Conservation Canines: How Dogs Work for the Environment
ORCA WILD CONSERVATION CANINES How Dogs Work for the Environment Foreword by Anjelica Huston Text and photographs by ISABELLE GROC Orca Book Publishers
Ayla an Anatolian shepherd is one of Anjelica Huston’s three dogs BLAKE BASHOFF
FOREWORD I have loved dogs for as long as I can remember and was lucky to have grown up with a great variety of canine friends There was my father’s regal Irish wolfhound Seamus who stood at seven feet on his hind paws and actually allowed my brother and me to ride him as children Moses a beautiful golden sheepdog we rescued from drowning in a river as a tiny puppy My brother’s Llewellin setter with the sad eyes a hunting dog named Flash who followed him devotedly through bogs and marshes in the west of Ireland And there was my puppy Mindy a miniature poodle the first dog I could call my own She was my sole responsibility and the love of my life Dogs were my teachers They taught me about love and loyalty faithfulness and patience and most of all true unconditional friendship I have always had dogs in my life and I rate their fellowship as highly as I would any human relationship Currently I am the proud owner of three beautiful dogs a little mutt of fourteen called Pootie a fox terrier named Oscar whom I inherited from a dear friend and Ayla a magnificent Anatolian shepherd who is the livestock guardian at my farm and guardian of her herd of Toggenburg goats I am so happy that Conservation Canines How Dogs Work for the Environment show cases not just what dogs do for us as people but also what they do for our planet With their keen noses and highly developed senses dogs are working with conservationists more and more to help collect information that assists with wildlife wildlife protection from finding endangered animals and plants to locating unwanted or harmful species to helping reduce human wildlife conflict With bold colorful photographs by author Isabelle Groc that match the stories of the canine heroes we meet throughout the book this amazing resource is suitable suitable for children and adults alike to teach us about dog conservationists The stories of these conservation canines celebrate the profound and ancestral human animal bond and give hope and inspiration to us all for finding new ways for people to coexist with wildlife and protect the natural world There is much to learn and with the help of our four-legged friends far more to achieve Anjelica Huston Actor and Author vii
