Too many pictures of other dogs-although beautiful ones.
355014
I purchased two of these books so that I could keep track of information of both of my dogs.
The book itself is beautiful, and well made, but I find it to have too many photos of other dogs,
and not so many spaces dedicated to include pictures of mine. I found I'd rather include a picture
of my own dog when he came home, or when we took him on a trip, etc. However, I managed to find
areas that although they were not dedicated to paste a picture, worked well for tha purpose.
I should mention that there are about 6 blank pages at the end of the book that could become useful to
paste more pictures, or information that about your dog that you would like to keep over the years.

I could not use up all of the information pages either, as there is a lot dedicated to "finding your puppy",
and I had also found my two dogs by the time I purchased these books. But I believe this would happen with
most of the record keeping books, it happens too with the baby ones, not every section would apply to your case,
and I believe that should be expected.

Overall, it's a beautiful book, helpful too, but not 5 star to me.
874066
This is a large coloring book! It appears to have several of the coloring books by the author all put into one. There are plenty of animal pictures and Flowers. The details in these pictures are very nice. There are some that have less details and others that have a ton of detail to them. All the pictures are done well and there is such a variety of pictures that there is something for everyone. My son loves that there are so many dog pictures in this book. There are several different breeds of dogs pictured. **I received this product for free as a PDF download in exchange for an honest unbiased  review. This has not influenced my opinions on the product**
2543741
This book is very comprehensive and has many excellent photographs, but if you are looking for a book with several pages of information about each breed, then keep looking. Some of the breeds have more information about them than others; most have little more than a handful of lines about them. I am particularly disappointed with the fact that the book does not give much information about the unusual way in which the Saarloos Wolfdog was developed, as well as the fact that it does not include the Dingo (despite the fact that it includes the New Guinea Singing Dog; another kind of dog that cannot be kept as a pet).
Put short, this is a good book for those who are interested in the diversity of dogs, but it is not for professionals.
4325443
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mohandas K. Gandhi

Saving Gracie tells three stories.  It begins with a raid on the puppy mill operation run by the ironically named Michael Wolf.  Once famous in the world of show dogs, Wolf became notorious when, in 2004, 337 dogs were seized from his Mike-Mar "kennel" in 2004.  Both the puppies and their parents lived in squalid conditions that would turn the stomach of any right-thinking person: 24/7 confinement in small wire cages, which were stacked 4-high - the feces from the dogs in the higher cages literally dropping on other dogs and getting caught in the mesh flooring; no ventilation in the room, leading to unbearable odors; dogs forced to breed non-stop until they were spent.  Some 2.5 million dogs are pumped out of puppy mills every year, and 4 million shelter dogs are euthanized each year.  Do the math.

The book also details the ongoing problem of puppy mills, most obvious in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a location with a high number of Amish and Menonite breeders who regard the dogs as nothing more than a crop, comparable to an ear of corn.  The standard Amish practice of shooting a dog which has reached the end of its pup-bearing life blows the lid off their bucolic image.  While Pennsylvania, where reform legislation has been enacted, is the focus of this book, other states with similar issues - Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and I'm ashamed to say Ohio - are also discussed.  The American Kennel Club, which lobbied against reform until the publicity damaged its public image, is also briefly mentioned.  If there is one weakness in the book, it is the lack of writing on the way the AKC exploits the "snob factor" in pet ownership to the detriment of both canines and their owners - all for the sake of profit.  Ultimately, pet owners have to confront their own priorities when acquiring a companion animal (a genetically "pure" breed which may have defects from inbreeding, diseases stemming from unsanitary conditions and lack of socialization versus a healthy mixed breed pup who may have been a "happy accident").  I would have liked to have seen the book discuss this issue in more detail.

Of course, the book is also about Gracie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the 132nd dog rescued from Wolf's operation.  Gracie's story runs from tragic, to heartwarming, but is ultimately cautionary.

