A so-so additon - please read the part about the animals
359710
Not really a good addition for us.  He tries to put very toy we have in the Farris wheel basket (not just the animals)... which ends up frustrating him when they don't fit/get stuck/ fall out.  But that has just been our experience. I would still recommended the Zoo to everyone and maybe this train too to some parents I know.

But DO NOT BUY the animal accessories on Amazon!  They're less than $3.50 at your local big box store!!!
2086842
I have become saddened more about how animals are treated and wanted to understand a former vet's point of view. I think it's double standards with us enlightened species and other animals. Pet ownership is based on our wants and control. It's the luck of the draw what species you are born into - as we love 'pets' but don't tolerate some other mammals/insects if they are considered pests. Good book to make you think whether we really are helping animals. This book is as much about our 'gentle' abuse as about human psychology I think.
2416595
here the links:
[...]
and information:
[...]

It would be a shame to see this sort of activity supported by purchases by those interested in learning about these cool animals.
1404337
There are no scenes containing naughty behaviors with animals. However, there are some disturbing scenes that might bother some viewers. One is during a story about a woman who loved a bull, and in the end it's killed by angry skin-heads. I don't know if the home movie shown was realy of the men killing the poor animal, and then slapping the bloody skin on the woman.. was real, or not...I'm hoping that it was not. There are other parts where pics. of skinned/dead animals will appear, which are distasteful in my opinion. However, the over all dvd was full of interesting information about the people who love animals in an xxx sort of way. If you liked the movie "zoo" (about Mr. Hands) then you'll like this dvd. However, some of the people interviewed are boring and long winded, but it's still worth seeing. Even for college students who are writing a paper on this topic would find this informative. The reason why I didn't give this movie all stars was due to some of the interviews conducted. I won't give specifics, but in my opinion there was some info. which was not informative, so why add it in? I had to fast forward parts of the dvd...too long.
3926559
Be aware this price is not for all three animals as the photo indicates.  This company will randomly select one of the three animal styles and send you whatever they have on the shelf.  So if you want one specific animal, or all three, as I did, you may not get it.

My pet was very fond of his tiger, played with it and carried it around all day.  The lighter colored leopard I got just does not look the same to him and so gets very little play time.  Dogs are smarter than we sometimes believe...they know what they want for sure.
4682170
I saw some of the photos online before I ordered the book and I thought they were charming.  I guess I expected the stories about the animals to be longer and include a more intimate look at the possible thoughts of the animals.  I was disappointed with the text.
340227
As the newest entry in the inappropriate pet genre, Sparky! takes its place alongside Jon Agree's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/My-Rhinoceros/dp/054529441X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">My Rhinoceros</a>&nbsp;on the ASPCA-unapproved bookshelf. In reality, sloths don't make good pets because of many species-specific challenges, including unique diet requirements and sensitivity to temperature changes. According to zoologist Lucy Cooke, most zoos in the U.S. refuse to keep sloths because they require such specialized care. She thus questions how untrained pet owners can suitably provide for such an animal. "Sloths make lousy pets. Their highly specialized biology makes sloths largely unable to survive outside the rainforest. So, the idea that any old Joe could just keep one as a pet is a bit of a fantasy, really." Know-it-all Mary Potts may have been right.

I'm also not thrilled that the sloth here looks, well, unhappy. Particularly considering a sloth's natural expression is a smile--a fact which leads some to mistakenly believe they are perpetually happy. I therefore cannot help but wonder if we are to understand that Sparky doesn't enjoy being a pet. (Being shipped arms- and legs-out in an Express Mail box probably wasn't an auspicious start to the owner-pet relationship.) Then his new owner is poking him with a stick to stay awake--after reading in an encyclopedia that sloths sleep sixteen hours a day. That's unkind and unfunny. For the record, the very last illustration in the book shows Sparky smiling; it's very sweet, but it's too little, too late.

