"A woman looks back at the events that shaped her life, especially the scandals and family secrets that stand in the way of her making peace with her past"--

A groundbreaking meditation on our human-animal relationships and the moral code that binds it. Adam's Task, Vicki Hearne’s innovative masterpiece on animal training, brings our perennial discussion of the human-animal bond to a whole new metaphysical level. Based on studies of literary criticism, philosophy, and extensive hands-on experience in training, Hearne asserts, in boldly anthropomorphic terms, that animals (at least those that interact more with humans) are far more intelligent than we assume. In fact, they are capable of developing an understanding of "the good," a moral code that influences their motives and actions. Drawing on an eclectic range of influences—Nietzsche, T. S. Eliot, Disney animal trainer William Koehler, and Genesis from the Bible, among others—Hearne writes in contemplative, exploratory, and brilliant prose as she interweaves personal anecdotes with philosophy. Hearne develops an entirely new system of animal training that contradicts modern animal behavioral research and that, as her examples show, is astonishingly effective. Widely praised, highly influential, and now with a new foreword by New York Times bestselling author Karen Joy Fowler, Adam’s Task will make every trainer, animal psychologist, and animal-lover stop, think, and question.

The stories of the dogs belonging to America's presidents are presented in a historical study featuring period drawings and paintings, as well as contemporary photographs.

A New York Times Notable Book of 1994 Highly respected author, philosopher, and animal trainer Vicki Hearne offers a treasure trove of animal anecdotes, all written in her unique and poetic style. Through entertaining stories about cats, horses, an ornamental carp, a scorpion, and tortoises, Hearne focuses on how each of these various creatures experiences happiness in its own special way. She takes issue with Ludwig Wittgenstein on lions and language, discusses the naming of pets, and considers the process of mourning a loved dog's death.

Full of incredible canine capers, tales of doggy derring-do, and plenty of puppy facts, this dog-o-pedia is essential reading for dog lovers everywhere! You'll learn tantalizing trivia and tidbits about all sorts of dogs, breeds, characters, and more! Find out the answers to these questions: Who are the most famous dog trainers in Hollywood, having trained Lassie, Toto, and Old Yeller, among many others? What is the name of Yale’s bulldog mascot? Where does the proverb, “The best thing about a man is his dog,” come from? When did Laika (or Muttnik as she was known in the U.S.) become the first dog to be shot into orbit? Why did Drew Barrymore deed her house to her Labrador Flossie? How do dogs detect cancer in humans?