The author, Carol Bradley, is a former newspaper reporter, which shows in her organized and highly readable prose style. This is a must read for all who care about dogs or are contemplating getting one.
1841247
I bought this book for my 8 month old. The variety of wild animals shown is great (rhino, lion, elephant, tiger, panda, parrot, penguin, polar bear, koala, kangaroo (although another reviewer pointed out it's actually a wallaby), crocodile, and lizard) and the quality of the pictures good, which is why I decided to buy it. However, four of the pictures have no texture at all--in place of the animal's texture they used a flat glittery surface for the grass in the picture, or the tree trunk that the animal is clinging to, etc. I would have preferred they try using a bumpy surface for the lizard or something like that. This might have been the case in previous editions of the book, as some other reviewers mentioned it. One person said there was a tree frog in the book but there wasn't any frog in my version, which would have been a nice addition! Overall, I still like the book, and my daughter enjoys me reading it to her.
795967
I like dachshunds but wish it was another breed, like a terrier (like mine). Also wish it said some other city in the postmark (have an ex in that area).
4870883
The information about the various puppies is fairly simple and probably a good start for deciding which breeds to look into.

The pictures are excellent.

The text by "Tadaaki Imaizumi, zoologist" makes me question whether the person actually has a degree. Unlike the authors claims, dogs do indeed share morphological traits with wolves, seeing as how dogs technically share some morphological traits with humans.

The information about raising puppies at the back of the books is also fairly helpful.

If children are reading the book, especially ones interested in dogs and wolves, parents may need to explain that, contrary to what the book seems to imply, dogs are indeed canids.  Not just descended from them but are actually in the Canidae family.
3128289
I usually don't buy coffee tables books especially brand new but this one is too gorgeous not to! Really some of the best animal photos I've ever seen, each really captures their soul. It makes me sad I don't have a photographic memory to remember every picture as something in each one the animal begs to be remembered . Beautiful
2025636
Was hoping for more photos of the lodges & interiors since that was the title so I was disappointed. Very nice photos of the hunting areas around the famous lodges & the dogs hunting.  So many of these hunting lodges have beautiful, historic decor and that is what I was hoping for.  Next time I won't be buying an expensive coffee table book without the ability to preview it first.
4609016
Great tribute to a great breed. Beautiful photography.
2688018
I love the pictures and I love a lot of what is written.  But i feel too much is written for those that are wanting to show dogs.  I don't.  i want a family dog.  The  book is divided well and the topics it covers are very good, but sometimes I feel as if I wanted to understand more and read more but it was over.  It seems to cover everything but not going into extensive details.  But it is definitely a book to get over all the others here, it seems to cover the  most.  I learned many things and I will definitely use most of the information in the book.  When it came to describing commands, I would have liked to have pictures of a person giving a command.  That would have been more helpful than describing how to do the commands.
1587795
Some really great photos, but a renegade cartoon pic for April doesn't fit into the whole vibe.  That really knocks this down a notch  Most of the pics are really good, but a few are not the best that could have been included.  Nice calendar, but not worth the price.
3114317
There are some excellent photos of the Great Pyrenees breed in this calendar. There are also wonderful quotes about dogs each month. I also have a St Bernard calendar from the same company and the quotes are the same as the St Bernard calendar. If you like this beautiful breed, you should enjoy this calendar.
2562354
Recently I purchased the 20th edition of the Complete Dog Book for my sister's birthday and was very disappointed with the black and white photographs.  We have an edition in our family similar to this one, but it is dated back when color photos were not used frequently.  Why would they choose not to show the beautiful colors of the breeds - not a good decision.  I am considering returning this book for the earlier edition even though some of the newer breeds aren't listed.
628153
I'll give 3 stars to this book for the hidden gems in it, and for the expansive collection of photographs. However, National Geographic seems to have chosen quantity over quality. I was genuinely surprised at the lack of pictures even worth being denoted 'good'. Some of them looked like the sort of thing the average person takes on a short vacation.
Most photos in it are across both pages, and the large size makes almost every picture look grainy. It also makes the book seem like there are more pictures than there really are. The truly wonderful photos are pretty much all ones we've seen printed elsewhere, multiple times, like a humpback whale with seabirds about it by Flip Nicklin. I've even seen that one used in advertisements.
Don't waste your money or time buying this book; there are others of much better quality and lower pricing. In short they are NOT the "Greatest" photographs.
3050248
There is an antiquated viewpoint to all of these amalgams but that's because of the date they were created. Some combination's like the "Shutterbutt" (half sheep/half camera) would be confusing to modern viewers unless they're a camera buff like I am but the images are all interesting and funny. Pre-photoshop images are actually pretty good.
1125868
These dog miniatures are not well defined and many are poorly painted.  It is hard to tell some of them are dogs.