Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Animals


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14 PAWsome Animal Conservationists

Who’s PAWsome?!

“Mom! Mom! Wake up!”

“Umm…. Er… Arghhhhh!”

“Fine. But really, Mom. You gotta wake up!!”
“Right now, Kimber? It’s two o’clock in the morning!”

“No time like the present. Especially when announcing a Stroke of Genius from Yours Truly!”

And that’s how Mom and I came up with this post about famous animal conservationists. (Well, it was mostly me. Mom helped. A little.)

We just finished reading a book on a coupla animal conservationists from the mid-1900s. It was… a slog. Like, pass the No Doze.

So one of us thought we’d come up with our own list. Kinda like Who’s Who of Animals Conservationists List. For hoomans who’ve dedicated their lives to saving and protecting animals. Cuz what’s cooler than saving and protecting animals? (Well, there was that nice, thick slab of filet mignon… But I think Mom’s forgotten about that.)

Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. PAWsome animal conservationists. Several have written some excellent books. So here goes our totally subjective and 100% unscientific list of 14 PAWsome Animal Conservationists. In no particular order. Holler if you recognize any of these peeps. Or want to add someone:

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‘Citizen K-9’ Offers Mystery, Levity

Citizen K-9

By David Rosenfelt

Publisher: St. Martin’s, 2022

Genre: Fiction/Murder Mystery

Pages: 263

Via: Library

An unsolved double murder. A cold case. A crackerjack team of private investigators specializing in cold cases. Playing cards. Like, the king of clubs. A high school reunion where two friends vanish without a trace. Not a single clue that makes sense. At all. A retired cop, Corey Douglas, and his brilliant German shepherd, Simon Garfunkel. A scene stealer extraordinaire and the smartest member of the team by far, Simon is also recently retired from law enforcement. And Really Bad Dudes.

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A Word on Kimber

First off, this is NOT a bookish post. This is a KIMBER-ish post. So if you’re okay with that, keep reading. If not, you know what to do. As long as it doesn’t involve chocolate. Lemme explain. Like this:

How to have a heart attack in 3 easy steps 🐾

  1. Notice something’s wrong with the world’s sweetest furry face.
  2. Find an empty bag of almond bark on her bed. (Left behind by a son who shall remain nameless when he moved out last summer. It was unopened, double-sealed. But apparently not Kimber proof.🐾)
  3. It’s the weekend. The vet’s office is closed. Nearest emergency vet services are over an hour away. With a “6 to 8 hour wait, minimum.”

The Great Almond Bark Disaster occurred one month to the day after a family member’s trip to the E.R. with anaphylaxic shock. (Hi, Lisinopril. Incidentally, 15 hours in the E.R. is a really lousy way to spend the night/next day. In case you’re wondering.)

The little stinker (the furry one) is back to her usual “I love everyone, ain’t life grand?” effervescent self today. Bein’ All Magnificent and everythin’.

Her Crankiness is still recovering.

‘Meanwhile, back at the ranch,’ one of us is So Not Interested in racking up any more emergency frequent flyer miles. Mom’s just funny that way. 🤦‍♀️

Reminder: NEVER give your dog chocolate. It can be deadly. Kimber was lucky. The jury’s still out on Her Crankiness.

Now if we can just get Kimber the Intrepid to the U.N. She’d have world peace figured out in no time. As long as it doesn’t involve almond bark.

What?

The ASPCA Animal Poison Hotline number is:(888) 426-4435.

We will return to our regularly scheduled broadcast next time.


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GUEST POST: Author Carmen Leal on ‘The Lifesaving Power of Dogs’

“I Chose You” author Carmen Leal.

By Carmen Real

Author of I Chose You, Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans.

Winner of our first-ever Pawsome Book Award.

Take it away, Carmen:

***

On June 18, 2015, an inattentive driver in a large SUV slammed into our small Subaru leaving me with a concussion and moderate frontal and temporal traumatic brain injury. As cliched as it is, everything changed in an instant. I went from loving my job as a concierge in Hawaii creating dream vacations for guests to dreading having to deal with people because of the never-ending level ten migraines.

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‘I Chose You’ Wins Prestigious Award

I Chose You

Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans

By Carmen Leal

Publisher: Wag Away Publishing, 2022

Pages: 264 pages

Genre: Non-fiction/Inspirational

Via: Blog Tour

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“I know these dogs!” saith Kimber the Magnificent. “They’re my BFFs!”

Her Momness: “Okay, Kimmi. But everyone’s your BFF.”

Kimber: “So?”

So…. You’ve heard of the Pulitzer Prize? The Newbery Medal? The Nobel Prize? Small potatoes, bub. They’re nothing next to the Official Mom-Tested, Kimber-Approved Pawsome Book Award.