Sloths are the pet du jour in America. Celebrities such as Anderson Cooper and Kristen Bell sing (and sometimes cry) their praises. Yet, a captivating children's story about a sloth doesn't just happen lying around like a sloth. The author should have found a creative way to take advantage of the sloth's natural tendencies to save the day or at the very least make an emotional impact with the reader. As it is, I'm not convinced the sloth is a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. I actually find Sparky kinda cute, but I'm not sure his owner does. As I have said before, I'm all for the ugly duckling motif, but the ugly duckling needs to have some hidden talent or redeeming quality. And maybe it's because I'm as worked up as long-tailed lemur in a room full of rocking chairs, but I don't see why one of the words of parrot-speak had to be "God." That seemed out of place, literary criticisms notwithstanding.

If Sparky's story didn't do it for me, the artwork certainly did. Chris Appelhans is a talent to watch. His watercolor-and-pencil work is lovely. There's something about his shading and texturing which recalls the classic charcoals from the Golden Age of children's books as well as recent bestsellers from Jon Klassen (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/I-Want-My-Hat-Back/dp/0763655988/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">I Want My Hat Back</a>). Appelhans' typeface is also a win. It is said to be a hand-lettered design of the artist, though I noticed multiple variations of most letters, so kudos for the extra detail.

As a story, however, I cannot recommend this book. It makes me sad every time I read it. I don't think that was the intent, nor does it work well as a cautionary tale. My kids haven't asked for it again, either. I know the author's work is&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/polarizing/dp/0375866019/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">polarizing</a>, so perhaps Sparky! will have its share of supporters, too.

Rest assured, there's a place in this world for atypical pet stories. Look for&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/This-Moose-Belongs-to-Me/dp/0399161031/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">This Moose Belongs to Me</a>&nbsp;instead.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]
2828679
Saw this in theaters and although it's highly centered around one animal, Tilikum, which makes sense with the treatment of him and the lack of respect to the animal by Sea World, I wish there was more content as a whole involving these beautiful creatures. - From Washington state and have experienced them in the wild multiple times.
4754422
I kind of liked it, but I couldn't get over that most of the animals have already passed away.  :/
2035064
When I bought this book I thought I would learn something about the reasons people think about dogs cows and pigs so differently. Actually the title should be a question: "Why DO we love dogs, eat pigs and wear cows? (Even that is misleading, there is almost nothing about the leather producing industry). It is mostly devoted to how terribly we treat the animals we keep as a source of food: pigs, cows and chickens. While this is an important issue, it is not what the title infers and for me, at least, it was a disappointment since the horrors of factory farms has nothing to do with why we love dogs or why we eat pigs or why we wear cows.
2644527
I don't like this guy's mentality on dog training. He's very into the idea of getting a purebred puppy, no adult dogs, no mutts, and although he entertains the other options it's in ways to try and sway you to his opinion. Sure, that may be the right choice for some people, but I have a rescue and they can be great options for some people, especially those who don't have time to raise a puppy (which is a HUGE commitment, and practically impossible for people working full-time).

It's mostly him stating his opinions and the REQUIREMENTS for dogs in his eyes. Basically, he's saying if your dog isn't perfect by 10 weeks is a useless lost cause and you might as well give up. Dogs can be retrained. This guy's too stuck up for me.
4348545
First off, I am an animal lover.  I've had pets most of my life so this book is very much like preaching to the choir.  It would be hard for me to believe that my pets, and animals in general, do not have emotions.  I thought this book would be black & white concerning that issue but it is very fair to the opinion that animals do not have emotions.  The title suggestions that the opinion of this author is animals are emotional however she offers several stories and possibilities to keep the book balanced.  I learned quite a lot from this book.  It leans towards "animals are emotional" but it's not as black & white as I thought which made the book very interesting

I got this book because I wanted to read lots of stories of animals and their emotions but I didn't exactly get that.  The first couple of chapters are void of emotional animal stories and once the book finally does start with the stories, they are lacking details.  I felt as though the author wanted to get as much in as possible.  Quantity over quality.

