book was worth its price just for the photographs. Each lesson then starts with an observation about a dog, usually belonging to the authors. The observation is then turned into a prescription for humans. In pursuing the prescriptions, the ancient Greek philosophers and other great thinkers are often cited. In the lesson that "Dogs Are Happy with a Simple Life," Alexander the Great and Diogenes are contrasted . . . and Diogenes gets the nod because he lived the simpler life (and outlived Alexander by almost three-fold in years). You also learn that the ancient Greek word for "cynic" means dog-like. Sometimes the erudition about dogs relates to scientific research. I was fascinated to learn a lot more about a dog's sense of smell.The personal lessons mirror and build on one another like precise facets in an enormously complex snowflake or crystalline jewel. For instance, related to the subject of happiness are the following facets: Play; love; forgiving; good company; rejoicing in small pleasures; joy; hoping; celebration; not comparing themselves to others; being easily entertained; scratching itches; not sweating the small stuff; turning work into play; being satisfied; optimism; liking treats; licking problems; antidote to stress; shaking off pests; going with the flow; running free; laughing; and compassion. After enjoying the book (with smiles, chuckles and loud laughs), I realized that its greatest pleasure was reminding me of wonderful experiences that I have had with dogs . . . and how much I appreciated the dogs as they improved my life. That reflection left me with a warm glow.Although I have so far only read the book once, I suspect that upon rereading it I would notice other connections and pleasures. The book seems to draw upon the source of goodness in life itself.

The subtitle of this gem of a book says it all: What your dog can teach you about living a happy life. In succinct tidy "chapters," authors Weinstein and Barber relate 67 lessons on how to live a satisfied and satisfying life-how to stop and smell the roses canine style. With kibbles and bits of common sense, the vignettes of their dogs' antics teach us the importance of play, forgiveness, simplicity, enthusiasm, hope and adaptation. We rediscover the qualities of loyalty, companionship, unconditional love and friendship. In the first lesson "Dogs are Happy," the authors explain the key canine aphorism-"things don't have to be 'just right' for dogs to be happy or feelgood. Happiness is really about making a choice." From this jumping offpoint, the chapters evolve into logical adaptable life lessons. The anecdotes are delightful. We learn that a shopkeeper in Maui lends her dogs for a day (she owns eleven) to tourists who miss their canine friends left at home. We worry with the owners about the dogs' encounters with coyotes and skunks and other beasts of field and forest. By the time we reach the end, we are as attached to the Weinstein and Barber family pets as the authors, making the last and final lesson a true testament to the wisdom of these wonderful animals. The book succinctly relates wisdom applicable to almost all relationships. The "lessons" are short (two-three pages) and prefaced with an appropriate quote from the likes of Plato to Andy Rooney. The format allows the reader to dip in at any point and return as often as needed for another dose of canine common sense. After reading this insightful book, I'm inclined to agree with Vincent Van Gogh's observation at the book's beginning "If you don't have a dog-a least one-there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."

"DOGS DON'T BITE WHEN A GROWL WILL DO is a hoot and a half...or should I say a yip and a yap. It's really so much fun to read and so sweet and wise at the same time. The pictures alone are worth the time and the captions are just gravy on the kibble.This is a really fun and really sweet book. It made me laugh outloud in public, connecting me to my aliveness and, then, a couple of paragraphs later, I felt my deep gratitude and appreciation for how well we can teach each other if we just want to pay attention. The stories in the book, well-matched by some remarkable photographs and quotes from famous people detailing our debt to dogs, speak to universal needs and our collective desire to be good people and of service to each other while here on Earth. Matt's and Luke's book demonstrates how easily dogs, and by extension, you and I, can be teachers; and all the while keep on playing catch, watching out for each other, and getting our bellies rubbed. Arf.

It's true. My dogs chewed off the binding of my beautiful, author inscribed, first edition of Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do. I always believed them to have good taste, and now I KNOW they do! Honestly, there are so many wonderful moments in Dogs Don't Bite that I can't settle on which one is my favorite. Like the greatest dog books we've all read, Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do is a book that teaches us truths about human nature, advises us on how to live with and love our human and animal friends, and offers us opportunities to laugh and cry (which is one of the best measures of a quality book, in my opinion). I also love that the book doesn't have to be read linearly. You can just pick out a chapter here or there to suit your needs. Today I will curl up on the couch with my dogs and my book, and we'll re-read "Dogs Know How to Love". It's just what we need to get our day going in the right direction!