The Dog Diet - A Memoir, by Patti Lawson
What my dog taught me about shedding pounds, licking stress and getting a new leash on life

I am loving this book! I just bought another copy to send to a girlfriend who is in denial about depriving herself of some four footed joy ... She says she's too busy, says she travels too much, says this, says that. Truth is she works, works, works and is alone a lot much like the heroine of this true story.

If Patti Lawson - out of the blue - was able to fit Sadie into her life and thrive, so will Mafe.

I laughed and cried and related from page one. This past Monday I propped myself up in bed with Velvet on one side and Kitty nestled on the other. I couldn't put it down. Had some big, unexpected "ah has" about my diet and how I "tug at my leash." Whew. I got changes to make in the NOW!

Click here to order The Dog Diet for yourself. Heck, order two or three. Friend's Day is just around the corner - don't you have a girlfriend who doesn't know how awesome, healthy and fun life is with some 24/7, no-matter-how-you-look or how intelligent you are kind of love?

Me, I have Velvet the dog, Peetie the bird and Gengus Kitty our newest addition. I think Patti needs to adopt a cat next ... There's a bigggggg difference as I've been livin' and learn'.

Pets make us healthy and happy. I know you know that but here are a few specifics ...

Would you like stronger bones? This fact will make your purrrrrr. Apparently the sound of a cat’s purr keeps their bones strong AND keeps their owner's bones strong and healthy too.

Want to give your happy hormones a boost? The fact will make you want to pet – the verb. Petting cats or dogs increases feel good hormones, lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate. In other words, petting is healthy for your heart!

Want to live longer? On average, people who cared for dogs during their lives lived 3 years longer than people who never had a dog.

Want an easy, healthy stress buster? A study shows that watching fish swim can drop your blood pressure about 15 points, about the same as meditating.

Want to get back into shape, in how you feel and look? Dog owners walk 79 percent farther in an average week than non–dog owners.

“Walking is the biggest bang for our buck. Thirty minutes a day of walking will prevent many cases of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. Walking is the simplest, easiest way for most people." Richard Carmona, Surgeon General

This is a fun topic to research and along the way I came across a slew of great books on this topic …

I just found out that one of my favorite people in the whole wide world is also a dog lover. No surprises there ...

Please give Mark Levin a visit at: http://marklevinshow.com/

And, check out his new book, Rescuing Sprite A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish. You can click here to listen into Mark's reflections on Sprite (connects to WMA file.) And, you can also click below to gift yourself or a friend, or both. I can't wait to get my copy!

I spent a couple hours in an airport last weekend and did what I love to do most ... browsed in all the bookstores. Ahhhhh.

One of them had a cool collection of dog books so I thought it would be cool to start listing them here as I think of them, or come across them, or get in timely suggestions from you - yes you!

O.k. here goes ...

Old Yeller. Every dog book collection must begin somewhere. If it didn't begin here then it would have to be with Where the Red Fern Grows.

What classic bow wow book would you add in here? Do tell. And, check back in a couple days for more ...