Kac and Lisa are seeing stars!

Kac Young has many attributes to her name – producer, TV writer, director, multiple doctorates – and now, dog owner. Together with Lisa Tenzin-Dolma – founder of the Dog Issues Advice Line (DIAL) and The International School for Canine Practitioners (ISCP) – she has written The Supposedly Enlightened Person's Guide to Raising a Dog, an exceptional book that explores Kac's latest venture of becoming a 'dog mom.'

Having previously only been a cat owner, Kac never imagined having a dog, until she met Talulah; sometimes; the dog choses you! Having consulted Lisa on all-things dog-related from the start, it is only natural that Kac's anecdotes should be followed by Lisa's observations and guidance. Combined, Kac and Lisa provide a vital insight into the best way to establish a loving and trusting relationship between you and your dog.

This book is proving a very popular read amongst Hubble &Hattie fans, with multiple five star reviews; it seems that Kac and Lisa have hit upon a winning formula with their co-production!

"The book takes the reader through rehoming centres, and how to find the right dog for you; this is all achieved in super true-story form in how Talulah settles in, and necessities such as toilet training, feeding, other pets … in this case six cats! Chapters follow with Talulah making appearances in photos throughout. I love the last paragraph, as I think it is so important: 'Have fun with your dogs, and make the most of every moment. Drink in his love and devotion and offer the same in return.' Both entertaining and informative, this book is totally delightful, and a wonderful read for dog owners new and old."

– Dog Training Weekly

"Enjoy an uplifting read about learning to love a dog, and learning to earn a dog's love too! Marc Bekoff's foreward to this book is an enduring endorsement of the pioneering work of Hubble & Hattie in publishing books written by ethical guardians of other species. Behind this superbly illustrated saga shines a beautiful bright light that will never be extinguished. Kac Young's gentle self-deprecating humour permeates The Supposedly Enlightened Person's Guide to Raising a Dog and offers comfort and wisdom to the newbie dog guardian. Lisa Tenzin-Dolma is the patient mentor strengthening the connection between Kac, Talulah, and then also Truffle. Lisa taught Kac the language of dogs in this insightful journey of developing an enduring, respectful relationship between species. Integrating an adopted dog into the busy lives of two professional adults is hard work. Kac's carefully documented account offers so much. It covers every imaginable aspect of helping a dog to understand the chaotic world of humans.

"Kac shares her aspirations as an adoptive guardian in a heart-warming read. She embraces her new role with humility, a willingness to learn and a heart full of unconditional love. Lisa's generous advice is also compressed into easy-to-follow dot points. The Supposedly Enlightened Person's Guide to Raising a Dog is irresistible."

– Geelong Obedience Dog Club

"I loved this book so much! A proud rescuer myself, I related to everything Kac wrote about here, and even learned a few cool new things about my boy, this creature who never ceases to amaze me (and exasperate me) at the age of seven. If you're a dog lover – or a cat lover (or a something in between) – you'll enjoy this book. Happily, they also bring to light a few tips and tricks that will definitely come in handy if you're having trouble training your young and stubborn one. This is such a great book! Wonderful job, Kac and Lisa – and very well written, too!"

– J Randy and Spencer, NY Times Book List Best Seller

"The stories of life as a first-time adopter describe Kac's progression from slightly shell-shocked beginner to savvy, adoring dog guardian. Entertaining and informative, readers will see how Kac consulted with behaviourist Lisa Tenzin-Dolma on all-things dog-related, and will get Lisa's own observations and guidance on a wide range of subjects following Kac and Talulah's many stories. An engaging, entertaining, and informative read from cover to cover, The Supposedly Enlightened Person's Guide to Raising a Dog will help anyone with a new canine companion of their own start off on the right foot – or paw – with a new dog, or get reacquainted with a long-time canine friend and companion!"

– Midwest Book Review

"I have read this book at least three times before commencing this review, and, as someone who has been involved with the subject for a lifetime, learned something new each time I read it. I found it fascinating and am convinced that anyone, irrespective of experience, who has a new dog, no matter whether puppy or adult, will find it an extremely helpful guide. I found each chapter – no matter how short – interesting and instructive. I was learning without realising it! I am sure that it is not a book that will be left gathering dust on the shelf, but will be referred to time and the again. Buy it, read it, and be educated and entertained. Whatever your experience, I am sure you will not regret the decision."

– Trevor Turner, BVetMed, MRCVS, FRSH, MCIArb

In addition to all of these fabulous reviews, Kac has taken it upon herself to go on her own press tour, scheduling radio and television interviews around California and beyond, to talk about her book, ahead of its in-store release in the United States. During these interviews, we get to learn more about Kac's new found home life: how she simply fell in love with Talulah in an instant, despite being convinced that the only pets she ever needed were her cats; how Kac's and Lisa's friendship developed over the years; how Kac was inspired by Lisa's story with her own rescue dog, Charlie – which you can read for yourself in Lisa's book Charlie – The Dog Who Came in from the Wild, also from Hubble & Hattie – how the idea for this book came about … the list really does go on! Click the following links to hear Kac's and Lisa's interviews.

• Home Town Radio
• Conscious Talk Radio 
• Conscious Living

Radio host Wendy Garrett, from Conscious Living, also shared her own review of the book off-air, which we have for you here:
"Timely perspective and insight on so many relevant topics. Choc-full of compassionate understanding, gentle reproach and non-punitive, illustrative techniques to help reinforce and reward our cherished companions in ways that speak directly to them, you succeed in advocating guidance that is a win/win situation for the pet, especially for those who know their person has a heart but is flat-out of clues. The beautiful pictures are so well done and fun!"

See for yourself what makes this book so incredibly marvellous, by heading over to our online shop – as well as Lisa's book about Charlie –  and consider yourself 'supposedly enlightened' as well!

 

Worzel's Quite Very Actual Busy Summer

Ever since becoming an internet sensation with his acclaimed bloggy fing, Worzel Wooface has been on the fast-track to being a sellebberty dog. And the past few months have been especially busy, as he has had not one, but two new books published!

Of course, if you're an avid follower of all things Hubble & Hattie, you'll know about Worzel, but if you are new to this literary Lurcher, let's quickly get you up to speed. Taken in by Hounds First Sighthounds Rescue, and then adopted into his forever home by Catherine Pickles and her famberly, Worzel sees it as his very himportant duty to be an ambassador for rescue pups. And he's doing a fins job of it, too! In addition to his bloggy fing – which was a finalist in the 2015 UK Blog Awards – he has a collie-um-num in his local newspaper, and a total of four published works!

Three Quite Very Actual Cheers for Worzel Wooface! is his latest literary offering, which details his third year. The list of adventures he has embarked on is endless: the famberly's bid to save Worzel's favourite beach, heading out on a foreign holiday, and how to handle a foster brother, to name but a few! 

Reviews are just starting to reach us here at Hubble & Hattie HQ, and are quite actual fabumazing! Here are a couple of snippets:

"Totally delighted with the third book in the series, I think they just get better and better, and long may it last!"

– Dog Training Weekly

"Live and laugh with Worzel! Learn to speak Lurcher, too!"

– Geelong Obedience Dog Club

Worzel's mum, Catherine, always wanted to write a children's book that features her luffly boykin, and back in August her wish was realised with the release of Worzel Says Hello! Will You Be My Friend? The praise for this book has been outstanding, and rightly so! Combined with Chantal Bourgonje's marvellous illustrations, the book aims to teach children how to interact and make friends with dogs in a safe and happy way.

"This book for children addresses the issues of introducing a potentially nervous rescue dog to young children."

– Australian Dog Lover

"Watch as Worzel goes from shy and scared to girl's best friend in this delightful read, fit for any child's book collection."

– Dogs Monthly

"An accurate, aesthetic, artistic, literary delight! Hubble & Hattie has set a formidable benchmark for canine educators, opting for the popular picture storybook format."
– Geelong Obedience Dog Club

"This book is gorgeous. Every child (and an awful lot of adults) should read this book: it could make their whole lives a lot happier."

– The Bookbag

If all that excitement wasn't enough Worzel for you, then you're in luck, as there's more! Worzel was hinterviewed for PeTA by its very own doggy reporter, Jasper Bossyboots. Jasper, a fuge fan of Worzel's, had a whole list of questions to ask, from what is it like being a sellebberty dog, how he writes his books, and more. You can read the full hinterview here.

