‘I knew dogs could make a difference to the children’s lives. I knew it the moment I watched a little boy, exhausted by pain and sickness, stretch out his hand to touch my dog’s paw, and then…he smiled.’
Lyndsey Uglow has endured and overcome mental health challenges and much personal pain, including her young son’s battle with Leukaemia. Lyndsey knows only too well the emotional rollercoaster experienced by parents supporting their children through critical illness, but she also knows just how much the company of dogs can alleviate just some of their worry and pain.
The healing bond with dogs that helped her, she now shares with others – in the shape of a dynasty of exceptional Golden Retrievers, including the incredible Leo. Since 2012, Lyndsey has made it possible for therapy dogs to visit more than 10,000 children, many critically ill, bringing smiles of simple joy and a sense of normality to lives ruled by pain, sadness and uncertainty in paediatric intensive care, cancer wards and palliative care.
Leo has also faced his own battles. After suffering a serious injury on a beach run, he was saved by a pioneering technique which restored him to full health for the sake of the children who were missing him so much.
This is Lyndsey and Leo’s story and how they have brought the extraordinary healing powers of dogs to others; while sharing the stories of just some of the thousands of children for whom a soft paw or wet nose has brought comfort, care, laughter and joy at the darkest of times.
Hardcover, 336 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 25th February 2022
RRP: $32.99 from all good bookstores and online.
For details visit www.harpercollins.com.au
CANINE LEGENDS by Marco Magiolo
Marcus Machado or Marquito, as his friends call him, is a young man who, along with his dog Arrow, find themselves in a sport called dog agility. A new beginning after the traumas within his family.
Alongside his canine partner, Marquito travels across the United States competing in the most challenging dog agility League in the country. He will not only have to deal with the challenges on the track, but also with the psychological dramas that the competitive environment will impose on him.
In a plot full of adventure, drama, romance and lots of dogs, Canine Legends takes the reader on an exciting journey into a world of canine competition with unexpected plot twists.
Marco Magiolo is a Veterinary Doctor graduated in Brazil. Behaviourist, Dog Trainer, and former Dog Agility handler for nearly 20 years, competing in many countries around the world. Canine Legends is his first novel and is inspired by real events from his competitive life, but in a fictional world.
Paperback, 346 pages
Independently published: 5th January 2022
Price: $30.75 at www.booktopia.com.au SUPER DOG TRICKS by Sara Carson
In Super Dog Tricks, dog training celebrity and America's Got Talent star Sara Carson shares her fun take on training for easy and ambitious dog tricks! You'll find easy-to-follow directions and photos for all the classic tricks as well as showstoppers like taking a selfie and skateboarding!
Whether you have a new puppy or have an "old dog" ready to learn some new tricks, Sara will get you and your dog working together in no time.
Learn fundamentals like food and toy drive, leash walking, and crate training, as well as tips for important day-to-day bonding and behaviour.
Whenever you're ready, dive into the tricks!
Chapters and tricks include:
✔️ Super Simple Tricks: Sit, down, shake a paw, wave, take a bow, footsies, hand target, leg weaves, sit pretty, over arms, back up, crawl etc.
✔️ Super Impressive Tricks: Cross paws, hide in a suitcase, turn lights on (and off), take a selfie, orbit, footstall, fake pee, limp, open (and close) a door, and more!
✔️ The Super Trick Dog: Jump rope, skateboard, hold an object, retrieve and put toys away, dance, hug, walking on hind legs etc.
Sara also includes a home version of canine freestyle - the choreographed routines she is famous for and that you may have seen at competitions.
With information for finding the right music, safely selecting costumes, and how to transition between one trick and another in a routine, you'll have all you need to craft a fun routine of your own. It's not only a fun way to impress the neighbourhood, it's a great way to build a deeper relationship with your dog.
Every dog has a super dog within…unleash your dog's potential with Super Dog Tricks!
Paperback, 176 pages
Publisher: Quarto US, 18th January 2022
KYRA'S CANINE CONDITIONINGGames and Exercises for a Healthier, Happier Dog
by Kyra Sundance
Through this book, you will: learn how to evaluate a dog’s physiology, and develop and execute a customised conditioning plan; acquire the skills to improve a dog’s fitness through five components: coordination, stamina, balance, strength, and flexibility; improve a dog’s confidence, mental focus, and direction-following skills through targeted games.
