Slithery, furry, feathery, large or small, we love our pets. Animals provide interest, joy, companionship and love. Take some time this month and pick up a book or two about our animal family.

 

Made For Each Other: The Biology of the Human-Animal Bond by Meg Daley Olmert. Olmert uses neuroscience, behavioral psychology, archeology and evolutionary biology to understand the complex brain chemistry that animals and humans trigger in each other. Olmert discusses the ancient emotional bond between humans and their pets.

 

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas. Stella is 11 and sad after the death of her father. But when a lonely black hole follows her home from NASA, Stella learns invaluable lessons about love, loss and life. This book is geared for children 8-11.

 

Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper. Despite not wanting another cat, Cooper’s vet introduced her to a tiny eyeless abandoned kitten. She instantly knew Homer was hers. Defying odds, Homer’s huge personality, heart and courage mended Cooper’s broken heart and transformed her life.

 

Pets and the City: True Tales of a Manhattan House Call Veterinarian by Dr. Amy Attas chronicles the outrageous and poignant career of a New York house call vet. Dr. Attas visited animal patients and their wealthy owners for three decades, during which she gained valuable insights about people, their pets and the bonds that heal both ways.

All American Dogs: A History of Presidential Pets from Every Era by Andrew Hager. Hager, historian-in-residence at the Presidential Pet Museum, shares stories, photographs and historical context of presidential pets over the past 200 years. While most presidential families had at least one dog in the White House, Hager also spotlights other unique pets that lived on Pennsylvania Avenue.

 

Enslaved By Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order by Bob Tarte. Thrilled with a quiet life in the country, Bob’s tranquil dreams evaporated after getting married and acquiring numerous pets. “Before long, Bob found himself constructing cages, buying feed, cleaning duck waste, and spoon-feeding a menagerie of furry and feathery residents,” states the book’s blurb.

 

A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans by W. Bruce Cameron is book one of a trilogy. Bailey, a dog, strives to find the purpose of life as he journeys through several lives. Bailey’s dog-perspective and commentary of humans, relationships and the bonds between dogs and humans is emotional and humorous. A movie with the same title, starring Dennis Quaid, was released in 2017.

 

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown is a picture book that flips the pet narrative on its head. Lucy, a young bear, finds a small boy in the woods one day and takes him home as her pet. She names him Squeaker. Her mother warns her that children make terrible pets but Lucy does not listen.

 

Tina: The Dog Who Changed the World by Niall Harbison is the origin story of a movement to better animal welfare around the world. Tina, a golden retriever, was shackled and near death in Thailand when Niall found and saved her. Facing his own addiction battles, Niall and Tina supported one another and together founded a movement for improved lives of street dogs across the globe.

 

Hieronymus Betts and His Unusual Pets by M. P. Robertson is a picture book full of rhymes, visual jokes and imagination. No one has pets like Hieronymus—a slugapotamus and a porcupython just to name two—but something scarier also lives at the Betts’ house…

 

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D. McConnell’s professional background in animal behavior and dog training informs her view of the human and dog relationship. She uses 20 years of experience to break down the translation errors that often get in the way of better communication and relationships with man’s best friend.

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos