John Homans adopted his dog, Stella, from a shelter for all the usual reasons: fond memories of dogs from his past, a companion for his son, an excuse for long walks around the neighborhood. Soon enough, she is happily ensconced in the daily workings of his family. And not only that: Stella is treated like a family member—in ways that dogs of his youth were not. Spending humanlike sums on vet bills, questioning her diet and exercise regimens, contemplating her happiness—how had this all come to pass, when the dogs from Homans’s childhood seemed quite content living mostly out in the yard? In What’s a Dog For?, Homans explores the dog’s complex and prominent place in our world and how it came to be. Evolving from wild animals to working animals to nearly human members of our social fabric, dogs are now the subject of serious scientific studies concerning pet ownership, evolutionary theory, and even cognitive science. From new insights into what makes dogs so appealing to humans to the health benefits associated with owning a dog, Homans investigates why the human-canine relationship has evolved so rapidly—how dogs moved into our families, our homes, and sometimes even our beds in the span of a generation, becoming a $53 billion industry in the United States in the process. As dogs take their place as coddled family members and their numbers balloon to more than seventy-seven million in the United States alone, it’s no surprise that canine culture at large is also undergoing a massive transformation. They are now subject to many of the same questions of rights and ethics as people, and the politics of dogs are more tumultuous and public than ever— with fierce moral battles raging over kill shelters, puppy mills, and breed standards. Incorporating interviews and research from scientists, activists, breeders, and trainers, What’s a Dog For? investigates how dogs have reached this exalted status and why they hold such fascination for us. With one paw in the animal world and one paw in the human world, it turns out they have much to teach us about love, death, and morality—and ultimately, in their closeness and difference, about what it means to be human.

The first book to summarize the burgeoning research literature on the behavioural ecology of the dog. It presents a new ecological approach to the understanding of dog behaviour and highlights directions for future research. Providing links to human and primate behaviour research, it will appeal to anyone interested in behavioural ecology.

Do dogs live in the same world as humans? Is it wrong to think dogs have personalities and emotions? What are dogs thinking and what’s the nature of canine wisdom? This is a book for thoughtful dog-lovers who want to explore the deeper issues raised by dogs and their relationships with humans. Twenty philosophers and dog-lovers reveal their experiences with dogs and give their insights on dog-related themes of metaphysics and ethics.

This book puts cognition back at the heart of the language learning process and challenges the idea that language acquisition can be meaningfully understood as a purely linguistic phenomenon. For each domain placed under the spotlight - memory, attention, inhibition, categorisation, analogy and social cognition - the book examines how they shape the development of sounds, words and grammar. The unfolding cognitive and social world of the child interacts with, constrains, and predicts language use at its deepest levels. The conclusion is that language is special, not because it is an encapsulated module separate from the rest of cognition, but because of the forms it can take rather than the parts it is made of, and because it could be nature’s finest example of cognitive recycling and reuse.

Introduction to Pragmatics guides students through traditional and new approaches in the field, focusing particularly on phenomena at the elusive semantics/pragmatics boundary to explore the role of context in linguistic communication. Offers students an accessible introduction and an up-to-date survey of the field, encompassing both established and new approaches to pragmatics Addresses the traditional range of topics – such as implicature, reference, presupposition, and speech acts – as well as newer areas of research, including neo-Gricean theories, Relevance Theory, information structure, inference, and dynamic approaches to meaning Explores the relationship and boundaries between semantics and pragmatics Ideal for students coming to pragmatics for the first time

Do you want your dog to be socially well-behaved? Are you looking for advice on training and looking after your pet? Covering every aspect of kind, fair and effective dog training as well as authoritative advice on looking after your pet, Train Your Dog is essential reading for all dog owners or those thinking of getting a dog for the first time. Written by the APDT, a guarantee of quality in dog training, this book covers positive reward and motivational techniques that will ensure your dog is socially well-behaved, obedient and, most importantly, able to be a part of your family. It also details different training methods for different types of dog, issues to address before training commences (deciding on your commands and discovering the motivation of your dog), equipment that may aid the training experience and essential tips for training a puppy or a 'problem dog'. Packed full of essential advice on all aspects of being a dog owner, this book will ensure that you get the most out of your pet and vice versa! NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of dog training. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Jenny was nearly two years old when David met her, and it was a perfect match between a dog who just wanted out of her prison and a guy looking for someone with whom he could share bad jokes and make listen to his sermons before he delivered them to the church. She could handle some bad humor and some boring sermons if she could just be allowed to love some people and be free. After all, loving people was what she did best. And being free is what everyone wants. Having come from a pretty difficult beginning, Jenny had some issues. She was fearful and aggressive toward other dogs, but even with her issues, she showed an incredible love toward every human she met as well as an unquenchable joy that was always present. Come experience the relationship between a man and his dog, and discover how God is interpreted in the actions of this wonderful and amazing animal by a guy who sees God in every living thing. If you are enduring some difficulty right now, this book may help you out of your pain. You may just discover that what you have really found is a renewed relationship with the King of kings that will give you a new perspective on life and those with whom we share the planet.

Almost everyone likes dogs, even those who prefer cats as pets. So it's not surprising that writers have devoted a great deal of verbiage indeed to describe their ongoing love affair with the canine breed. You'll find herein all kinds of tales focusing on dogs: science fiction stories, mysteries, horror tales, westerns, memoirs, humorous accounts, and first-person doggie narratives. There are well-known pieces by writers such as Jack London, James Oliver Curwood, Washington Irving, Saki, E. C. Tubb, John Gregory Betancourt, Robert Hood, and Jack Dann--and stories by authors who are relatively unknown today. Here are twenty-five marvelous tales of dogs and their interactions with humans, plus five bonus poems: "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London "My Friend Bobby," by Alan E. Nourse "Neb," by Robert Reginald "My Friend," by Anonymous [poem] "Kerfol," by Edith Wharton "The Monster," by S. M. Tenneshaw "Tinker," by E. Nesbit "Phantom Dogs," by Elliott O'Donnell "The Dogs of Hannoie," by E. C. Tubb "Warlock," by Gordon Stables [poem] "Spaniel and Newfoundland Dogs," by Edward Jesse "A Dog of Flanders," by Ouida "Guard Dog," by Robert Hood "Rip Van Winkle," by Washington Irving "Stories of Dog Sagacity," by W. H. G. Kingston "The Best Friend," by Meribah Philbrick Abbott [poem] "Grab a Knife and Save a Life," by Mark E. Burgess "Kazan," by James Oliver Curwood "Mercy's Reward," by Sir Edwin Arnold [poem] "Snap: The Story of a Bull-Terrier," by Ernest Thompson Seton "Dogs Questing," by John Gregory Betancourt "The Widow's Dog," by Mary Russell Mitford "The Beast of Space," by F. E. Hardart "Oil of Dog," by Ambrose Bierce "Spirit Dog," by Jack Dann "Little Doggerel," by Robert Reginald [poem] "A Pilgrim," by Robert W. Chambers "The Open Window," by Saki "Memoirs of a Yellow Dog," by O. Henry "The Sound of the Barkervilles," by Robert Reginald. And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" to see more volumes in the series, including more animal stories (like Cats), plus mysteries, adventure stories, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!