The Pawsome Book Award

“What’s a Pawsome Book Award?” you ask. Good question. It’s like sunshine on a cloudy day. Birthdays. The first day of summer vacation. Christmas morning. BFFs. All rolled into one.

Reserved for the top one percent (that’s 1% for those in the back) of all books read, the Pawsome Award is our highest honor.

I Chose You is the first-ever recipient of this prestigious award. Here’s why:

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‘Search and Find Animals’ a Treasure Hunt for Young’uns

by Shelby Hudson 

Pages: 44

Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction, 2023

Via: Book Sirens

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know those Where’s Wally puzzle books? They’re a series of detailed, double-page spread illustrations depicting zillions of people doing a variety of amusing things at a given location. Readers are challenged to find a character named Wally hidden in the group. You have to look pretty close.

Well. Shelby Hudson has created a delightful children’s book in the same vein, only featuring animals, the alphabet, and counting. It’s like a treasure hunt for all things furry, feathery, or fishy. 

Young children are encouraged to look for and find animals starting with certain letters hidden in each colorful illustration in this charming book. “Find an animal that begins with G,” for example. The answer is a Giraffe. Other featured animals include the usual dog and cow as well as some more unusual animals such as kangaroo and octopus.

Later, readers are encouraged to count the number of animals they find in each picture. Four dolphins, five chicks, 10 mice, etc.

A brief discussion on how and why puzzle books help children “develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills” is included. Also tips such as encouraging interaction and using descriptive language.

Young readers will enjoy finding and identifying the animals in each scene. Vivid illustrations will keep them engaged. Parents will appreciate how the book helps develop their child’s concentration and cognitive skills.

Entertaining and educational, Search and Find Animals is like a treasure hunt for kids. Delightful! (And you don’t even have to find Wally.)

Our Rating:

4.0


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Kimber to the ‘Rescue’!

Mom here.

I know you’re all ginormously disappointed that a little furry face we all know and love isn’t kicking off today’s post. Sorry ’bout that. (Naw. Not really.) But there’s a reason I’m leading off today:

This post is about a wonderful little book I recently came across via Net Galley. It’s called Ava Loves Rescuing Animals.

Talk about a girl after my own heart!

Did you know that Kimber’s a rescue dog? Yeppers. She came to us in 2016 via a mutual friend who works at the local rescue shelter. Kimmi was ten weeks old going on 92, if ya know what I mean. She’s been an Absolute Delight ever since! (Don’t tell Kimber I said that, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it!)

So I wanted to share this delightful book with you, with a sweet furry face in mind. Here goes:

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‘We Also Served’ Honors Animal Heroes

Kimber: Mom! Mom! I finally got myself in my very own book!! Can you see me doing back flips!?

Her Momness: “Slow down there, Kimmi. What are you talking about?”

Kimber: Well, okay. It wasn’t me exactly. But it coulda been! Cuz We Also Served is about animal heroes. You know. Like me! Or maybe my cousins! I’ll let Mom tell you more:

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7 Sweet Reads for the Little’uns

My baby picture. I know. I’m ADORABLE.

Kimber: Mom! Mom! I found some puppy winners!

Mom: “Puppy winners, Kimmi? What are you barking about?”

Kimber: Insert eye roll here. Moooooom! You. Know. Books for little’uns. You know. Like not yet big dogs. P-u-p-p-i-e-s. (Duh.)

Mom: “Okay, Kim. Calm down. Stop dancing for a min. What did you find?”

Kimber: Thought you’d never ask. Here, with further tail-wagging or barking, is our list of seven soon-to-be available books for children. (You know. P-u-p-p… oh, never mind.) All include warm and rich writing. Bark-worthy illustrations. Some may even include a doggie treat or two. Can I get back to you on that?

Note: We received complimentary copies of these books from Net Galley in exchange for honest reviews. Most are 20 to 30 pages or less.

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‘Echoes in the Stars’ Shines Bright

Echoes in the Stars

By Gordon Frisbie

Published by: TFL Stories, 2022

Pages 191

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/Essays

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We were going to reserve December for Christmas-ish books. No. Really. We were. But one of us is a big sucker for just about any “dog story” that comes down the pike. (Hi, Mom.) Then author Gordon Frisbie contacted us about reviewing a collection of stories and essays starring his amazing Australian shepherd, Boo, and his other canine companions. Well. Who can resist that?!

But Echoes in the Stars isn’t just another “dog story.” Yes, it’s a tribute to the author’s Aussie shepherd, Boo. It’s also much more. Here’s the 4-1-1:

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