Reviews for Small Dog, Big Dog

The average rating for Small Dog, Big Dog based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-07-27 00:00:00 William Rowan I am privileged to call Barbara a personal friend, and to have been influenced in my life by both her photography, and her work with greyhounds. I want to provide that information up-front, so that potential readers will realize that I am a wee bit biased :) Barbara has been a talented photographer for decades, primarily training her lens on architectural subject matter. She has always had a hobby or interest that she would approach with great passion. Greyhound rescue, and her first book, Greyhounds, was the point at which her talent intersected with her personal passion, and she created a stunning tribute to the breed (one of which our family owns as a result of our connection with Barbara). Her second book, Small Dog, Big Dog is delightful in numerous ways. The pairings of small and large dogs, most of whom are actual "family" members, are really precious. The expressions that Barbara is able to catch are priceless at times, from a wink, to a toothy smile, they will make many dog lovers go "awww...". Photographing dogs is a challenging task, and it must have taken many many hours of photo shoots, and many many delicious treats to provide Barbara with the opportunities to capture the shots that she did. If you are a dog lover, or a photography lover who enjoys dogs, I would recommend this book for your coffee table, or general collection.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-04-19 00:00:00 Tracy McWilliams Actual rating: 3.5 stars. A Goodreads friend recommended I read this book, and I must say I'm glad I did. Written by a professional writer and dog-lover, A Small Furry Prayer recounts the work of a husband and wife team of dog rescuers, a couple who adopt dogs slated for death at animal shelters in order to give them a last chance at rehabilitation and adoption, or at the very minimum a happy and loving home during their last months of life. Interestingly, I recently finished The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, a novel about what it means to be human, as opposed to a "lesser animal," where the thrust was that humans are not nearly as special as they like to think they are. Steven Kotler has the same outlook on animals and humanity. He sees, in his pack of dogs, empathy, altruism, grief, homosexuality, imitative behavior, moral behavior, intelligence, abstract intelligence, language skills, laughter, even evidence of a belief in god. Between chapters recounting his troubles setting up a dog haven ranch in northern New Mexico, and his adventures with his ever-changing pack of dogs, he devotes chapters to each of the human-like traits listed above, quoting the works of philosophers, psychiatrists, and scientists who study human and animal behavior. I've always thought of my dog as a person; so do most of us who love dogs. If I have a soul, so does my dog. I need no convincing. Nevertheless, this is a beautifully-written book, and it puts meat on the bones of the argument that we are all one. This is one of the best dog books I've read, and it belongs on every dog-lover's shelf.