Rabid

May 14, 2012
Satran (How Not to Act Old) has written another humor book destined to fill gift bags for relatives no one knows very well. With charts breaking down dog ownership behavior according to “Crazy About Your Dog” or “Just Crazy” and tidbits on doggie spa treatments, bottled water and alternative therapies for dogs, the real eye-poppers come from the “Dogs and Art Timeline,” the “Royal Dogs Timeline,” and the section, “Dogs and Money.” This exhaustive compilation of dog-related factoids, itself emblematic of the Internet age, offers its own relevance for just-in-love puppy owners and the “half of dog owners who consider their dogs to be equal members of the family.” A comparison between the merits of dogs versus kids might just be worth the price of admission, but overall, this is a glorified magazine about man’s (and woman’s) best friend. Illus. Agent: Melissa Flashman, Trident Media Group.

October 1, 2012

Satran (How Not To Act Old) takes a lighthearted look at the relationships between people and their dogs. Last year, Americans spent $50 billion on their pets, and Satran covers the products and services this money is buying, including dog spas and clothing, dog houses and resorts, gourmet dog food, alternative medicine, dog horoscopes, Halloween costumes, dog meet-ups and weddings, helicopter dog parents, and dog cloning. Each chapter includes a quiz to help readers determine whether they are crazy about their dogs ("leaving the television on to keep your dog company") or just plain crazy ("keeping track of your pet via doggy cam"). There are lists of products (e.g., a faux-fur bed shaped like a car, talking dog-food bowls), services (e.g., doggy social networking sites, fat camp for dogs), timelines (e.g., dogs and religion, royal dogs, dogs and art), and a list called "Ten Things To Do with Your Dog's Ashes (Besides Bury Them in the Backyard)." Satran also includes useful information about dog health, sports, festivals, and websites. VERDICT The perfect book for all readers who have ever wondered if they have gone overboard in pampering their dog. Recommended.--Rachel Owens, Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
It is a fact of modern life that we delay marriage, get divorced, live alone, or just plain decide not to have kids. Is it any wonder that our dogs have become our family and that 90 percent of dog owners say they'd risk their lives to save their dogs? Best-selling author Satran (How Not to Act Old, 2009) takes a humorous look at our dog-obsessed society, enumerating the various ways we can indulge our pets. We can take them to a spa for a pawdicure (including nail polish, of course) or a lovely hot-oil soak. We can purchase a CD of Silent Night audible only to dogs. And, finally, when our best friends have met their end, we can freeze-dry their bodies in a naturalistic posesleeping is the usual choiceor throw them a traditional funeral complete with casket and headstone. As Satran points out, no matter how crazy we may have gotten about our dogs, there are always others out there who are even crazier, and this book will help pinpoint where on the dog-crazy spectrum we lie.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)