Now, I know what you're thinking: that's still not enough of the luffly boykin for you! Well, you can keep up with Worzel in many different ways, whether through his bloggy fing, or his Facebook, or Twitter, so you'll never be without a bit of Worzel for long!

Find-o and Rescue!

In recent weeks, Mexico has been hit by a number of earthquakes, with the most devastating affecting Mexico City on the 19th of September. With rescue efforts still under way, we've heard of a very special four-legged-friend who is making a huge contribution.

Omar Torres-AFP/GettyImages

Meet Frida, the 7-year-old yellow Labrador rescue dog, deployed by the Mexican navy (SEMAR) to help the search effort in the event of natural disasters. Kitted out in her protective goggles, harness, and two pairs of booties, her services were called upon after both the Mexico City and 7th of September Oaxaca earthquakes to help search for survivors. In her career, she has recovered 52 people, although, sadly, only 12 of them alive. This number does not include the latest Mexico disasters, as the recovery is still on going.

When details of her work made the news, Frida became a viral sensation: a tweet posted by the Mexican navy, featuring a collage of pictures of her, reportedly received over 4000 retweets and almost 7000 likes alone! The people of Twitter love Frida, with many hailing her a hero, or viewing her as a symbol of hope during this troubled time.

As reported by the LA Times, Frida's handler, Israel Arauz Salinas, described the training that she, and other pups, undertake in order to become detector dogs. Puppies are selected from the age of two months, and training varies depending on whether they will go into the detection of explosives, narcotics, or people. The form of training that Frida would have received included a seemingly normal game of fetch; once the dog gets used to this idea, the trainer then begins running with the toy in hand, instead of throwing it for them to retrieve. This aides the pup in associating the smell of a human with the reward of the toy. Then dogs train for three hours a day for a whole year before they are deployed to disaster sites. 

Once on site, trained dogs bark if they detect life signs, or stop and proceed cautiously, if there is a scent, but no life signs. Some of the smaller spaces Frida and the other dogs will have to search on site are no more than 20 inches hight, but crawling, the dogs can get much further than a human.

It's great to see that, in their hour of need, dogs truly are Man's Best Friend! If this heart-warming tale has piqued your interest in the work of service dogs, we have just the book for you. Partners by Nan Walton includes an array of real life stories on service dogs, from Search and Rescue canines like Frida, to guide dogs. You can find it here.

International Animal Rescue with Four Paws Charity

Whether it's the constant news stories in the media, or JK Rowling's efforts last year on Twitter to save a family from the war-torn capital of Aleppo, it's hard to escape hearing about the Syrian civil war. Despite how much is being reported on the people within the country, not much is heard about the animals that are also suffering because of the ongoing conflict. Well, lucky for some four-legged-friends, Four Paws have been able to help!

Four Paws is a UK animal welfare charity that operates internationally, and its main aim is to help create a world where humans treat animals respectfully, with empathy, and have a full understanding of their way of life. Amongst a huge number of ways in which it executes its plans to provide direct assistance to animals in need and re-home them in its own sanctuaries. This is exactly what happened when it came to rescuing the animals at the Magic World Zoo, situated near Aleppo. 

Over the course of the summer months, the team at Four Paws worked tirelessly in order to save the remaining 13 animals from the zoo. With the help of the Turkish Ministry of Forestry and Water Management, Turkish aides, and a local security team, they were able to cross the boarder into Syria, rescue the animals, and bring them to a rehabilitation centre in Turkey, before transporting them on to their new homes. 

Amongst the animals were five lions, two bears, two tigers, two hyenas, and two dogs, all of which showed signs of physical and mental trauma, as well as being malnourished and emaciated. One of the hyenas was even found to have been suffering from kidney failure. All animals had to receive veterinary care at the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Karacabey, Turkey, before they were able to be transported to their new home, Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife in Jordan, a Four Paws project partnership.

Most of the animals will now stay and make Al Ma'wa their new home, apart from the two tigers, who will be moved to a specialist Four Paws sanctuary in the Netherlands. Although the lasting psychological effects will have had a profound, and unfortunately irreversible, effect on the animals, they are now at least safe, well cared for, and exploring their new surroundings with excitement, all thanks to the amazing team at Four Paws!