Physical fitness is just as important for dogs as it is for people. Keeping dogs fit and healthy can increase their lifespan and limit vet visits as they get older. It reduces the risk of sports-related injury, joint problems and arthritis. Through these conditioning games, you will see a physical and mental transformation in your dog.Paperback, 160 pagesPublished: 4th February 2019
Price: $21.75 (RRP $24.99) at www.booktopia.com.au
MEN OR PAWS by Rich Amooi Watch a dog for three weeks, get fifteen thousand dollars. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. First, I have to stay in my client’s guesthouse while he’s in the main house working on an important project. That may not sound so bad, but HE is Hollywood’s Bad Boy, Rocco Romano, voted “Sexiest Man Alive.” The guy could charm the pants off a mannequin. Luckily he’s not my type. Seriously. A rich, sexy, generous man? Pass. Ten-pack abs? Whatever. My heart palpitations are obviously caused by something else. As for the dog, he’s sweet and adorable, but he’s named Houdini for a reason. Then I accidentally kiss him. Rocco, not the dog. Then he escapes. The dog, not Rocco. Things can’t get any worse, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Men or Paws is a hilarious, opposites-attract, closed-door romantic comedy with sizzling chemistry and a guaranteed happy ending. Paperback: 404 pages (also on Kindle)
Publisher: Independently published, 21st February, 2022)
Note: 10% of all proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to SPCA International.
WODEN’S KEY
A Me, the World, and a Dog Named Steve Adventure by Wayne Cotes In 1941, two American agents on a routine operation to collect intelligence on the defenses of the Dutch East Indies, suddenly find themselves in a race to recover the three pieces of a key that protects the legacy of the Netherlands.
Seventy years later, Jerod Grey uncovers some cryptic journal pages that set him, his dog Steve, and members of the Adventurers' Club on the path those agents took. From Monterey to Bali and from the Netherlands to Upstate New York, the Adventurers' Club unearths the mystery of Woden's Key.
They aren't the only ones searching though. Dr. Chandler LeBlanc has his sights set on the treasure that key protects, and he'll take whatever steps he finds necessary to ensure he gets it. Paperback, 396 pages
Published: 27th January 2022 Price: $30.32 from www.booktopia.com.auBOOK CLUB – KIDS CORNER CHARLES THE GALLERY DOG by Barbie Robinson, Ian Robertson (Illustrator)
A plucky little Dachshund finds a new way of being useful when his life suddenly changes. When the life you know and love is taken away from you, you can go under or adapt to change.
Charles is a plucky little Dachshund who has spent his life working in an art gallery until one day the government bans dogs from their premises.
With the help of his human friends Marty and Bev, Charles learns that he can still be important and keep contributing to other people's happiness. A story for our times of courage, friendship and resilience.
Hardcover, 26 pages
Publisher: For Pity Sake Publishing, 25th February 2022 Price: $23.75 from www.booktopia.com.auWITH A DOG AND A CAT, EVERY DAY IS FUN by Hidekichi Matsumoto
Are you a dog person? Or maybe a cat person? Or maybe both? Based on author Hidekichi Matsumoto's real life experience, she shows us what it's like to live with both a dog and a cat! Mangaka Hidekichi Matsumoto lives with both a dog and a cat.
Her dog is cute, innocent and full of joy! The cat on the other hand has a scary face, aloof and a master thief. Every day life in a multi animal household is fun and filled with laughter and tears...
Here's a new type of manga for both dog and cat lovers alike!
Paperback, 136 pages
Publisher: Random House US, 22nd February 2022
Price: $28.25 at www.booktopia.com.au
READING CHAMPION: MY PET DOG by Jackie Walter, illustrated by Ocean Hughes This book is part of Reading Champion, a series carefully linked to book bands to encourage independent reading skills, developed with UCL Institute of Education (IOE).My Pet Dog is a non-fiction text explaining how to take care of a pet dog. The repeated sentence structure offers readers the opportunity for a very first independent reading experience with the support of the illustrations. Reading Champion offers independent reading books for children to practise and reinforce their developing reading skills. This early non-fiction text is accompanied by engaging artwork and a reading activity. Each book has been carefully graded so that it can be matched to a child's reading ability, encouraging reading for pleasure. Paperback, 24 pages (also available as Hardback and e-Book).
Publisher: Hachette Children's Books, Imprint: Franklin Watts, 8th February 2022
For Ages: 4+ years old
RRP: $9.99 from www.hachette.com.auI DON’T HAVE A DOG by Contessa Hileman
A sweet story about the relationship between a young girl and her four-legged best friend. I Don't Have a Dog is all about... having a dog. In this sweet and funny story, a young girl insists she doesn't have a dog, but instead an alarm clock, a vacuum cleaner, a home security system, and even a homework excuse.
This fun and creative story explores all the reasons why dogs are known as our best friends.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: Random House, 1st February 2022
For Ages: 4+ years old
