Gaining a Leash on Life: Moving Beyond Surviving to Thriving with Lessons from Bud encapsulates the profound lessons learned through observation and interaction with the author's canine companion, Bud. The book is meticulously organized into five thematic areas: awareness, acceptance, authenticity, celebration, and gratitude. It provides insights-referenced as "dogmas"-meant to stimulate contemplative thinking and inspire personal transformation. Each dogma is complemented by thought-provoking quotes, personal reflections, and actionable recommendations known as "Bud-isms," which encourage readers to embrace life enhancing perspectives and practices. Gaining a Leash on Life is an ideal guide for those seeking to enrich their daily lives and engage in that which helps them move from surviving to thriving. Given its foundation in positive psychology theory and research, the book also serves as an ideal supplement to courses on psychology, veterinary studies, and human-animal relationships.

Dogs are more than wonderful companions. They are, to those who attentively observe, master teachers and models of how to live a richer, fuller life. Gaining a Leash on Life invites readers to obtain a new perspective following the direction of Bud, the author's scrappy 16-year-old terrier mix. For instance, Bud has a penchant for howling at 2 a.m. for no apparent reason other than that it must feel good, that it releases his spirit. In turn, the author, a psychologist and university professor, encourages us to release our own spirit by finding our own "howl." Organized around four themes--Awareness, Acceptance, Authenticity, and Celebration--the text is aimed at increasing one's awareness and acceptance of oneself, of others, and of the world in which we all live. Gaining a Leash on Life encourages and instructs us to embrace a new way of life, one in which we howl more and worry less, turn the "every day" into something to celebrate, recapture dreams and turn them into realities, and find the peace and calm meant to be experienced. These are the encouraging, heartwarming, and spiritual lessons of Bud.

Confessions of a Reformed Out-of-Bounds Hound! Sooner or later, everyone needs a second chance! Need to learn some new tricks to get a second leash on life? Then read on! Ruby Red is a six-year-old Australian Shepherd who began life on the wrong side of the tracks, with a bad attitude and "issues." But all that changed when she learned the tricks that allowed her inner beauty to shine and her inner voice to bark. Life doesn't happen by accident. We either actively participate and make the changes that need to be made-or we stagnate where we stand and become bitter instead of better. In "Saucy Aussie Living", Ruby Red reveals what she learned as she went from "broken and muzzled" to Chief Excitement Officer of Tremendous Life Books. Second Chances. New Leashes. We all deserve one. The great thing is that they're waiting for us to grab. And Ruby Red will tell us exactly how!

This edited volume brings together a diverse group of contributors to create a review of research and an agenda for the future of dog care and training in correctional facilities. Bolstered by research that documents the potential benefits of HAI, many correctional facilities have implemented prison dog programs that involve inmates in the care and training of canines, not only as family dogs but also as service dogs for people with psychological and/or physical disabilities. Providing an evidence-based treatment of the topic, this book also draws upon the vast practical experience of individuals who have successfully begun, maintained, improved, and evaluated various types of dog programs with inmates; it includes first-person perspectives from all of the stakeholders in a prison dog program—the corrections staff, the recipients of the dogs, the inmate/trainers, and the community volunteers and sponsors Human-animal interaction (HAI) is a burgeoning field of research that spans different disciplines: corrections, psychology, education, social work, animal welfare, and veterinary medicine, to name a few. Written for an array of professionals interested in prison dog programs, the book will hold special interest for researchers in criminal justice and corrections, forensic psychology, and to those with a commitment to promoting the ideals of rehabilitation, desistance thinking, restorative justice, and re-entry tools for inmates.

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.