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dogs

Translating Pavlov

May 15, 2026 by John Yunker
Cover of Pavlov on the Conditional Reflex: Papers, 1903–1936, translated by Olga T. Yokoyama

Dr. Ivan Pavlov is one of the most popular scientists of all time, so much so that his name has become an adjective. And yet little is known about the …

Read the review: Translating Pavlov

Categories Animal History, Animals, Book Reviews, Dogs, Nonfiction

Book Review: My Dog Always Eats First by Leslie Irvine

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by Midge Raymond
Cover of My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals by Leslie Irvine

Even before beginning the research for her book My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People & Their Animals, Leslie Irvine had been thinking about what it means for a human to …

Read the review: Book Review: My Dog Always Eats First by Leslie Irvine

Categories Animals, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Pets

Pavlov’s Dogs

June 17, 2026July 21, 2024 by John Yunker

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was not the first scientist to test on animals, nor was he the last. But he is perhaps the most famous. And he has somehow escaped mainstream …

Read more: Pavlov’s Dogs

Categories Animal Behavior, Animal Rights, History, What we're reading

On Animals by Susan Orlean

December 2, 2022 by John Yunker
Cover of On Animals by Susan Orlean

Guest book review by Gene Helfman. “. . . are such rare, extraordinary kinships valuable because they remind us of a continuity with living creatures that we easily forget?”  Susan …

Read the review: On Animals by Susan Orlean

Categories Animal Behavior, Birds, Book Reviews, Endangered Species, Nonfiction, Pets

The Great (Unknown) Pet Massacre

September 29, 2019October 21, 2018 by John Yunker
Cover of The Great Cat and Dog Massacre by Hilda Kean

The title of this book almost begs incredulity. The Great Cat & Dog Massacre? When I first saw the book cover I struggled to imagine what the book was about …

Read the review: The Great (Unknown) Pet Massacre

Categories Animal Rights, Birds, Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, Pets, University of Chicago Press

Book Review: What It’s Like to Be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience

September 29, 2019December 3, 2017 by Jacki Skole
Cover of What It's Like to Be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience by Gregory Berns

I am forever wondering what my dog, Galen, is thinking. Sometimes I go nose to nose with her, stare into her brown eyes, and ponder what’s happening in that little …

Read the review: Book Review: What It’s Like to Be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience

Categories Animal Behavior, Animal Rights, Basic Books, Book Reviews, Nonfiction

Book Review: Just Life

February 19, 2017February 19, 2017 by Jacki Skole
Cover of Just Life by Neil Abramson

When I read a New York Times story about a New York City neighborhood grappling with a rare animal-borne disease that killed one resident and left at least two others …

Read the review: Book Review: Just Life

Categories Animal Rights, Book Reviews, Fiction

Book Review: Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell

June 7, 2017October 17, 2016 by Jacki Skole
Cover of Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz

No matter how quietly I screw off the cap on a jar of peanut butter, within seconds of its opening, I will feel my dog’s dark brown eyes drilling into …

Read the review: Book Review: Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell

Categories Animal Behavior, Book Reviews, Nonfiction

Book Review: The Dog Merchants

September 29, 2019May 10, 2016 by Jacki Skole
Cover of The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers by Kim Kavin

Most dog lovers consider their canines loyal companions, best friends, or beloved family members. (Count me in that last category.) The American legal system considers them property. Journalist Kim Kavin, in …

Read the review: Book Review: The Dog Merchants

Categories Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Pegasus Books

Book Review: Landfill Dogs

May 8, 2016January 18, 2016 by Jacki Skole
Cover of Landfill Dogs by Shannon Johnstone

In Landfill Dogs, photographer Shannon Johnstone pays homage to shelter dogs with images that capture their indelible spirit, but also the tenuousness of their existence. Johnstone awoke to the twin …

Read the review: Book Review: Landfill Dogs

Categories Book Reviews

Do Unto Animals: A Guide to Raising a More Compassionate Family

November 20, 2015 by John Yunker
Cover of Do Unto Animals by Tracey Stewart

I grew up around cats, so it always struck me as odd when people didn’t understand what a cat’s purr signified. Then again, I did not grow up around cows …

Read the review: Do Unto Animals: A Guide to Raising a More Compassionate Family

Categories Animal Behavior, Animal Rights, Birds, Book Reviews, Children's Books, Conservation, Endangered Species, Insects, Nonfiction, Veganism
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