|
Animal instincts: redefining the concept of pet
REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE Gone are the days when getting a pet meant taking in a cute little kitten. Today, the most unusual animals earn our adoration (consider, for example, those unorthodox domesticates the sugar glider, the ferret, the tarantula). Species aside, there's no denying that when a human being adopts an animal, both parties stand to benefit. We've rounded up three new books that supply ample evidence of this. Providing fresh insights on what it means to have a pet, the authors offer moving accounts of their experiences with some very special creatures. Warning: these inspiring stories may move you to adopt an animal of your own. Not your average pet
The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood documents the friendship that develops between the author and this endearing animal. Explaining the appeal of her unusual pet, Montgomery writes, "Everything about a pig makes people want to laugh out loud with joy: the way their lardy bulk can mince along gracefully on tiptoe hooves, the way their tails curl . . . their great, greedy delight in eating." Montgomery writes with skill and sensitivity about the challenges of caring for this formerly fragile animal, who now weighs a robust 750 pounds. Christopher has been profiled in USA Today and on National Public Radio, and Montgomery now shares his story in full in this unique and beautifully written memoir, already one of the most talked-about books of the summer.
By Sy Montgomery Ballantine, $21.95 240 pages ISBN 0345481372
Equine inspiration
Richards now finds redemption in the animal world: "Taking care of horses was the best way I could think of to begin a day," she writes. "Most of the time I felt lucky, as though I was living a way of life that had ended with gas lighting and parasols. . . . I was the keeper of a precious legacy, an ancient rite." When Lay Me Down experiences serious health problems, Richards is faced with the cruel possibility of saying goodbye to her new friend. With Chosen by a Horse, she has produced a wise and generous book, an unforgettable testament to the mutual need that marks the bond between humans and animals.
By Susan Richards Soho, $20 256 pages ISBN 1569474192
The best medicine
Lawson, a successful lawyer and journalist who struggles with a weight problem, tries every kind of diet only to find a solution in Sadie. The Dog Diet: What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash on Life, Lawson's new memoir, describes the healing effects of her adopted pet. Forced to revise both her eating and fitness habits when she brings Sadie home, Lawson undergoes a personal transformation. "With Sadie I let go of the obsession for perfection and started enjoying my life in the most unexpected ways," she says. "Sadie pulled me from a bleak depression, lightened up my mind and my body as well." The Dog Diet has practical applications pet lovers will appreciate. Lawson offers ideas for exercising and traveling with dogs and provides recipes for owners and their pets. "Dogs make the best personal trainers," she writes. Fitter and happier by the end of the book, Lawson is living proof.
By Patti Lawson Health Communications, $16.95 270 pages ISBN 0757303943
Julie Hale tends to her dog Howdy in Waynesville, North Carolina.
|
Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery leads a quiet life in rural New Hampshire with her husband—until the day they adopt Christopher the pig. Small enough to fit in a shoebox when the Montgomerys bring him home, Christopher is undernourished, the runt of a large litter. Remarkably smart, irresistibly charming, he fits right in on their eight-acre farm, befriending the neighbors, who bring him treats and help the Montgomerys nurse him back to health.
Support your 
Susan Richards owned two geldings and a mare when the SPCA asked her to take in an abused, emaciated racehorse named Lay Me Down. Richards, a writing instructor and former psychotherapist, shares her remarkable experience with this brave, open-hearted animal in Chosen by a Horse. Woven into this moving narrative of her new friendship with Lay Me Down are flashbacks to Richards' tumultuous past, including accounts of her mother's death from cancer, her piecemeal upbringing by a series of unloving relatives, her failed marriage and her struggle with alcohol.
Dogs are creatures Patti Lawson equates with men until the day she meets Sadie at PetSmart.