I'm still giving this book a good rating because I did have a great time reading it.
722362
What kind of animals did the writer grow up hearing about?! This book does NOT have your typical "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" type animals. This book consists of a horse (ok, that works), a cow (works too), a vunture (hu?), a llama, a rabbit, and some other strange to the story animals. My daughter was not interested. Such a bummer because we normally love the Indestructible Books - we have many of them and love them. But this one missed the mark in a big way. Disappointed.
3711515
I was a little bit astounded that the writer had found so many seemingly isolated spots from the Bible concerning the fate of animals. People in general seem to be unaware of these and on the contrary many seem to argue against of animals going to heaven and of them having souls. It seems that although many claim to know their Bible they have clearly missed these points concerning the importance of animals at the side of man.

Veikko Syrjnen. Finlad
4846360
As a pitbull owner, there were parts of this book that saddened me.  Seeing pitbulls chained up and some of the stereotypical owners that fight their dogs, was not pleasing.  However, I thought that some of the editorials from these owners were interesting and although I disagree with some of their views, it was a realistic look at the other side of breeding and owning pitbulls.  I found the logic used by some of these breeders, quite dumbfounding.  Because pitbulls were breed 200 years ago to fight, it's O.K. to continue this sport.  Well, if that were the case, we can say that African Americans were bred to be slaves, but today, is that legal and humane?  The government and society doesn't think so and neither is using past history to mistreat and abuse a great and misunderstood breed!  So again, some of the commentary was disturbing, but I feel, like a few other reviewers, that this is another book I can talk about to people who are weary of pitbulls and say, "This is another reason to get educated!"
2250525
My family has always had dogs. I love dogs and I was not sure if I could read much of this book. I dreaded one heart-breaking story after another about bad things happening to defenseless dogs.
I had no need to worry. William Putney is no doubt an excellent veterinarian and a caring individual, but as a writer, he should stay being a veterinarian. However, this book is not a literary work, its purpose is to campaign for dogs generally and army dogs in particular - and that is how it reads.
I found the book rather boring. There can be no doubt that animals serve their masters well, and doing what comes naturally to them saved lives during the war. Animals are also excellent company in extremis.
Dr Putney campaigns long and hard for the dogs to be recognised for their service, and remembered for their sacrifice. That is where the good doctor and I part company. There are 75 million dogs in America. They mostly have doting owners. Indeed, 42% of them share their beds with them, and lavish $40 billion a year on their pets. And why not? Dogs display unconditional love to their owners. If you shut your wife and dog in the trunk of your car for a couple of hours, see which one is pleased to see you when you let them out.
Here is the reason why not. They are, ipso facto animals. They are sensitive only to affection, fear, food and sex. They have no imagination. Dr Putney wanted the government to spend thousands of dollars de-training the dogs and sent back to their original owners. Clearly, the owners did not want them or they would not have given them away. They should have been humanely destroyed. They should not; as happened in Vietnam, be left behind, that was cruel. However, it was only cruel to humans who knew of it because they put human values on animals. The dogs were happy scavenging - that is what dogs do naturally. If any of the owners of the 75 million dogs in the US kept still long enough, their pets would probably eat them!
Regretfully I must confess there are many books that are more deserve one's time than this one. A small volume, but spend the money on your dog instead.
414 words.
464264
I confess I was looking for a book that would provide some insight into how it is that dogs seem to have a unique ability to live with us and adapt to our sometimes oddly expressed affection for them. Perhaps it was the title that misled me into hoping for an explanation of the scientific reason that dogs seem to genuinely like us and understand us. I have read some books and articles that trace the history of the relationship between man and dog. Dogs eventually coming inside the campfire area etc. None of these books relied on neuroscience to explain what is actually going on inside the brain of a dog. This looked promising.

This is a fascinating book, just not the one I signed on for. The first part of the book gives us some information about the author's family and relationship with dogs, but it is primarily a description of why the tests were designed and how the tests were conducted and how you can, with some difficulty and a lot of trial and error, get a dog to lie perfectly still in an MRI despite its racket and confined space. That this was possible is an amazing feat, but here is where I start to become disappointed. I learned a lot about the experiments, the rewards, the resultant brain activity. But I came away wanting more information about what conclusions can be drawn. Yes, there are instances where you can map canine to human brain activity in response to certain stimuli, but what else can we learn?

I came away still not quite understanding how dogs love us.