Books I have read and loved

I finished this book months ago, and am going to re-read it. More than anything I have ever read, this book completely opened my eyes and mind to how little I knew and appreciated about dogs. This book has, more than anything else I have ever done, seen or heard, turned me into a good down owner. I feel for the poor dogs of my childhood, who will never benefit from the understanding and more knowledgeable dog owner that I am today. This book piqued my interest in dog behaviour and psychology, led me to look into rescue and start my own website, www.maggiesfarm.info .

The Other End of the Leash is written with a familiar and friendly tone, with more patience and understanding than I could ever muster. Let alone if I had the degree of understanding and knowledge that McConnell has. It is a combination of anecdotes, science, experience - a perfect mix to enlighten and educate.

I read passages thinking "God, YES. I do that!" and a page later, thinking "God, I am never going to do that again", equipped with an understanding of why I do what I do, and why my dog does what she does in response. I feel like a far better dog person, too, and have a much better ability to "connect" with my own and other dogs. People at the park joke about me being a dog whisperer - probably the greatest compliment I could conceive of receiving, but unfortunately untrue. I just understand what I was doing wrong for so many years, and how dogs respond best.

I could gush and gush about this book, and how influential McConnell has been in my life, but it's probably more productive for everybody if I just urge those of you reading this to please, read it!